Magazine photography question

[Ben Calwell]

We subscribe to Southern Living Magazine, and as I was looking over some of the photos -- food, interiors, etc. -- I wondered if they were all produced with digital capture.
They are all nicely done. One of the photographers whose work appears frequently in Southern Living is Laurey Glenn. If memory serves, her work was profiled years ago in View Camera Magazine, or maybe I'm mistaking her for another photographer.
Anyway, does anyone know if magazine photographers these days have switched to digital, or does it depend on the assignment?

[Gordon Moat]

Depends upon the type of magazine, though still largely up to the photographer in many cases. If it is a news weekly, probably a good guess that not much film is in use. Any other type of magazine, whether automotive, architecture, fashion, music, or lifestyle, the cameras and formats used can still be all over the place. Many publications have a great deal of lead time prior to publication, implying little need for immediate results.

The one aspect that is becoming very common is sending in image files, instead of film or dupes. This implies that if you want to shoot film for magazine assignments, then you either need your own scanning set-up, or you need some lab to do it for you. Many magazines have published submission guidelines, or you can get those directly be asking.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio

[PViapiano]

I met an architect last week after a concert I played. One of my friends also mentioned that I was a photographer. 4x5 he asked? I said yes, but strictly amateur. He said he wanted to see my work because his photographer lived so far away. Hello in there...strictly amateur. Then he asked, film or digital. I told him film. That's when he wrinkled his nose, said he hated drum scans, digital is better, blah, blah, blah...

I didn't have time for any more of his nonsense...but it surprised me that he expected digital 4x5 output.

[Kirk Gittings]

I didn't have time for any more of his nonsense...but it surprised me that he expected digital 4x5 output.

Most of my clients are architects. You will find that each one has a hodge podge of information and mis-information about digital shooting. They all think they know what they are talking about, but mostly they have at some point half listened to some overselling arch photographer who was trying to impress him with his psuedo knowledge and equipment list.

[Walter Calahan]

Many of my assignments are for magazines. I can count on one hand all the magazines that want film. Digital streamlines their production cycle.

[paulr]

Many of my assignments are for magazines. I can count on one hand all the magazines that want film. Digital streamlines their production cycle.

Yeah, it seems like over the last few years magazines have been using technology to offload more of the work on their advertisers (and on their contributors, and on everyone else). I'm sure they don't mind if you shoot film, as long as you spring for the drum scan. The main thing is that they want a digital file from you, that requires little or no work on their part. Just like they want a digital file (like a press ready PDF) of any ad that gets submitted. Not true for all magazines yet, but it's slowly becoming the standard.

Once upon a time it was the magazine's job to do all the scanning and other prepress work. Now technology has come along that lets them pass it off.

[Frank Petronio]

Why would anyone do a drum scan for a magazine job!? I can't conceive of a single good reason ever to do that.

If they hire you for generic photos and rush deadlines, you have to shoot digital. If they hire you to shoot for character and quality, you can scan your film, work it up in Photoshop, and deliver a perfect file.

Why would you want somebody else messing your images? Having this resposibility is great.

I don't usually let them edit my take either, I am difficult.

[steve simmons]

I did an assignment that I just turned in for New Mexico magazine and they did not want digital files, they wanted slides.

steve simmons

[Kirk Gittings]

About half of what NMM publishes is digital, but they prefer film. Many magazines do not want digital files unless they have no choice, because they get so many crappy files from photographers who don't know what they are doing. Some magazines prefer digital and don't want to see anything but files. There is no standard, though clearly the general direction is away from film.

[roteague]

There is no standard, though clearly the general direction is away from film.

I can believe that. Some of the images printed in magazines is pure crap these days. Just a few days ago I picked up one of my favorites; Backpacker. It had a short article on hiking the Grand Canyon and the image they chose, wasn't even sharp, much less well composed or accurate colors. Sad.