The prints

My photographs are normally produced as limited editions and are always restricted to a total of thirty, irrespective of type of print or picture size, to the exception of platinum prints produced at fifteen. Why thirty, you may wonder. Why not ten, fifty or one hundred? Strictly speaking I would like to produce just one print of each photograph I create, in the way that a painter will produce only one original or each painting he or she creates. However, unlike a painter, we photographers do not have total control over the tools at our disposal. We paint with light. We apply light to film or sensor in the way a painter applies paint to canvas but, frustratingly, the light and landscape are, for most of the time, inaccessible. They tease and betray us. We pamper them; we watch and wait. We keep returning and returning until eventually we have everything right. On average I find that the landscape opens her door to us for just a miserly two or three percent of the time. I feel it appropriate, therefore, that precisely thirty original prints should be produced for each photograph. I think this evens things up a little.

Each picture is individually signed and numbered by the photographer au recto and titled au verso. A certificate of authenticity is issued with each print. Photographs are printed on the finest quality paper to ensure maximum archival stability. To maintain their condition they should be displayed in a favourable environment and should be protected from extremes of light, heat and moisture. Prints are supplied matted ready for framing. When you frame your picture it is recommended that low reflective UV filtered glass is used.

Notes

The pictures produced as Limited Edition prints can occasionally be used for other purposes (e.g. advertising). This will not affect the number of prints produced which will always be restricted to thirty.
A nominal variation of the image area may be necessary according to the size of print selected.
The true colours of a print may vary slightly from the colours seen on a computer monitor screen.
The purchase price of a Limited Edition print will rise as the edition sells.
All images are the property of Peter Watson. Unauthorised reproduction of an image is prohibited under copyright law.

Platinum prints

The use of precious metals in fine art black & white printing dates back to the middle of the 19th century. Various metals and printing methods have been used over the years but it is universally acknowledged that the finest of them all is the renowned platinum print. Producing them is a painstaking process as they have to be hand made from beginning to end, starting for example with the paper which is hand coated using a platinum based emulsion which has been hand mixed. Every picture is therefore unique, which in these days of mass produced image creation is in itself a treasure to behold. A platinum photograph possesses a profound beauty with subtle highlights, soft shadows and a tactile, painterly texture. Despite the emergence of new technologies platinum prints have stood the test of time. To own a platinum print is to therefore own a piece of history.

The photographs displayed in the platinum galleries are all limited editions prints, the edition size being 15. All the prints are hand produced by myself to order. They are signed and numbered au recto and are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Note: Platinum prints are pure platinum. Platinum/palladium prints contain a small percentage of palladium which is another precious metal. Palladium has been added to produce a warmer toned image.