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One of the most challenging tasks photographers face when trying to place their work in magazines is deciding which images to submit. It is highly unlikely that your beautiful (but unsolicited) pictures of, say, Mongolia, are exactly what an editor was looking for when she received your submission. On the other hand, when an editor contacts you directly and asks for the same images, you have a good chance of making a sale. Many magazine editors do have, in fact, a mailing list of trusted photographers who supply most of their stock images. Here are five suggestions for getting your name on editors’ mailing lists.
- Shoot the Golden Gate Bridge: Make a list of iconic buildings, landscapes and events in your area and photograph those first. Although I encourage you to also capture subjects that go beyond the obvious, focus on the icons to get started. However, because most photographers are
probably doing the same thing, try to photograph the icons under unique conditions such as exceptional light (early or late), at twilight, using blur to denote motion, after a rain when everything is wet and lush, as a reflection off a mirror, window, or puddle, and so on. In other words, photograph the obvious in not such an obvious way. - Select the Right Magazines: Not all magazines are created equal, and all of them have a distinctive editorial flavor. For example, some travel magazines use only traditional imagery with perfectly exposed pictures and nary a slanted horizon, while others are more edgy and not afraid of overexposed highlights and dynamic (read “not straight”) photos. Review as many travel magazines as you can and determine which ones publish images in your particular flavor. Then add those magazines to your mailing list of potential clients.
- Select the Right Person: Every magazine has a person in charge of selecting and licensing stock images, so it is important to add this person’s name to your mailing list. Typically the person’s title will be Art Director, Photo Editor, Picture Editor, and the like. Look at the magazine’s masthead to obtain this information. Some magazines are small and don’t have dedicated art or photography editors. In these cases I add the Editor to my mailing list.
- Using the Mailing List: Once you have a nice collection of images and a working mailing list with magazines’ names and contact information, it’s time to put the mailing list to work. Write a one-page cover letter to each magazine offering your services as a stock photographer, and specifically ask to be placed in their photographers’ mailing list. Include a set of your best images (up to 20 should be more than enough, but quality is more important than quantity) for their visual reference, and invite them to contact your or visit your web site to view more images. Make sure the pictures are printed, since they are easier to look at than a disc, where the editor will have to make an effort to view them. I typically prepare an 8 ½ by 11 sheet with 9 images that are representative of my work.
- Follow Up: After my initial mailing, I follow up with a promotional card featuring only one image, and in the cover letter I include a list of my most recent subjects. I usually send 3 to 4 mailings per year to those on my mailing list. This process takes a while so be patient and persistent. It might take months or more for an editor to respond to your requests. Using this approach I have not only made sales of stock, but also landed assignments. With any luck, you might even get an image request for those beautiful images from Mongolia.
Now go out and shoot something.