I am a photographer and I have a question on the jury applications. The questions, "What is you percentage of originals to limited edition prints?"

Being a photographer, technically all my work is both original and reproductions. How do I best answer this question?

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  • This is an old question that gets asked again and again. The answer never changes because in the art world photography is a medium of multiple originals.

    If you want to read more about photography and editions, I have a few articles on my web site:

    http://bermangraphics.com/artshows/whatsizetheedition.htm

    http://bermangraphics.com/artshows/photographysrole.htm

    Larry Berman
    http://BermanGraphics.com
    412-401-8100

  • The word “original” in the art world only applies to the one of a kind work of art (painting/drawing etc) made by the artist, all other reproductions no matter how amazing or limited edition, signed, on canvas etc are still reproductions that come off a machine or are hand developed by the photographer. Anything that can be made over and over is a reproduction.
    • No it's not. A Reproduction is a copy of an existing finished work. A photographic negative or a digital file are not the finished work. They are all steps in the process to create the finished work that is printed on some surface, paper, metal, glass, whatever. Photography is, by definition, a medium of multiple originals.
      If you want to discuss the limiting of edition numbers, or how many different sizes of the same image that a photographer produces, then have that discussion.
  • The shows understand (or should) that Photography does not come under the same "originals" specifications. That question is more for painters etc, who make an original and also sell repros.

    So you might consider all of them originals or repros, as you stated.

    They are more concerned with how many are unique from each other. Example "Mother Knitting in chair" - - Do you have 

    one o f that print hanging up and 5 more of it, in various sizes, in  bins? Or do you have one hanging and different subjects in the bins? Thereby giving you a broader selection without it being just copies of the same thing.

    The question will be important as to "limited edition prints". Some shows have stipulations on such. You will have to determine, early on, if that is the route you go.

    All of my pieces are signed, limited editions. How many editions you want to limit is also a factor for some shows.

    I also, witha few exceptions, usually do not have multiples, of the same image, in my booth. I may have other sizes in my back stock.

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