Smugmug.com, where Hidden Creek Photography is hosted and prints are made, is now offering a new finish, called Metallic. I recently had four copies of my Haceta Head Lighthouse image printed and sent to a friend for evaluation. The four prints were made in each of the avialible finishs; Glossy, Lustre, Matte and Metallic. While I can’t reproduce the results here on your computer screen I can say the metallic finish was not the best for this print. With the gradient of blue in the shot, the metallic finish rendered the sky far too harsh for my liking. While at the same time the metal and man made features in the image really shone through with this finish. 
My favorite for this particular shot was the lustre finish, as it provided the best transition through the blues while still holding good contrast in the hills and trees in the distance. The matte finish was a close second with a little less contrast in the trees. The glossy finish worked but lost a lot of the smooth punch this photo contains.
While the metallic finish wasn’t the best for this particular photo, it would be a great option for man made features, such as buildings or object with a lot of metal. Such as this photo of taxi’s waiting by the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. So when making your purchases, take a second to consider the photo finish. And if you’re still having a hard time deciding, email me and I’d be glad to send you a sample to help you decide! peter@photos.peterwestcarey.com