You love photography and you’re taking a bunch of awesome shots. But you want to showcase your images beyond your Instagram. In this episode, Gina and Valerie discuss the steps you need to take to get your photos published in magazines, newspapers and online. Gina reveals the key actions she’s taken to become a successful photographer. And Valerie, who is a former photo editor and magazine editor, reveals what editorial teams look for when choosing shots to publish.
#ginachallenge #lookatme
Click play to listen to the podcast or find it on iTunes here. If you don’t use iTunes you can get the feed here, or listen to us on Stitcher radio.
Show notes
Useful links
A peek inside the camera bags of some of the best photographers in the world.
Lightroom Book
Lightroom Power User: 148 Pages of Tips & Tricks to Supercharge Your Lightroom Experience
Promo code: beaphotographer for 10% off
Shout Outs
MacGyver of the week
Hey Gina Milicia, here is a MacGyver light modifier for you. I needed a spot light source to light the model in a convincing way. It was really important to have a soft glow and realistic shadows to emulate what the moon would look like. I used a ping pong ball at the end of two empty toilet rolls and then rigged some cardboard to hold the flash. The flash head sits in nicely and the centre of the toilet rolls are white allowing light up to the ball. This image (edited) was shot at 47mm on a
24-70mm f2.8L II lens on a Canon 5D3 at 1/80th, f3.5 and iso 500. You can see a larger version of the finished image at www.brettferguson.com.au.
Listener Question from Brian Becnel (USA)
I worked with a wonderful aspiring model last night in my DIY studio last night. We had a great time.
My question for our awesome community is about the background.
My little studio is really a 7-foot square white background. I’ve used a bare speedlight on the background. I’ve got a many images of him with a more traditional ‘model look’, less smile more serious. I want to do something to background, swap it out, add texture but don’t really know where to take it. Maybe it just needs a darker color? A light painted wood slat wall?
Gina, how does one decide, of ALL the possibilities, where to start?
Our answer is in this episode.
Here’s looking at you kid: How to get your photos published online and in print
Inspired by Andrew Deagle (Australia):
Good Morning Gina, Valerie and the rest of the podcast community. I have a question that may suit both Gina and Valerie, I would like to get some images published this year in a magazine or any type of print/editorial media and would like some advise how to do this. How to you go about what and how many images to send and to whom would you send to? What file type would they prefer and what releases would be required and the prices you would charge? Hope this makes sense 🙂 Love the podcast you Gals are a scream and the content you give us is great. Thanks for the time you put into it and the knowledge you are passing onto us I’m sure we all appreciated. Cheers Andrew.
1.Why photographers should put their work “out there”
2. Where are the best places to share your work
- Start with your friends and family
- Facebook, Instagram, etc
- Flickr, 500px, Google+
Creative Commons is a way for you to keep the copyright of your photos while still allowing others to use your images.
A Creative Commons (CC) license is one of several public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. A CC license is used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created. CC provides an author flexibility (for example, they might choose to allow only non-commercial uses of their own work) and protects the people who use or redistribute an author’s work from concerns of copyright infringement as long as they abide by the conditions that are specified in the license by which the author distributes the work.
http://search.creativecommons.org/
“Creative Commons is a non-profit that offers an alternative to full copyright.”
creativecommons.org
Briefly…
Attribution means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work – and derivative works based upon it – but only if they give you credit.
Noncommercial means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work – and derivative works based upon it – but for noncommercial purposes only.
No Derivative Works means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.
Share Alike means:
You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.
Public Domain Dedication (CC0) means:
You, the copyright holder, waive your interest in your work and place the work as completely as possible in the public domain so others may freely exploit and use the work without restriction under copyright or database law.
Public Domain Work means:
Works, or aspects of copyrighted works, which copyright law does not protect. Typically, works become part of the public domain because their term of protection under copyright law expired, the owner failed to follow certain required formalities, or the works are not eligible for copyright protection.
3. Going old school
Exhibitions and books
Anyone can do this. Hire a space, frame your work.
Feature in cafes.
Self publish a coffee table book.
The best and worst photo-book-making sites for you
4. Enter competitions
The Best Photography Contests and Prizes in 2016
5. Magazines
The good news is that most magazine editors don’t care if you’ve been published before or whether the image was shot on an entry level DSLR or a $500,000 camera. If your shot happens to be the right fit for what they are looking for they will run it.
The bad news is most editors are getting hundreds, even thousands of submissions a day/week
Your work may well be the best in the world but you will never be discovered just sitting there.
Success vs Failure
(a) Do your research
(b) Write a cover letter and follow the magazines guidelines for submitting work
(c) Find ways to make your submission stand out from the rest.
(d) Make your submission as easy as possible to read and access files.
(e) Have an angle or story that is unique and offer it as a package
(f) Include lots and lots of “detail” shots in your submission. Editors are trying to fill pages and LOVE detail shots, particularly for Weddings and Architectural magazines. Think about how a magazine is laid out and include horizontal and vertical images
(g) Edit your selection down to the best ones 5-10 images. Don’t make the editor wade through 1000 images. They won’t!
(h) Look professional. Have a website and ensure your website features your best images
(i) Supplying a story to go with the images may increase your chances of getting published.
How to score a regular gig shooting for magazines
- start small
- shoot for bloggers
- shoot charity events
- get to know the editors and journalists
- work fast
- over deliver
- deliver on time
- be a team player
What about getting paid?
Pay rates for editorial shoots vary depending on:
- the magazine
- the number of images
- size of images
- cover
Range from nothing/credit to up to several thousand dollars
Annie Leibovitz gets between $100 000 US to $250 000 US
Great website that lists fees from many magazines
A few more things to consider:
- Try interning at a magazine
- Assisting staff photographers at magazines
- Apply for a cadetship
- Charity work
- PA to an editor
#ginachallenge #lookatme
