Rjprintlab Reviews 

Roberto is an amazing artist and expert at Platinum Palladium printing (along with every other form of alternative printing). Went to his lab to learn to make digital negatives and P/P printing and came away inspired! Absolute master of his craft.

I have just completed a «one on one» workshop with Roberto on Platinum Palladium printing and
must share my positive experience.
Roberto is super knowledgeable in his craft and was very invested in supplying the very best in hospitality and tutoring.
Highly recommended.

Attending Roberto’s platinum-palladium print workshop in Durham was an incredible experience. Over two days, I learned so much — especially about calibration and the systematic approach to the printing process. The calibration in specific was an eye-opener.

Roberto’s guidance was patient, insightful, and deeply encouraging. I truly appreciate his passion for the craft. I returned with not just beautifully printed images, but lasting memories and inspiration that changed the way I process images.

Beyond being an excellent teacher, he was also a wonderful host. This being my first visit to the UK, his kindness made it even more special — from picking me up to dropping me at the station.

Highly recommended!

I spent a wonderful two days with Roberto learning about platinum printing. His knowledge of the entire photographic process is amazing, and he explained the concepts of alternative printing processes so they were really easy to understand. It was a fascinating and fun workshop, and we created some beautiful art. If you're interested in traditional photography processes then don't hesitate to contact Roberto!

Roberto is beyond competent, beyond generous, beyond friendly and a magic printer! With him, i have engaged in a lengthily and durable mentorship which enabled me to acquire the fundamental skills to obtain great prints, with consistent results. Roberto's knowledge is so profound that even if I experienced issues that had nothing to do with his teachings, he was able to resolve them all with precision and promptness in replying. I couldn't recommend him more! Look out for his workshops as attending one will positively change your life!

I booked two days of 1:1 time with Roberto in the print lab, with a clear objective of honing my Pt/Pd printing skills and optimising my workflow for consistent, high-quality results. Roberto is a highly experienced and engaging tutor, and he was more than happy to customise the workshop to meet by expectations, and some. As well as covering all aspects of the process, there was plenty of opportunity to 'talk photography' during moments of down time (when paper is drying or prints are being exposed), which all adds to the fun of such a workshop. By the end of Day 2, I left confident in my ability to realise by myself the print quality that I seek. If you are serious about mastering Pt/Pd printing, this is the best investment you will make in your craft: worth its weight in platinum!

Roberto is a master of his craft and together with his academic qualifications, he has amassed decades of real world experience in the photography world, working with various publications, companies, and personalities. He knows what he's doing and with his calm, relaxed and humorous personality, he guided me through a 2-day workshop where i was able to learn, experiment and enjoy Platinum Palladium printing for the first time. There was alot to learn and at times it felt a little overwhelming, but Roberto was patient and attentive and helped me to move past this pretty effortlessly. I got the impression he wasn't just teaching a process, but coaching me, personally, to take away the knowledge and implement it in my way. His experience of working with artists and printing their work was also inspirational for me and i appreciated his feedback on my work and direction. In short, brilliant workshop, great guy, covered lots, and if you like coffee, you cant go wrong! Other drinks were available. ;-)

I booked a 1-2-1 with Roberto to start my journey into printing with platinum palladium. His knowledge and pedigree as a printer are exceptional, this combined with his passion and attention to detail made for an incredible experience. This was a perfect introduction, under Roberto's expert tutelage I exceeded my expectations for the day and came away with some awesome prints. Platinum palladium printing is not for everyone, but if it is for you I doubt you could find better.

Wow!!!! What an amazing experience!!!

Not only was Roberto an excellent teacher with a clear passion for what he does he also has great craic!

I did the platinum palladium printing workshop with him and although the whole process seemed daunting at the beginning he really took the time to show me what to do and let me get completely hands on.

We developed some gorgeous images together that I couldn’t be more proud of and I left feeling confident about being able to offer these prints to clients but also my head full of inspiration- a second workshop working with botanicals is definitely on the cards- can’t wait to come back :)

Thank you!!! :)))

Roberto really pulls out all the stops, even before your arrival at the lab. Everything is tailored to your needs, with every detail of information and assistance that you need. The lab facilities are top quality, well organised and maintained. The attention to detail shows that this is more than just Roberto's business, it's clearly also his passion. I've made my own prints at the lab, and also watched Roberto printing himself for clients. I recommend you use him if you want the very best for your works of art.

I had high expectations for this workshop. These expectations were exceeded by far.
Roberto is a lovely mentor, who did not only teach me about Pt/Pd, but really took his time to analyze where I am at and where I could be going as a photographer. I spent three days at RJ Print Lab, and think I progressed more in those days than I would in a year working by my self. To some extent, I will probably be looking back at my photography as the time before and the time efter the workshop. If you thik about it, I can highly recommend doing a workshop with Roberto.

