View Camera

[steve simmons]

Steve, very timely thread. How do I get View Camera in the uk? Real, that is,on paper. Don't really enjoy rying to 'read' a computer.


mike@walkercameras.com

is our UK distributor

[John Kasaian]

My thoughts are:
1) Yes it is well worth a first class subscription if I had the funds, and with the price of everything going up that is a concern.
2) An online subscription sounds good but I'm not sure about the fidelity of the photographs in portfolios---I am certain that if Lenswork has that issue worked out then OK, but who likes being tied to a computer screen? Perhaps it is an age thing, but I am unable to enjoy the notion of "curling up" with a lap top.
3) One of the coolest things about VC is the back issues---what an outstanding resource! Will the archives be available to online subscribers?
4) Will the online subscription cost less than the current print subscription? That would be an even more motivating factor for me, as every once in awhile there will be an issue that has next to nothing that interests me (this isn't a criticism really---I realize VC caters to a wide and diverse market within the photographic community and I never expected to be in tune 100% of the time interest-wise---it is just that a six dollar coffee table ornament really hurts to look at.
5) Does VC on bookseller's shelves interest people in large format and attract readers? I don't know. I do know that when I first discovered VC at a book store that it grabbed my attention but I had already had an interest in large format well before then---what did grab my interest was that the editor had written one of my favorite photography texts---Using The View Camera as well as the display advertisements (this was when used gear was going for very reasonable prices because of "digitalis") and even more importantly, the portfolios which I found inspirational.
6) I know very little about periodicals, but what I do remember is that advertising rates are tied to circulation. Would you expect to see an increase or decrease in circulation by going on-line?

Thank you for the opportunity to bring my thoughts to the table. I think View Camera really rocks! It is the best photography mag out there!

[Mark Sawyer]

A few thoughts...

The first-class postage is a nice option some would gladly pay extra for, but I'm happy with the current delivery schedule.

Please keep the hard copy. It has value as a physical artifact, a convenience to read wherever you choose, and I often find myself loaning my copy to a friend or student. I also think your contributors get a kick out of seeing their words and pictures in print. With an online-only version, people might not put the energy into contributing.
(This is just speculation on my part, but it would be worth asking a few of your contributors before taking such a big step.)

It does seem like stopping bookstore distribution would diminish VC's public presence and you might lose a few new subscribers, but that's a business decision and you know best.

You might consider a few complimentary or discounted subscriptions to a few university and community college programs with a large format component. It might help draw a few photographers into lf, and generate a few new subscribers.

I also think that if view camera users value having the magazine around, they should encourage others to subscribe. It's good for our form of photography and keeps an important resource going. For the technical and aesthetic information it contains, it's a bargain. ($25 a year? That's not even a tank of gas or hardly a cheap dinner for two.) Same thoughts about Lenswork. Same thoughts about my favorite film manufacturer. Go buy a subscription, VC, LW, whatever, and shoot an extra box of film. I want these things to stay around.

[Harley Goldman]

Hi Steve,
As one of your subscribers, I much prefer the hard copy. I pick it up, put it down, pick it up later, take it on trips for idle reading, etc. I am not sure if this is an option you are considering, but if you went to online only, I would cancel.

[Darren H]

Steve-

Another fan of a printed mag vs PDF. I like being able to grab a few back issues, sit on the patio, and read. A PDF is not the same. Not just the reading but the images are not the same either.

I first saw VC on the bookstore shelf and read a few of them even before I got into LF. For a while I would buy them when the issue was of great interest, then I started buying every issue, now I subscribe. I am not sure if I would be a subscriber today if not for finding them at a bookstore. I am not sure what that costs you to stay in the stores, but I cannot help but think it gets you readers.

As far as the first class option goes, I would say I am happy enough with current delivery-especially if it is consistent. I always get my issue about the start of the second month (ex-got May-June in late May). I can live with that as that is about the time they hit the local book stores too. For comparison, I subscribe to another mag geared at the outdoor photographer and I always get my issue at least 7-10 days AFTER they hit store the shelf. You are beating the big corporate guys in that department!

As others have said, most magazines do not have to be overly timely. The web is for timely. Magazines should go beyond that.

Now if you wanted to do more with electronic format, I like the suggestion of putting more older articles on the web. Makes you more of a resource, gets your site more clicks, could be a way futher online ad revenue potential.

You are putting out a good mag. Keep it up.

[onnect17]

I use a service called "Zinio" to receive my subscriptions to several magazines including "Popular Photography". Using a crt at 2000x1500 I can see a lot more detail than the print edition. I would suggest to Steve to explore the possibility of publishing the magazine using the outlet. Highly recommended.

[Jim Noel]

I hate to see you even consider this route. Having tried unsuccessfully to re-subscribe by telephone I would no longer be able to read your magazine.

[Leonard Evens]

I am pretty happy with the way things are done now. It seems to take quite a long time from the time you announce a new issue to the time I get it, but that doesn't bother me too much. The articles are seldom time sensitive.

I also find I am more likely to read a magazine that I get hard copy through the mail rather than finding it on a website, even if the latter were free. I suppose, if I have to and if I live long enough, I will get used to reading things online, but Ii haven't yet, despite having been in it for over 20 years. I do study things on the web, but I can only take a limited amount at a time. On the other hand, my ability to spend time writing things that way seems unlimited, but I find that people have limited patience reading any of it. ;-)

[George Stewart]

I've been a subscriber for many years and still have every issue. I think that View Camera should be available both in print and in a high resolution pdf format (with 300dpi images).

Also, Steve, I'd like to see all back issues available as high res. pdf downloads or on disc by year. I know you have articles available, but I'm interested in entire issues, with advertising, cover art, and the like. I'd still like to see the first issue, and would like to complete my collection, even if the first issues are digital only. For just a few dollars, one could download a back issue. This would breath new life into work that has already been accomplished and bring additional revenue to the magazine. Why live only in the present when you have a valuable archive!

[steve simmons]

Having tried unsuccessfully to re-subscribe by telephone I would no longer be able to read your magazine.


As I have said over and over and over and over again if you have a subscription problem the most efficient way to get it fixed is to

e-mail

amiles@viewcamera.com
largformat@aol.com
call 800-894-8439 or 505-899-8054


steve simmons