It is done, for mostly commercial reasons.
Usually it also requires all 'negatives' of the image to be destroyed when the final print in the issue has been made. There are lots of ethical questions tied up in this like
Is it meaningful to artificially limit the issue number of something that can be automatically generated? (varies depending on the amount of interaction required to make a print - but typically much less than in say a limited issue reproduction of a painting)
Is it ethical to take two negatives (digital or otherwise) of the same scene, with the same composition/ lighting etc, and do a limited edition release of both unique negatives ? They are different shots, from a different negative, they just happen to be exactly the same image.
Typically this limited number thing was done because the source material could be used a finite number of times - e.g., your wood block example, where the block quality actually degrades the more prints that are made.
it is also typically why 'print 1' is more valuable than 'print 50' - again an artifical consideration for photography, but still considered in pricing photographic prints.
This has more meaning perhaps for B&W prints, where each version is dodged/ burned by the photographer - although typically these days, one master print is made and then reproduced. |