I spent two days with Roberto almost a week apart.
It was a brilliant experience.
Roberto is master of his domain and has clearly thought hard about how to teach and it shows. The days were paced to my level of knowledge(low) and he explained the process clearly with provison of lots of online material from others that supports what he has taught me. I arrived anxious that the process of calibration is a minefield but have left after two days feeling confident I will be able to go through the steps and produce calibrated negatives for alternative processes; Platinum/Palladium, Van Dyke and Cyanotype.
What I hoped to happen has happened and Ive got fired up by the possibilities of alternative processes. It took me back to what I loved about photography. Watching images magically emerging from the paper.
I cant recommend Robertos workshops more highly and Im sure Ill be back for more when Ive got some of my own experience.
And I left with a few beautiful prints
Thanks again

Brilliant informative day that introduced me to this skill, the teaching was really skilfully presented, with a drive and patience, The day was full of instruction and I really wished I’d booked a second day it would have been really worthwhile. The setting was his print studio which having been in many darkrooms, have to say it was one of the better equipped and laid out ones , there is so much reference material and equipment available to try and experience.
There is no negatives I could possibly find to mention, just a brilliant, brilliant day that ended with me feeling all the wiser for having. If you’re slightly tempted just do it ! And if you have time do the two day you won’t regret it
Chris Avery

If you are looking for someone to help you with the platinum, palladium or van dyke brown process, you can’t find anyone better than Roberto Aguilar. I’ve not found anyone who can consistently print beautiful images from digital negatives better than him. He’s an extremely talented photographer which makes a difference when you are talking to a printer. Having never met Roberto, I paid his very reasonable consulting fee to help me dial in my alt printing process. I couldn’t have been happier, he made himself available when I needed him on what app, (he’s in England and I’m in the US). He was really generous with his time and knowledge. The guy is great, hire him to print your images or teach you to print your own, you can’t go wrong.
Peter Cane
Petercanephotography.com

Absolutely blown away with the my personal experience dealing with Roberto on my first order of Platinum Palladium Prints.

Roberto experience and guidance was most helpful from the point of placing my order to receiving my order. Roberto was in constant contact via phone, email and text message to keep me notified with the progress of my order, which a real nice touch. “You can’t beat the personal touch” in business in my opinion. Well done Roberto.

Just like to say “ Thank You” to Roberto for producing an extraordinary print from my digital file. Definitely, hooked on this Alternative Printing Method. The details in the shadows are truly amazing.

Just like to take this opportunity to mention, that Roberto automatically adjusted my file for two small highlights. Apparently, this print process requires more attention than the normal printing methods. But, Roberto dealt with this small issue and calibrated again for the final printing.

Delivery is very quick from Sunny County Durham to Birmingham. Roberto courtesy checks the client after delivery, is a real nice touch. After receiving these wonderful prints from Roberto, I am still buzzing from my experience after receiving the prints two weeks ago.

Unfortunately, I can’t post the image form your reference in this review. But, I can point you to my image which has been recently posted on the LFI GALLERY SELECTION EUROPE CATEGORY - TRIUMPH SOPHIE COLDWELL for reference.

Probably, it would be best to check out all the recent work on Roberto’s Instagram Feed at RJ PRINT LAB.

Personally, if I was rich I would most definitely travel to County Durham and book myself a Workshop for the day with Roberto creating some wonderful prints. Hopefully, one day it will happen.

Yours sincerely. Paul Cook.

This workshop exceeded my expectations. Roberto emphasised the importance of calibration of the digital negative and demonstrated how to achieve this. So this resulted in some amazing prints.
As I have a Canon printer he gave me all the information I would need to use a modified approach, as his method used Epson printers and Quad Tone Rip.
Roberto is a very knowledgeable and flexible. He suggested improvements to my images which we carried out before printing and this resulted in some amazing images.
Roberto thanks for a brilliant workshop and I would give you 6 out of 5 if I could.

Fantastic Platinum Palladium Workshop.
Roberto welcomed my wife and me into his lab with great coffee, before wasting no time getting us started. We started with calibration, a crucial part of any alternative print process, before making the digital negatives on our way to producing some fantastic platinum prints. Roberto’s enthusiasm and knowledge for all alternative processes really showed through and he was very generous with his time and knowledge; happily sharing all the techniques he has acquired over the years.

We were offered the choice of two UV Light sources; his professional set up or a DIY light-box which gives equally great results. This way you can gain confidence in a setup you can easily replicate at home.

All in all a wonderful day and we would thoroughly recommend.

Roberto is an exceptional host, teacher and guide in producing fine Platinum Palladium Prints.

The workshop is tailored to your interests and needs and Roberto is a generous and thoughtful teacher. He is passionate about photography and dedicated to achieving the best results, whilst remaining truly respectful to your individual artistic vision.

Thank you RJ Print Lab for an amazing experience.

I had a wonderful, productive day experimenting at RJ Lab. I learned so much as he patiently took me through the process with his vast knowledge and expertise. My one-to-one exceeded all expectations. Highly recommended.

I went for a two day workshop, which turned out to be ideal given the meticulous process involved. One day dedicated to calibration of the chain to my tastes with test prints. A long and arduous process, but absolutely essential to squeeze the maximum out of the print. Roberto went beyond the process and challenged my vision, my goals and enabled me to reveal what I was truly seeking (apocalypse in the original sense). Cyanotype was not my thing, Van Dyke brown may be but really platinum / palladium with a specific proportion of the ingredients made it for me.

The second day went deep into the praxis of printing having now a calibrated methodology.This was extremely satisfying and an almost spiritual experience to reveal the subtle tones no other process could.

Roberto enthusiasm is part and parcel of the workshop joy. Complete thumbs up for me. I will be back in the autumn.