In the last century, a long list of the world’s master photographers have chosen Platinum-Palladium printing for their most important and intimate images: among them are Paul Strand, Irving Penn, Alfred Stieglitz, Frederick Evans, and Laura Gilpin. Despite the scarcity, expense, and painstaking nature of the printing process as it was being developed, history’s most revered photographers chose this method. Contemporary masters continue to prize this printing method above all others.
Platinum-Palladium prints convey detail even within the darkest shadows, and reveal a range of inviting tonal warmth — one might almost step into the scene.
This method of printing dramatically reveals layers of detail and luminosity unparalleled by any other. These prints are known not only for their beauty, but also for their permanence. The noble metals used in the printing process actually become embedded in the fibers of the paper, rather than floating above the paper in a gelatin base. These Platinum metals are more stable than gold, and with careful choices of paper, can achieve an archival rating in excess of 1500 years.
Hidden Light, a custom print lab for fine art photographers specializes in the Platinum-Palladium process, and is the only commercial lab in the country making high quality prints up to 44 x 96″.
Matt Beaty, Hidden Light owner and Platinum-Palladium print maker, works meticulously with each client to produce exquisite prints. Prints can be made from original film, your (scanned) files, or digital capture; with print sizes up to 44″ x 96″.
The Platinum-Palladium image can be printed on a variety of papers; examples are traditional Japanese fibers such as Gampi, Mulberry, or conventional classics such as Arches Platine. See this gallery in our Dropboxthat showcases the more popular papers we use.
Let’s talk about how we can work with you to produce beautiful and lasting prints of your most important photographs. We would love to answer your questions and discuss the process. If you’re in the area, we’d be delighted to show you our studio and what we do.