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Limited Edition Photography and the Art Show Application
This page is going to be updated as I do research by reading the applications

A look at the requirements that the art shows put on photographers.
Initially I was going to list the specific art shows and the limits they put on photographic editions. But in reading through the applications I discovered that most art shows fall into one of three categories. No limit mentioned, specifying "numbered" with no limit or specifying a limit of 250 of an image. What I will do, when I come across it, is to list the shows that do have different edition limits and what their number is.
Two anecdotes here:
1 - I know of a photographer who wrote his catalog number on the back of his photographs and applied to shows that required numbered photos.
2 - I used to know of many photographers that didn't number their images, but only did number them for specific shows that required it.
In fact, I've seen anything you can imagine, including the photographer who wrote the numbers on the outside of the display bags for the major art show that required numbers. Do you now see where I'm going with this? How important are these regulations in the real world and why do some exhibitors take the path they see fit to take, regardless of the art show regulations?
Personally I feel that photography shouldn't be limited in the number of prints sold. AND painters should be allowed to sell reproductions in order to earn a living.
I've seen from years of experience that it's pressure put on the art show committees from painters that have generated those limits to the number of photographs sold. For years, painters weren't allowed to sell reproductions of their paintings and stood by as photographers (with a reproducible medium) sold as much as possible with marketable images. Interesting to note, I know of a mall show promoter that, for years refused to allow painters to sell reproductions of their paintings. Gradually all the painters stopped doing his shows and the promoter had to fill the spaces with country crafts, causing the quality of his shows drop considerably.
As working photographers, we've spent a lifetime learning how to create images that are mass marketable. Some additional markets for those same images are stock usage, posters, greeting cards, calendars and art prints sold wholesale. These are all legitimate markets that can generate a sizeable income. What the art show does provide is immediate feedback on the marketability of an image. I feel that the art shows that do require limited editions are self centered and feel that photographers have nothing better to do than spend their time producing images to sell at their particular show. In fact that couldn't be more from the truth in the real world. It's very rare that a photographer can financially support his family by selling solely through the art show market. There are many more venues open to photographers and those markets shouldn't be denied because of one art shows regulations.

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