Many magazines produce a set of ‘Guidelines for Contributors’ to assist people interested in writing for them or supplying images. This will tell you about the ideal length for articles, the preferred format for pictures, the fees you can expect to receive and any other relevant information. These guidelines can often be found on the magazine’s website, and sometimes come in a printed form that can be posted to you. It is in the interests of the editors to produce them because they will get more material that meets their needs and less that doesn’t, and they save time by not having to repeat the information. If the magazine does not have specific guidelines for contributors, you can always ask them to clarify their requirements.
The easiest way to get started is by concentrating on magazines that you are already familiar with. If you have a hobby, such as gardening, snowboarding, caravanning or restoring antiques, then you are already halfway there – you will know which titles deal with that subject, and you should have a good idea of the types of pictures they use.
Common sense dictates that you choose a subject that interests you. For one thing, you will spend a lot of time shooting it, and for another, you will produce better and therefore more saleable images if you have genuine enthusiasm for what you are photographing. Chances are that you have pictures on file that may be suitable – so you will not have to start from scratch. You may be in a position to pull together a submission from existing material. If not, you know what readers will be interested in seeing and can get going without delay.
MAKING IT SALEABLE
Images with rich, strong colours are always saleable because they can be used to brighten up a page of dull text.
When I started freelancing, I had young children whom I regularly photographed. I had hundreds of high-quality shots on file of them doing everything from drawing to eating to sleeping. It occurred to me to target some parenting titles, and I was delighted that two of the pictures from my first submission were used in a leading parenting magazine. I sent in material every couple of months after that, and shots were used regularly. Then I looked for a new market. Realizing that I had lots of pictures of the surrounding area, I submitted some to county magazines – once again with success.
The most important thing is to get your foot in the door. I have found that editors tend to be more receptive to submissions once one of your pictures has been published in their magazine. What subjects and interests fire your enthusiasm? A glance through your pictures will soon tell you. What kind of magazines would be a natural home for the kind of pictures you take? That should tell you where to start.
Photographic magazines such as Amateur Photographer and Popular Photography can also be an ideal market for your work; they constantly need pictures to illustrate all aspects of technique, from lighting effectively to mastering depth of field. Some photo magazines have a policy of using readers’ pictures whenever possible, and go to libraries only when they can’t get the material they want from other sources. Features tend to have a seasonal bias, so if you have back issues go through them and note what appears when. During the dark months of winter, you are likely to find articles on winter landscapes, still lifes, birds, studio lighting, fireworks, indoor portraiture, Christmas and using flash. In spring, the focus shifts outdoors, and there will be features on landscapes, filters, portraits and spring itself – crocuses, rabbits, daffodils, lambs and so on. As the sun climbs higher there are summer subjects, including weddings, holidays, reflectors and travel. After that you have autumn, with writers waxing lyrical about warm light, higher ISO settings, autumn leaves and low-light shooting.
Whenever possible, you should supply ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots. And, following the digital revolution, magazines are increasingly interested in sequences of pictures that show digital techniques. When you are enhancing images – even if you are only sharpening them or using curves – keep the original image, any in-between stages, and screengrabs as well.
Of course, you won’t be on your own in submitting pictures to your favourite photography magazine – many other readers will have the same idea. Don’t let that deter you, however. I have spent many years editing photography magazines, and, in all honesty, most of the images sent in are not suitable for publication. While most submissions these days are correctly exposed, in focus, and otherwise technically competent, most lack impact. Frankly, they’re dull. This means that the opportunity is there for anyone who can produce dynamic, eye-catching images of popular subjects that can be used to illustrate technique features. As ever, use the pictures already being published as a guide to what the editor wants, and then shoot and supply more of the same.
Favourite photographic subjects
At any time of year, there are likely to be articles on the following:
the most popular subjects, including portraits, children, buildings, sport, glamour, travel and still life
different types of composition
aspects of lighting
exposure modes.5
metering patterns
shutter speeds and apertures
lens choice: wide-angle, telephoto,
zoom, specialist lenses.
TECHNIQUE IMAGES
Photo magazines are always looking for images that can be used to illustrate techniques.This picture could be used in a article on composition, shooting at night or architectural details.
HOW–TO SEQUENCES
Digital imaging magazines are always pleased to receive sequences of pictures that show different techniques–but make sure you include ‘screengrabs’ of what you’ve done.
As well as individual pictures and comparative sets, many photography magazines publish several images by one photographer, usually over three or four pages with accompanying text, in a ‘portfolio’ or ‘gallery’ format. For pictures to be used in this way, they need to have some kind of theme. They might be all landscapes, all taken using long shutter speeds, all in black and white or all composed using diagonals. Whether you specify it or not, any submissions you make will be considered for this kind of slot. So don’t just send a random collection of images; take care that they can work cohesively as a set.
It can also be a good idea, particularly in the early days, to narrow down the type of work you send to photography magazines so that you get known for that area. As an editor, I have a mental directory of who takes pictures of what. When I want nature pictures, for instance, I have two or three photographers who come immediately to mind. Not only do I know they have quality work on file, I also know they have lots of it – many thousands