Marg Loc: Canadian transplanted to NW Alabama

I have three questions regarding the showing and selling of photos.
I had two photos accepted into a juried art show. One sold and the other has won an award.
1. Someone else has asked about the one sold. Can I reprint it and sell it again?
2. Can I enter either in another show?
3. If I enter either or both in another show can I change the names and prices of the photos or should I keep everything the same?
Thanks for any advice you might have. I’m fairly new to this world and don’t want to make a huge gaffe.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

It depends on what you sold. If you sold a print you can sell as many more as you wish.

If you sold a digital copy it depends on your contract. You get to set out the terms. If you did not, then you retain copyright.

For other shows you have to read their rules.

Marg Loc: Canadian transplanted to NW Alabama

Thanks, Larry. It was a framed print.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Limited versions of signed prints typically were a norm...
If you are the copyright holder then you may determine to retain that right or sell it...

Were there conditions of sale? If so were they verbal or written...

Might review the ASMP Copyright primer...
https://www.asmp.org/copyright-tutorial/

btw I'm not licensed to practice law in Alabama...
Only those who are can be authoritative here...

Congrats on your "Award" and all the best on your photographic journey Marg..

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

1. Yes, unless you have somehow indicated that it was a one-of-a-kind thing.
2. Yes, unless the rules for that show state otherwise.
3. Yes, you can change whatever you want.

I've entered many shows over the years and won many awards and sell my work in a local gallery.

Marg Loc: Canadian transplanted to NW Alabama

Thanks very much, Thomas. I appreciate the wishes as well as the primer.
Marg

Marg Loc: Canadian transplanted to NW Alabama

Thanks, Connie! All the answers I needed.
Marg

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes

Marg Loc: Canadian transplanted to NW Alabama

Succinct and to the point. Lol. Thank you, Bill!

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

You may sell as many prints of your image as you like. You may enter an image in as many shows as you like. Some shows have rules about entering, so read the rules carefully. There are no rules about retitling, but I think that would be unethical. Changing prices is up to you, but generally following a pricing guide of some sort is optimal (all of a given size be the same price, for example, allowing for differences in framing costs.)

Marg Loc: Canadian transplanted to NW Alabama

Thanks, Kathy! Very helpful perspective.

JeffDavidson Loc: Originally Detroit Now Los Angeles

The show rules determine whether it can be entered in other shows. Unless you sold it as a limited edition or a one-of-a-kind, you can sell it as often as you like. The more in demand, the higher the price if you choose to do so.
Good luck and congratulations on your success.

Hamltnblue Loc: Springfield PA

You could start numbering that pic.
Pic the number that you feel comfortable with. Say 20
Number the next one 2 of 20. That would reserve the 1 for the one already sold if it comes up.
I don’t don’t have to print all 20 (or the number you pick) right now.do so as you go. (Someone will correct if I’m wrong. They should all be done using the same paper and settings.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

With prints there are limited editions where you commit to only making a certain number of prints. This generally increases the value and the prints should be numbered consecutively... 1/500, 2/500, 3/500... etc. to 499/500, 500/500. The numbering and a signature are usually done in pencil in the margin or on the back of the print.

There are also "micro editions", which might be as few as 25 or only 10 copies will ever be made.

The sale of a print, whether it be a limited or micro edition or entirely unlimited, almost never involves transfer of copyright ownership.

One thing to watch out for entering images in shows and photo contests... Sometimes the fine print in the entry has you signing over your copyright to them! If you sign that, they now own the image and can dictate what's done with it! This was done a lot by people building stock photo libraries, as a way to get images they could turn around and sell (license, actually, see below). It may be that a contest or show asks for limited use, such as displaying your image online or in marketing brochures... possibly even in an archive of the event. That's usually not a problem. But do watch out for giving them the right to resell your image, which can give them the profits from your images even if they don't own the copyright.

Assuming you didn't "sign away" your copyright by accident and there is no exclusivity promised to the first show where you've already entered it (which would be unusual), there should be no problem entering it again elsewhere.

Aside from prints, the other form of "sale" of images is actually usage licensing. This allows the "buyer" to use the image for certain purposes and in certain ways for a set amount of time or in a certain press run of a publication. The photographer retains the copyright ownership of the image and control over it's future use and re-use. The terms of the license are negotiated between the photographer and the buyer.

Occasionally people ask to buy the copyright. It is almost never a good idea to sell it and usually it's only uninformed buyers who ask that. Licensing can be done to cover almost any situation and much more affordably. A stcok photographer I know has sold some of his images repeatedly and earned upwards of $100,000 from licensing fees over the years. A news photographer I worked with has earned over $1,000,000 from licensing an image he took in 1963. (Originally the copyright to that image was owned by the newspaper that employed him, since he shot it while "on the job"... but they gifted the copyright to him when he "retired".)

Another situation that can end up costing you is doing work "for hire". For example, another friend worked as a photographer for the Associated Press for ten years. All the images he shot during that time are the AP's property, not his, since he was a staff photographer. AP has maintained them as a stock image library and he's even at times had to buy usage of images he took! Another example of this is Getty Images sometimes hires photographers for projects (and pays abysmally). That makes the stock agency (world's largest) the owner of the image copyrights.

Unintentional transfer of copyright ownership also can occur when sharing images online through various sites. Watch out for requests to add your images to various stock libraries. A lot of those are reputable, but some are not.

Change the title if you wish, but I'd recommend not doing so too much. Try to settle on something and keep it.

Value is whatever people are willing to pay! Rarity (such as limited or micro editions) increases value. Popularity and quality are the other guiding factors. Check out Thomas Mangelsen's galleries (https://www.mangelsen.com/). He's been doing this for many years, gets top dollar for his prints and issues fairly large editions.

Marg Loc: Canadian transplanted to NW Alabama

Thank you very much, Jeff. I appreciate the response.