Reimundo Garcia Jr.

I am sure many of you have heard of limited editions in one industry or another, whether it be for comic books, cars and even iPods. Limited editions are intended to make your product more valuable by assuring the buyer that not many copies of the product will be made. With most art, there is not much need to worry about limited editions because so much effort is put into producing each copy. Paintings, for instance, take a bit more effort to produce and are less likely to be labeled limited editions even though they are. However, other forms of easily reproducible art like photography are very easy to reproduce in the digital age.

After a year of selling my photography, I decided to make some prints limited editions. This allowed me to alter the price on certain prints and instill more value in my photography. You can label a particular print as a single edition if it is the same edited version of the same picture presented in the same way. So, an 11×14 version of a picture would be a different limited edition from the 18×24 version. Also, the black and white edit of a photo would be a different limited edition from the color version. In this way there are many ways to create new limited editions of the same photograph.

Having decided to produce limited editions, I asked a few photography friends for their advice on how large a number of limited editions I should create. Many said to start with very low limited edition numbers, such as 15 or 20 maximum. I wasn’t 100 percent sure about limiting my prints so narrowly, so I started with 50. Also, I decided I was only making certain sizes limited: the 18×24 matted prints and the 12×16 matted prints. Other sizes, which I had decided not to print anymore because they didn’t sell as well, were not labeled limited editions because I was selling them at a discount to enhance sales.

The most difficult part of using limited editions is keeping track of what numbers you have sold in the past. For instance, once you sell 1/50, the next print should be 2/50. It makes complete sense, especially if you are printing all 50 at once. But, in reality, I can’t afford to print them all at once and store them somewhere. That brings about the problem of keeping track of where you are in a photo’s limited edition per size, per edit and per presentation. You should definitely issue a paper receipt for all sales so that you have a written record of the limited edition. However, that still may make it difficult over time to know where you are without sifting through dozens of receipts. I saw that the problem needed a different solution and found some software called Flick that allowed me to track sales of all my photos as well as the limited edition runs. While Flick has its flaws, it has kept my limited editions on track.

Limited editions have been a bit tricky to manage but the payoff has been worth it. My newest photos are limited editions of 20 and 25, now that I have realized the benefits of low edition numbers. As many of my photography friends had advised me, start low. Now I know why.

Depending on where you are with your photography or art career, you may be interested in participating in an art show in the near future. The first show that you do can be exciting and scary at the same time. The art shows I’ve done have all required an application and a registration fee. These types of art shows are normally craft fairs or street festivals that include artwork to a large or small degree. This means that photography or art can make up a lot of the other booths, or it may only be a few booths.

Overall, the experience of an art show can be as fun as it is disappointing (which I’ll talk about in a later post). Having participated in over 12 shows over the past few years, let me talk a bit about how to choose a show.

Choosing a show is easier said than done. There are hundreds of street fairs and art shows around the country, each with a different focus, varying costs, and distinct requirements. There are several websites and newsletters that offer a glimpse of the upcoming shows and include relevant information, such as how to sign up. The following websites have useful, searchable databases:

• Festival.net
• Artandcraftshows.net
• CraftLister.com

There are hundreds of other sites that focus on one particular art show or a series of art shows.

It’s also helpful to actually stop by the art fairs in your area when you hear about them to see what they are like. Things to consider:

1. Cost: Each show comes with a price tag of some sort. Be wary of these costs, especially as a beginner. If you are not willing to make a large investment, select inexpensive shows to start or share a space with a friend. (I am still sharing a space with a fellow photographer, but we have encountered at least one show whose regulations didn’t allow us to share space.)
2. Space Requirements: Each show rents space of a particular size or multiple sizes. Make sure you get the size that suits your art well. You don’t want a really small, 4×6-foot space if your art is regularly 2×3 feet.
3. Supplies: What do you need in order to display your art? I will have a future post about this subject, but be ready to spend a little money and be creative!
4. Competition: What else do they sell at the show you are interested in? If you are looking to sell your art, the best situation is the one where the show is solely focused on artists. If you sign up for a show which also has crafts, food, clothing, etc., then you are competing with those vendors as well. Plus, the people who are attending those shows are less likely to be looking for art. At least, that is my experience so far.

In future posts, I will cover pricing of your art, deciding on limited editions, and how to prepare your booth/space. As always, let me know if there are topics related to this that you would like to see covered.

While on vacation in Portland, Oregon, I decided to visit the Portland Saturday Market. With a name like that, you would expect to find fresh vegetables and baked goods with cheery local farmers. Instead, the market is supposed to be dedicated to local artists in the Portland area who sell their work each weekend from March through December. I had lots of expectations when I went there.

The market itself was more focused on the food and the beer than it was on the arts. It was quite large and there were a few art booths, but overall it was a bit overwhelming. There was a very large crowd of people there and everyone was eating something as they were walking around. Of course, it would have been because it was only the second sunny day in months in Portland. (The first being the day before) But, I was disappointed since I was hoping it was more focused on the art.

Welcome to my photography blog! I have been working on fine-art photography part-time for almost 5 years. I started selling my photos at art fairs and to friends and family about 4 years ago and have steadily grown the business, which isn’t my primary work but something I enjoy doing on the side. A few weeks ago, I had lunch with a co-worker, Jason, who also has a part-time business of his own selling Swiss Watches. One of his first suggestions to grow my photography business was to start a blog and talk a bit about photography topics that I am researching or that I enjoy writing about. I realized that my website needed something fresh, and I could sure use a boost in traffic and interest, so here I am. Stay tuned for posts on a regular basis on topics including:

How to get into art fairs
Tricks for printing images
Camera tips
etc.

Hope to see you again. Thanks for visiting!