AUTHOR'S CHARTER
As a photographer-author, I undertake through this charter to guarantee every purchaser the originality, quality and traceability of the prints I sign. This charter sets out the nature of my work, the conditions under which my prints are produced and the guarantees offered, incorporating the requirements specific to photographic creation in 2026.
I offer two clearly distinct categories of prints. Fine Art prints are issued in a strictly limited edition, signed and numbered, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Open Edition prints are not limited in number, signed but not numbered, and accompanied by a signature certificate. Articles 1 to 5 apply to both categories. Articles 6 to 9 set out what distinguishes them.
The two bodies of work are kept separate: an image offered as a limited edition will never be issued as an Open Edition, and vice versa. In addition to these, PHONERIËS is a distinct collection governed by Articles 10 and 11.
Article 1 — Originality of the work
Each image offered is an original photograph, conceived, captured and finalised under my direct control. It stems from a personal artistic approach and constitutes a work of the mind within the meaning of intellectual property law. No image is a reproduction, appropriation or derivation of a third party's work.
Article 2 — Photographic integrity and use of artificial intelligence
My photographs originate from a real exposure. Post-processing (calibration, contrast, density, local retouching) belongs to the traditional darkroom craft transposed to digital and does not alter the documentary nature of the original capture.
I undertake never to present as a photograph an image generated entirely or substantially by a generative artificial intelligence system. Where a generative process plays a significant part in an image, that image is explicitly identified as a hybrid or assisted creation and falls within neither category of prints covered by this charter. This distinction protects the purchaser and preserves the value of the photographic medium.
Article 3 — Production quality and conservation
All prints, whatever their category, are produced under my control by a professional laboratory, on Fine Art papers meeting archival standards (acid-free, stable pigments, display longevity). The choice of paper, calibration and chromatic fidelity are validated before signing.
Article 4 — Copyright and purchaser's rights
The sale of a print transfers material ownership of the copy but conveys no right of reproduction, representation or exploitation. Economic and moral rights remain entirely reserved to the author. Any reproduction of the image, including digital, remains subject to my written authorisation.
Article 5 — Commitment to good faith
I undertake to provide sincere and complete information about the nature, category, size and printing process of each image, as well as the conditions of production, packaging and shipping. The category of each print is stated unambiguously before purchase, both on the gallery page and in the basket. Any change to this charter is dated and does not affect the commitments made to earlier purchasers.
Article 6 — Fine Art prints: strictly limited edition
Each image in the Fine Art collections is produced in a maximum of five copies, across all formats, media and printing techniques combined. This voluntary cap is more restrictive than the legal threshold of thirty copies applicable to fine art photographic works (art. 98 A II annex III of the French General Tax Code). Once the five copies are exhausted, the image is never re-editioned nor offered for sale in any other commercial form.
Each print is signed by my hand and bears its edition rank in the form N/5 (for example 2/5), assigned irreversibly and recorded in the register of works. The signature engages my responsibility as author for the conformity of the print to the original work and for compliance with this limited-edition commitment.
These prints constitute original works of art in the fiscal sense and accordingly fall under the reduced rate of VAT applicable to works of art.
Article 7 — Fine Art prints: certificate of authenticity and traceability
Each Fine Art print is accompanied by a personalised certificate of authenticity stating: the title of the work, its unique code, the edition rank (N/5), the size, the print date and my signature. This certificate is inseparable from the print and constitutes the work's title of provenance.
Each certificate bears a QR code linking the copy to its entry in the register of works. Scanning the code allows verification of the authenticity of the piece, its edition rank and its status (available, sold, archived), without exposing any personal data of the purchaser. This mechanism offers a durable verification guarantee and combats counterfeiting.
I keep a register of works recording, for each image and each copy: the title, the unique code, the edition rank, the size, the print date and the commercial status. This register prevails in the event of a dispute over the edition rank or the authenticity of a copy.
Article 8 — Open Edition prints: unlimited edition
Images in the Open Edition collections are not limited in the number of copies. Each print is produced under my control by a professional laboratory and signed by my hand, but it is not numbered and bears no edition rank.
As they are not issued in a limited and numbered edition, these images do not meet the fiscal definition of a fine art photographic work (art. 98 A II annex III of the French General Tax Code). They accordingly fall under the standard rate of VAT and do not qualify for the tax deduction for the acquisition of works by living artists provided for in article 238 bis AB of the French General Tax Code. This information is repeated on every Open Edition gallery page.
The signature affixed engages my responsibility as author for the origin of the image and the conformity of the print, on the same footing as for Fine Art prints. Only the limitation on the number of copies distinguishes them.
Article 9 — Open Edition prints: signature certificate
Each Open Edition print is accompanied by a signature certificate stating: the title of the image, the size, the print date and my signature. This certificate attests that the print was produced under my control by a professional laboratory and is signed by my hand.
This document bears no edition number and does not constitute a certificate of authenticity of an original work of art. It may not be presented as such.
Article 10 — PHONERIËS: nature and particularities
PHONERIËS brings together spontaneous, incidental photographs, taken on a smartphone on the margins of my professional work — far from the technical constraints and planned projects of the Fine Art and Open Edition collections. This difference in nature warrants separate treatment, distinct from Articles 6 to 9.
PHONERIËS images are not limited in number of copies. Each print is produced under my control by a professional laboratory, mounted exclusively on Dibond, in one of the two fixed formats offered, and signed by my hand.
The signature affixed engages my responsibility as author for the origin of the image and the conformity of the print, on the same footing as for the other collections.
Article 11 — PHONERIËS: no certificate
PHONERIËS prints are not accompanied by any certificate, whether of authenticity or of signature. The signature appears directly on the back of the print. This absence of a separate document stems from the very nature of the collection — spontaneous, unnumbered captures — and does not in any way diminish the commitment to authenticity and originality made in Article 1 of this charter.
As they are neither issued in a limited and numbered edition nor accompanied by a certificate, these images do not meet the fiscal definition of a fine art photographic work (art. 98 A II annex III of the French General Tax Code). They accordingly fall under the standard rate of VAT and do not qualify for the tax deduction for the acquisition of works by living artists provided for in article 238 bis AB of the French General Tax Code. This information is repeated on the PHONERIËS collection page.
Charter established by Nicolas Claris, photographer-author — Nicolas Claris EI, 23-25 cours Pasteur, 33000 Bordeaux, France — SIREN 326 701 448.