DAVID SPIVAK

As an art enthusiast, I had no idea that my life was about to change during the 2003 blizzard in New York City when I received an invitation from a friend to attend the AIPAD Photography Show. This event proved to be a pivotal moment in my life, as I discovered my newfound love for photography. Overwhelmed by the incredible volume of stunning images on display, I scoured local bookstores in search of a fine art photography magazine to keep up with the latest trends, only to realize that such a publication did not exist at the time.

I decided to take matters into my own hands and created Focus, now recognized as the world's premier photographic journal. The publication expanded its services in 2009, offering self-publishing opportunities to over 100 photographers. In 2010, Focus became the first photography magazine to make the transition to digital. I continued to innovate and in 2014, I began collaborating with photographers to create their own digital magazines, apps, and websites.

As a photographer and publisher, I was always looking for new ways to showcase and promote the work of other artists. One day, while attending an art fair, I came across a stunning painting that was being displayed in a large, custom-made wooden crate. The crate was clearly designed to protect the painting during transit, but it also gave the artwork a sense of importance and prestige that I had never seen before. Inspired by the art crate, I began to think about how I could create a similar sense of importance and prestige for the photography community. I knew that many photographers struggled to find ways to promote and sell their work, and I wanted to create a platform that would showcase their talents in the most beautiful and meaningful way possible. That's when the idea for the Focus boxed edition was born. I wanted to create a collection of photography books and prints that would be packaged in a custom-made clamshell box, similar to the art crates I had seen at the fair. The boxed edition would include an 11 x 14 hardcover book, an 11 x 14 softcover book, a 9 x 12 magazine, and an 8 x 10 photogravure, all featuring the work of talented photographers from around the world.

I knew that the boxed edition would be expensive to produce, but I believed that it would be worth it to give these artists a platform to showcase their work in the most beautiful and prestigious way possible. And so, I set out to create the Focus boxed edition, inspired by the beauty and prestige of the art crates that had first caught my eye.

For more information, please contact David Spivak at david@focusfineart.net.