CALL FOR ARTISTS!

​

HOW TO SUBMIT TO A MAGAZINE

​

 

Before you actually make your submissions, you must first ensure that you are fully prepared. Submitting your photos to a magazine is no different from a job interview – would you go into an interview without researching the company, thinking of potential questions or preparing yourself thoroughly? 

If you simply send off some random photos to a magazine without any forethought and consideration, you will undoubtedly fail and simply waste your time...and the editor's time. The following are several vital things to consider before choosing your photos to submit to us.

​

Ensure you have a large range of quality content

If you don’t have a portfolio of exceptional photos, you can’t submit anything! You have to remember that photography magazines are only looking for the best – they want a collection of ultimate photos that impress their readers and help generate more views and revenue. Furthermore, you are competing against hundreds of other photographers, so you really must have something exceptional to offer.

​

Select the right photos for the appropriate magazine

Do not make the mistake of simply selecting your best photo and assuming that will be enough. Unless that photo happens to fit the target magazine perfectly and match their requirements, then the sheer quality of the photo will not cut it. Consider the following before choosing your submission photos:

– What is the genre of the magazine?
– Is there a specific theme they require for submissions?
– What type of photos have they featured in previous editions?
– What types of photos appear to receive the most attention?

Ensure your photo matches their style and content, and that it stands out and offers something different from previous photos they have published.

​

Avoid sending the same photos to different magazines at the same time

It is a common misconception that you can simply submit one photo to a handful of different magazines and have it published in each one. While this would be simply fantastic, it can actually prove detrimental to your career and future potential work. Firstly, if several magazines notice that you have submitted the same photo, they could feel that you are lazy, or this could even break an exclusivity agreement you have with them. In most cases, if you submit a photo to a magazine, they may want rights to it, and forbid you to publish it from another source.

Secondly, having the same photo published in several sources will also diminish your creativity and skill – why have one photo published in three magazines, when you could have three different photos in those same magazines? Submitting different photos to different magazines will help boost your repertoire and show potential clients that you have a fantastic and diverse portfolio.

​

Check the submission criteria

Each magazine may have different criteria for submission, therefore, don’t simply think that you can do the same for each magazine. The following are some considerations to think about when checking the submission criteria:

• Approved image file type (JPEG, PNG, PSD, RAW etc.)

• Minimum image resolution (If you submit lower than this, your image may not scale properly)

• Maximum image file size

• Approved file name format

• Are photos allowed that have been heavily post-processed?

• What theme, subject or composition guidelines are there?

​

Check your credits

Team credits are essential, if these are not included with your submission, your submission will not be published.  Be sure to double-check that all persons involved in the submission are included in the credits and their names are spelt correctly. Instagram handles should be included, please do not send hyperlinks, please use the "@" symbol and the correct moniker.

 

Understand the agreement and usage rights

Finally, you must fully understand how, when and where your image will be used and what rights the magazine has. In most cases, the submission page will also contain a paragraph relating to copyright information and usage – this will outline what you are agreeing to, and how your image will be used by the magazine.

​

​

​

​