There are a number of issues to address when
the question is asked, “Is this
a limited edition print?”
Sometimes there is an assumption that, without setting a limited number
of
prints, the market would become flooded with copies of the image.
“Flooding the
market” implies that it would be possible, given no constraints,
to quickly
produce large numbers of prints. This certainly applies to mechanical
processes
such as offset lithography, whereby literally thousands of images
can be
printed a day on a printing press. Or, if the photographer has a commercial
photographic lab make his prints, (or if they are printed digitally),
then in theory,
hundreds of prints could be produced whenever desired. In these cases,
limiting the editions does make sense.
Let me assure you that this is not the case with
my images. I will be the
only one to print my images for sale. Traditional photographic printing
is a
painstaking procedure and one that I approach with great care and
meticulous
craftsmanship. No image goes out of my darkroom for sale that does
not meet my
(very high) standards. I work on my prints until, at any given time,
I have
printed the image to the limit of my abilities and can not find any
way to further
improve it. This, by necessity, limits the number of prints available.
I have
only so much time and energy; I have many different photographs to
work with;
and even aside from these considerations, I do not plan to issue a
huge number
of prints of any image.
I limit the number of prints available by a simple
method that protects
everyone’s interests. As an image continues to sell, I raise
it’s price. As the
price is raised, fewer prints are sold. Eventually a price is reached
which
effectively halts the sale of the image, but still leaves the possibility
open if a
person wants a print strongly enough, (and has the funds available).
For
those persons who purchase a print early, their print has increased
in value. The
number of prints becomes limited.
Another issue to be addressed is the relationship
between the quantities of
prints available and their value, monetary and otherwise. I believe
that the
intrinsic worth of a print is independent of how many prints exist.
When you are
viewing a photograph, does the quantity of prints available of that
image
change its appearance? Oftentimes, even the monetary value of an image
is not
related to the total number of prints made. Ansel Adams printed over
1,000
Moonrise photographs, (many more than any of his other images), and
yet this image
is still his most monetarily valuable.
I would prefer to be able to keep the print prices
as reasonable as possible
so that more people can afford to purchase them. I hope that people
purchase
my photographs because they find the images uplifting and inspirational,
rather
than because they consider them to be good financial investments.
This method of limiting the quantities of prints
is my attempt to have a
balanced and fair method to address everyone's concerns and seems
to be acceptable
to most people
© 2004 Christopher Burkett