To many photographers, getting your work printed in a magazine is the holy grail, especially if you manage to make the front cover. Sure, posting on Instagram or Facebook is great but actually seeing your work in print… to me, there is no better feeling.
While this video is aimed specifically at automotive photography, the lessons and tips here I believe also apply to all disciplines.
I know some of you might question my credentials and want to know why am I telling you this and why should you listen to me. As someone that has over 10 front covers and over 20 features, I might not know everything, but I know enough.
But that wasn’t enough for me, I wanted to reach out to some of the editors that I work with so they could give some information and advice for photographers who are just starting out.
Not only do I feel proud to be able to see my own work in a physical form, but it is also great to be able to hand a copy to someone for them to physically look at. I know that all of us are guilty of just scrolling through photos on Instagram and giving each photo a split second of attention time, but when you hand someone a physical copy, they spend more time looking at it if for no other reason than that it isn’t on a tiny LCD screen.
But how do you go about getting your work in print? It’s not as easy as just hitting “upload” on an app. Well, to answer that question is why I wanted to make the above 11-minute video. I want to give you some practical tips on how to get your work featured in a magazine. You don’t just need camera equipment, there is more to it than that.
How do you frame a shot? What kinds of shots? How do you color grade the images? Should you shoot portrait or landscape?
I strive to answer those questions. A short answer would be you want to shoot with enough options — both tight and wide — so that the editor has a lot of different choices when it comes to overlaying copy or using full-page spreads.
But perhaps you knew that already and you’re just looking to find editors. Well, I have that covered as well. The most simple way is to actually buy your favorite magazine and you will often find the editors listed in the first few pages.
Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned professional, there are plenty of tips that I cover which will encourage you to get your work into print. Maybe I am just being nostalgic but with print becoming less and less common, it seems more and more important to see your work in a physical magazine.
About the author: Dave Cox is a Lead Automotive CGI Artist and freelance photographer originally from London and now living in Los Angeles. He creates advertising visuals for automotive manufacturers using CGI and photography as his day job, which also happens to have always been a personal hobby. He has always been interested in cars and started photographing for magazines about five years ago. You can find him on Instagram, through his website, and on his YouTube channel.