Splash & Grab front covers, image © Julia Autz
Max Ferguson is a photographer, writer and curator. He is the Founding Editor of Splash & Grab Magazine, the Director of Photography of Port Magazine and a freelance Photo Editor at the Financial Times Weekend Magazine. (He’s also a Shutter Hub member!) In 2014 his photographs on the Rwandan genocide were exhibited in a solo show entitled Ndi Umunyarwanda / We Are Rwandan. He has curated photography and contemporary art exhibitions while working with contemporary art galleries in London. He graduated with a degree in Photography from the University of the West of England in 2012. Max currently lives and works in London. Here he shares his 3 top tips on submitting work to magazines…
Image © Julia Autz
1. Don’t shoot personal work for specific magazines, find magazines that suit your style.
Finding magazines that suit your work may seem difficult and you should be prepared to send things to people that you may not have thought would publish your work. We get a lot of submissions that are totally wrong for Splash & Grab which is fine, sometimes we put them in anyway or feature them online. Different is good. Do not try and shoot something with a magazine in mind, it will limit your creativity and your options.
Image © Christopher Bethell
2. Have your web presence sorted. It’s all in the edit.
Websites. Instagram. Blogs. These are all invaluable resources for photographers. Less is more. Personally I like to be sent an email with a link to a well-edited blog, rather than a PDF or jpegs that I have to download. Photographers are notoriously bad editors and editing your own work can be difficult. It is easy to be emotionally attached to a photograph while overlooking a stronger one. Ask someone who has a good eye for images to help you with the selections you put online.
Image © Whitten Sabbatini
3. Be resilient
You will probably submit to many magazines and never hear back. It’s a good idea to follow up the email with a gentle reminder. Send something in the post if you really want to grab someone’s attention. Don’t waste money printing things unnecessary though, emails are free. But don’t lose heart if you never hear things back. The right magazine for you will want to collaborate with you.
Image © Rose Marie Cromwell
Got 3 Top Tips you want to share? Drop us a email at info@shutterhub.org.uk
Not a Shutter Hub member yet? Join here for opportunities to promote your work online and in exhibitions, access selected opportunities, events, seminars and workshops, meet up and share photographic experiences, and become part of our growing community…
