diff --git a/osxphotos/cli/export.py b/osxphotos/cli/export.py
index 99f89f56..df6a4bbf 100644
--- a/osxphotos/cli/export.py
+++ b/osxphotos/cli/export.py
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ from osxphotos.photosalbum import PhotosAlbum
 from osxphotos.phototemplate import PhotoTemplate, RenderOptions
 from osxphotos.queryoptions import QueryOptions
 from osxphotos.uti import get_preferred_uti_extension
-from osxphotos.utils import format_sec_to_hhmmss, normalize_fs_path
+from osxphotos.utils import format_sec_to_hhmmss, normalize_fs_path, pluralize
 
 from .click_rich_echo import (
     rich_click_echo,
@@ -138,6 +138,13 @@ from .verbose import get_verbose_console, time_stamp, verbose_print
     help="If used with --update, ignores any previously exported files, even if missing from "
     "the export folder and only exports new files that haven't previously been exported.",
 )
+@click.option(
+    "--limit",
+    metavar="LIMIT",
+    help="Export at most LIMIT photos. "
+    "Useful for testing. Maybe used with --update to export incrementally.",
+    type=int,
+)
 @click.option(
     "--dry-run",
     is_flag=True,
@@ -730,6 +737,7 @@ def export(
     keyword_template,
     keyword,
     label,
+    limit,
     live,
     load_config,
     location,
@@ -945,6 +953,7 @@ def export(
         keyword = cfg.keyword
         keyword_template = cfg.keyword_template
         label = cfg.label
+        limit = cfg.limit
         live = cfg.live
         location = cfg.location
         max_size = cfg.max_size
@@ -1383,8 +1392,7 @@ def export(
 
     if photos:
         num_photos = len(photos)
-        # TODO: photos or photo appears several times, pull into a separate function
-        photo_str = "photos" if num_photos > 1 else "photo"
+        photo_str = pluralize(num_photos, "photo", "photos")
         rich_echo(
             f"Exporting [num]{num_photos}[/num] {photo_str} to [filepath]{dest}[/]..."
         )
@@ -1412,9 +1420,11 @@ def export(
         )
 
         photo_num = 0
+        num_exported = 0
+        limit_str = f" (limit = [num]{limit}[/num])" if limit else ""
         with rich_progress(console=get_verbose_console(), mock=no_progress) as progress:
             task = progress.add_task(
-                f"Exporting [num]{num_photos}[/] photos", total=num_photos
+                f"Exporting [num]{num_photos}[/] photos{limit_str}", total=num_photos
             )
             for p in photos:
                 photo_num += 1
@@ -1579,7 +1589,17 @@ def export(
 
                 progress.advance(task)
 
-        photo_str_total = "photos" if len(photos) != 1 else "photo"
+                # handle limit
+                if export_results.exported:
+                    # if any photos were exported, increment num_exported used by limit
+                    # limit considers each PhotoInfo object as a single photo even if multiple files are exported
+                    num_exported += 1
+                if limit and num_exported >= limit:
+                    # advance progress to end
+                    progress.advance(task, num_photos - photo_num)
+                    break
+
+        photo_str_total = pluralize(len(photos), "photo", "photos")
         if update or force_update:
             summary = (
                 f"Processed: [num]{len(photos)}[/] {photo_str_total}, "
@@ -1597,6 +1617,8 @@ def export(
         summary += f"error: [num]{len(results.error)}[/]"
         if touch_file:
             summary += f", touched date: [num]{len(results.touched)}[/]"
+        if limit:
+            summary += f", limit: [num]{num_exported}[/]/[num]{limit}[/] exported"
         rich_echo(summary)
         stop_time = time.perf_counter()
         rich_echo(f"Elapsed time: [time]{format_sec_to_hhmmss(stop_time-start_time)}")
diff --git a/osxphotos/utils.py b/osxphotos/utils.py
index a5e2a137..bd03d743 100644
--- a/osxphotos/utils.py
+++ b/osxphotos/utils.py
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@ def get_latest_version() -> Tuple[Optional[str], str]:
         return None, e
 
 
-def pluralize(count, singular, plural):
+def pluralize(count: Optional[int], singular: str, plural: str) -> str:
     """Return singular or plural based on count"""
     return singular if count == 1 else plural
 
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index dc125675..d0fed118 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -12,8 +12,12 @@ from osxphotos.exiftool import _ExifToolProc
 
 from .test_catalina_10_15_7 import UUID_DICT_LOCAL
 
+# run timewarp tests (configured with --timewarp)
 TEST_TIMEWARP = False
 
+# don't clean up crash logs (configured with --no-cleanup)
+NO_CLEANUP = False
+
 
 def get_os_version():
     import platform
@@ -68,6 +72,12 @@ def pytest_addoption(parser):
     parser.addoption(
         "--timewarp", action="store_true", default=False, help="run --timewarp tests"
     )
+    parser.addoption(
+        "--no-cleanup",
+        action="store_true",
+        default=False,
+        help="don't clean up crash logs after tests",
+    )
 
 
 def pytest_configure(config):
@@ -81,10 +91,15 @@ def pytest_configure(config):
         "markers", "timewarp: mark test as requiring --timewarp to run"
     )
 
+    # this is hacky but I can't figure out how to check config options in other fixtures
     if config.getoption("--timewarp"):
         global TEST_TIMEWARP
         TEST_TIMEWARP = True
 
+    if config.getoption("--no-cleanup"):
+        global NO_CLEANUP
+        NO_CLEANUP = True
+
 
 def pytest_collection_modifyitems(config, items):
     if not (config.getoption("--addalbum") and TEST_LIBRARY is not None):
@@ -163,7 +178,7 @@ def delete_crash_logs():
     """Delete left over crash logs from tests that were supposed to crash"""
     yield
     path = pathlib.Path(os.getcwd()) / "osxphotos_crash.log"
-    if path.is_file():
+    if path.is_file() and not NO_CLEANUP:
         path.unlink()
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_cli.py b/tests/test_cli.py
index f17e3123..d7e819dc 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -7715,3 +7715,60 @@ def test_export_added_in_last():
         )
         assert result.exit_code == 0
         assert "Exporting" in result.output
+
+
+def test_export_limit():
+    """test export --limit"""
+
+    # Use --added-before so test doesn't break if photos added in the future
+
+    runner = CliRunner()
+    cwd = os.getcwd()
+    with runner.isolated_filesystem():
+        result = runner.invoke(
+            export,
+            [
+                ".",
+                "--db",
+                os.path.join(cwd, PHOTOS_DB_15_7),
+                "--update",
+                "--limit",
+                "20",
+                "--added-before",
+                "2022-05-07",
+            ],
+        )
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        assert "limit: 20/20 exported" in result.output
+
+        result = runner.invoke(
+            export,
+            [
+                ".",
+                "--db",
+                os.path.join(cwd, PHOTOS_DB_15_7),
+                "--update",
+                "--limit",
+                "20",
+                "--added-before",
+                "2022-05-07",
+            ],
+        )
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        assert "limit: 5/20 exported" in result.output
+
+        result = runner.invoke(
+            export,
+            [
+                ".",
+                "--db",
+                os.path.join(cwd, PHOTOS_DB_15_7),
+                "--update",
+                "--limit",
+                "20",
+                "--added-before",
+                "2022-05-07",
+            ],
+        )
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        assert "limit: 0/20 exported" in result.output