Guaranteed minimum hourly rate*; 51%. If there's one dream that all photographers share, it's that we all want to see our work on the cover of a magazine. For many, it's an exciting milestone that demonstrates our capabilities not only to ourselves, but also to the guardians of our industry, and it doesn't hurt that our work is seen by thousands of people. With professional photography increasingly competitive and the number of magazines increasingly reduced, it's not easy to get a job shooting for a publication.
In fact, 99% of the people who send their wallets don't even get the job. The first step in becoming a magazine photographer is choosing your niche and preparing your portfolio. Most professionals who have been in the game for a while will have several niches, but if you're a beginner, start by focusing on one. Record powerful and relevant content in your spare time (for example, if you want to be a wedding magazine photographer, obviously record lots of wedding-related content) and, as you create your images, compare them with those you see published in the magazines you want to work for.
Many magazines have been refining their brand for decades and have a specific look that satisfies their audience, so being able to combine that aesthetic and, at the same time, inject your own creative touch will make you a much more attractive option. Photographing behind the scenes a Nevada horse breeder for Sierra Living magazine. Your portfolio is ultimately a visual resume and, for a magazine staff, will demonstrate your skill level and experience. Make it look the best you can, maintain consistency and remove any image that doesn't impress you, and of course, make it presentable on a fully functioning website.
Now that you have your first portfolio, you'd better get some practical experience working for a real magazine, and considering that you still need to learn what an editorial task looks like, I recommend that you start with free magazines first. Most major cities have several free magazines, and you can also find many on the Internet. Go to these posts and show them your portfolio, and then record with them for a couple of months. Backstage with singer and beatboxer Butterscotch.
Now, as expected, free means free, so you won't receive any payment for these tasks, however, they will help you get an enormous amount of information and earn some sheets of tears very quickly. The loose sheets, in particular, will help you later, when looking for larger paid magazines, because you'll have some kind of proof of your work. Once you feel like you've mastered working with free magazines, it's time to move on to paid tasks. If you're a person who has to earn a living, you can't film for free forever, and the next step is to apply to a legitimate local or regional publication.
Most urban magazines (such as the 5280 magazine in my city, for example) cover a wide variety of topics ranging from local events to businesses, artists, food and more, and if you dig deeper into their websites, you may also discover that they also have magazines about weddings and homes. These types of publishers are the ones that can offer you stable monthly orders and are a perfect springboard to get closer to even more important national publications. The three images above (showing a female politician, a bottle of gin and a stage director) were created for Sacramento Magazine. Municipal and regional journals cover a wide variety of topics that can diversify your portfolio very quickly. As you progress in your editorial photography career, you'll need to get better at sending cold emails, and for many people, not just photographers, sending cold emails can be a daunting task.
It's not always natural to send an email to someone you don't know, and despite how easy the process is for some veterans, we were all a little scared at first. However, in our profession, we have to take risks and overcome that fear quickly, because sending cold emails is an essential part of seeking new opportunities and, if you don't take advantage of it, surely someone else will. One of the biggest mistakes I see beginning photographers make when sending cold emails to magazines is that they write their messages too long or think they have to use impressive vocabulary, but the real trick is to keep it clear and simple. Mention who you are, what photography genre you specialize in and where you live, briefly tell them why you would be useful, attach 5 to 10 of your best images along with the link to your website and, if applicable, provide them with a brief summary of your editorial client history. The members of the magazine's staff, especially the editors and art directors who are going to read your emails, are very busy people who receive hundreds of these requests each year, and if your email is too long, it can be considered inconsiderate and increase the chances of being completely overlooked.
Also, probably the most important thing you should learn about cold emailing is to not be afraid of failure. In fact, it's going to be guaranteed. Most of the largest companies, even with the most incredible marketing budgets, claim that their average success rate of cold emails is 1%, and even the most successful photographers can be rejected simply because of situations that are beyond the magazine's control. Most useless emails never get a response because a publisher may be too busy or have a lot of photographers right now. Some broader-reaching journals may not even have articles that are currently being covered in your region that you can be useful in.
There's also the possibility (and we have to be honest with ourselves about it) that the portfolio you sent just isn't attracting their attention. Whatever the reason, don't think badly of yourself, because all this can do is push you to build an even stronger portfolio and try again a few months later. Everyone fails to send cold emails, but it's the people who persist, learn, improve, and try again who end up succeeding. I have been rejected many times throughout my career, but after rebuilding myself over and over again, I finally got some of the magazines I always wanted. Although most magazines handle the process of interviewing you through emails and other online communications, some will actually want to meet you in person.
This is usually done to see if your personality is a good fit and if you're going to be a beneficial team player, and it can also help them see how you'll interact with future photographed guests when you represent the magazine on their behalf. If this ends up happening to you, do it professionally and get ready for yourself and your portfolio. Behind the scenes during an editorial photo shoot with David Bradford Lee, the interior designer of the luxurious ballroom at Sacramento Kings Stadium. During this session, the magazine's art director visited the venue to oversee the shooting.
Just like at a job interview, arrive early to the meeting and dress well, and keep your hair and other toiletries in order. In addition, it's very important to have your portfolio and loose sheets well organized and presentable so that you can view them professionally. Most photographers today display their portfolios digitally on a laptop or iPad, however, if you have additional funds, you can also make a printed version. You never need to print a portfolio, however, it can give you a little creative edge.
If all else fails and you can't get a portfolio review with the methods mentioned above, don't lose hope just yet, because you still have a more powerful tool up your sleeve. As I mentioned in more detail in my blog, 10 Steps to a Successful Photography Business, have a Google My Business account, several social media accounts, and especially, a website available for people to find. Of course, this also goes hand in hand with the ongoing management of your SEO. Personally, dozens of magazines have found me just by searching the Internet and discovering that I was working in a city where they needed to cover a story, but they didn't have an established photographer yet.
If that happens to you, it usually means that you are the first in line to fill that gap and, better yet, if you do a good job you will secure your position forever. Another advantage of being able to find it on the web is that some magazines can find images you've already created and, potentially, try to use them in new articles. This portrait of Stephanie Big-Eagle was discovered and requested by the magazine Schnappschus (a German photography publication) almost three years after it was taken. It is also common for the photographer to manage the schedule of the session with the subject of the photo himself, which means that his contact information is likely to appear as well.
in the publisher's email. Naturally, this means that you will have to be flexible and adapt to the time you need the subject of the photo, and depending on your profession, this can vary greatly. For example, I've had a lot of photo shoots where I would need to photograph a CEO, but since they were so busy, I only had ten minutes left. In the case of urban magazines, in particular, this can happen many times, so you'll have to get information, practice your concept and, possibly, explore the place in advance to have a better chance of success.
Portrait of The Brown Palace Hotel's executive chef, Kim Moyle, taken for 5280 magazine. My last tip for working as a magazine photographer is to always continue to expand your portfolios and routinely share them with your editors. As you continue to work, your portfolio will grow and diversify, which can make you even more useful for a magazine that covers multiple topics. Of course, the magazine won't know about this if you don't share it with them.
Once every 6 months, send your new work to your editors so they can see what you've been up to. It might be just what they're looking for and you could receive even more tasks in the future. As I said before, success in photography doesn't just come down to talent. It also requires a long-term state of mind with a consistent and determined commitment. Be courageous, be prepared and don't be afraid to fail and try again. See you next time.
