This may be another silly question but this my first year applying to Juried Art Shows. Some of the bigger shows say you can only display original pieces and all others have to be labeled Reproductions. I do photography and from going to many Juried Art Shows I don't believe any photographers only sell or produce one image from a picture? What are these shows requiring where most of your displayed photographs have to be "originals."
You need to be a member of Art Fair Insiders to add comments!
Replies
When I did photography, I treated like any print maker. I limited the edition and numbered them in the sequence they were printed. I think this eliminates problems like this at shows and also tends to make your work more valuable when people realize there won't be thousands of copies out there.
The originals vs reproductions rule doesn't ever apply to photography.
Photographs are originals unless they are a photograph of a photograph. For it to be a reproduction, the original has to exist, as in a painting.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
I understand the first image printed from a digital file is original but if I print or have printed five photographs from that file are they all considered originals. If I have a framed photograph for sale and some buys it and I go to the trailer and get another framed one just like the one I sold is it also called an original?
Photography is a medium of multiple originals. Every photograph is considered an original because it doesn't exist until it's printed. Most photographers abuse the fact that reproduction rules don't apply to them by continuing to replenish their prints forever. But that's more about ethics and not definitions.
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
I really appreciate your feed back. What your saying is what I thought they meant but I wasn't sure. I have decided to take some of my best (or what I think are the best) photographs from 2013 and make them limited editions of 50 prints and only offer them as framed prints. The limit of 50 would apply to all sizes. I have heard of photographers abusing their limited editions. Other photographs I would offer framed or unframed with some in my display bins. The limited edition prints would not be available in the print bins.