Electroless metallization processes have been used to develop photopatterned films of poly(diisopropyl vinylbenzylphosphonate-co-N-methylmaleimide) and deposit metallic nickel selectively in the exposed regions of the films. A 100 Angstrom thick film of nickel provides an effective etch mask to the underlying polymer in an oxygen plasma. Carboxylate polymers can also serve as substrates for electroless nickel deposition. These results suggest that phosphonate or carboxylate polymers could potentially serve as imaging layers for at-the-surface imaging approaches to 14 and 193 nm lithography.