What does Limited Edition (LE) actually mean?

A Limited Edition will likely be different from one artist to another.  This is how I define a Limited Edition: The LE number is the total number of signed and numbered prints that I will release of a particular image.  Along with your printed image will come a "Certificate of Authenticity" sticker with the print's name, date of creation, my signature and the number in the LE.  After all the prints in an edition are sold, that image will then be retired.  However, I will always sell the image for stock purposes (editorial, advertising, etc.) .  This is a common practice in this field.  I will also leave open the option use the image to make posters, note cards, and other product related items, none of which will be in editions. 

I am an artist before a photographer and want my images to be respected as art and want the purchaser to know they are buying a print that will not be mass produced, no matter how popular the work becomes.  This may cause me to sell less than the photographer next to me who has 100+ prints on hand and who sells a 20 x 28 framed print for say $150, BUT I believe that my purchasers deserve what they pay for. We can all shop at WalMart™ for the great deal, but if I'm spending over $100+ for a piece of art, I surely want what I buy to be limited and not available to 1,000's of people.  So there you have it, the integrity of what I do is more important than the money that it generates.  My signature, date of creation and number in the edition will appear on the back of the print, on the certificate sticker and on the front mat or border of the picture.

 

How does the Limited Edition numbering work?

Each image is limited to a particular number of released signed and numbered prints.  Within that number there will only be a specific number of prints made for each size.  Lets say you order an 8x12 image with a LE of 1,000.  Signed on the front of the print is a number like 132/150.  You have image #132 of 150 printed as an 8x12.  An additional 850 images have yet to be printed, but no more in that 8x12 size.  I have defined my work to be a LE of 1,000 - 350 prints for each image size 8x10/12, 11x14 and 16x20.  The Giclee sizes and specifications are listed below.

 

What does Giclee mean?

Giclee (pronounced "zhee-clay") is french for "to spray." The original images are digital, so they need not be scanned, like traditional 35mm film. They are then sent to a high quality Fuji printer on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper (fine art museum quality paper). It is a process of printing images digitally that renders very high quality results with wonderful color saturation.

Since the images are taken with an 8 Mega Pixel camera, the results are exceptional. A Giclee image can be up to 43 x 118" in size, on an Epson Printer & 60" x 118" on a Fuji Frontier Printer.  I offer two Giclee sizes with the 20 x 30 at 175 prints and the 30 x 40 size at 125 prints.  This brings my LE total to 1,000 for the image. I can make larger prints upon request, which only 25 of each image will be sold. 

Canvas prints are not limited edition prints.  There is no limit on the number of canvas print reproductions.

 

Do you sell images for stock use (Commercial/Advertising/Editorial)?

If you are interested in using an image, contact me at (805) 252-3842 or  

 

How much digital manipulation is in your images?

For the most part, I like to keep an image as true as I remember seeing it through my lens. However, there are times when I will manipulate an image. I have had images that had poor lighting conditions, so I adjust the brightness & contrast and sometimes sharpen the edges.  I never add elements to my image. The majority of my shots are printed as the shot was taken.

 

How long will my print last?

The life expectancy of these Giclee prints range from 60-145 years depending on many variables. To get as much life out of your print as you can, display it only in normal indoor lighting conditions and behind glass. Displaying your print in direct sunlight will result in fading and a shorter print life.  Canvas prints are also made from the finest archival inks and canvas. It is treated with a UV inhibiting coat that protects the canvas from fading. The canvas/coating combination is rated to last for over 100 years.

 

What are Archival Mats?

Archival mats are made to a much higher standard.  I WOULD NOT BUY MATS FROM SOMEONE WHO ADVERTISES ARCHIVAL, ACID FREE MATS.  They are generally just plain old standard core, acid neutral mats.  They can be excellent mats but not archival if you are expecting archival quality.

The best archival mats are cotton rag. Cotton is naturally acid free.  Some paper based mats, called Alpha Cellulose because it sounds fancier than "paper", are also excellent mats that meet archival standards.  They have had additional cleaning to extract the ingredients that cause paper mats to become more acidic.  Archival mats have been cleaned to remove such ingredients as "lignin" and "metals" that could be harmful to your art.  Good archival mats also use pigmented inks to resist fading of the color.

Alpha Cellulose mats are mats made of paper like Standard Core mats.  However, the materials go through additional cleaning and purifying so they approach the archival standards of Cotton Rag, the standard in archival mats.  In addition, the quality of the ingredients are increased.  For example, pigmented inks are used in the top paper cover, the one that provides the overall color of the mat.  Pigmented inks resist fading more than other inks.  This increases the general longevity of the mat.

All of my mats for Giclee's are truly archival.  The paper is archival, the ink is archival, the tape is archival, the stickers on the back of the image & the back of the foam board are archival, the foam board is archival and I chose metal frames for longest life expectancy.  You are buying a photo of the highest quality. If there is a mat for a smaller photo, it is only an acid free mat.

 

What are Gallery Mats?

Mats don't have to have a window that is proportional to the mat and centered. In other words, an 11 x 14 mat with an 8x10 window centered in the mat. Sometimes it is more dramatic or interesting to do a 16 x 20 mat with an 8 x 10 window centered or even raise the window farther from the bottom to make a "portrait" orientation. A good selling mat is an 11x14 mat with a 5 x 7 window. The extra space provided for the mat actually makes the small 5 x 7 stand out more than if it was in a standard 8 x 10 mat. It is more "dramatic".

For the Giclee's, I use the Gallery Mat principle.  The borders are 4" top/bottom and 6" left/right.  For the smaller size prints, the Gallery Mat principle is also applied, but in a very different way.  I print the images with larger & different top/bottom & left/right borders and the excess photo paper become a natural mat against a black or white paper underneath.  See the frames page to view how these principles are employed.

Combined with my unique framing options, you have a truly unique piece of framed art photography.  This is how I see it: the smaller photos don't need a mat to cover them up.  It's like putting a plastic cover on your new $3,000 couch.  The smaller images that do have mats with clip frames, are there for the sole purpose of making the photo stand out - being UNIQUE.  This is another gallery mat principle applied differently.