Breaking Into Print: Tips On Submitting Photos For Publication

You’ve invested in some very nice camera equipment.

You’ve read all that you can to help improve your photographic skills.

You’ve worked hard to create strong, dynamic pictures that capture your vision of the world.

You've bought (or are about to buy) NSCS Pro 3.0 to caption your pictures and organize your picture files.

Now you would like to start submitting pictures to publications. But you don’t have a clue as to where to start. Well, there’s nothing very mysterious about the process of submitting for publication. But, there are some things you need to know about it.

First, before rushing off to the Fedex office with some hastily gathered pictures to send to National Geographic, take some time. There are important things that need to be done before sending off any pics.

Research

Two must-haves in this business: 1.) a copy of Photographer's Market (Writer's Digest Books) and 2.) a subscription to The Guilfoyle Report (http://www.agpix.com ).

Do some careful research on any publication you plan to submit to. Most picture editors will tell you that it's a real turn-off to receive inappropriate or ill-timed submissions. Write for submission guidelines (include a SASE for return). Read the submission guidelines. Adhere to the submission guidelines.

 For magazines, buy some recent issues (or better yet, subscribe to them). In the masthead, take note of who the picture editor is, in case it has changed since the last listing in Photographer's Market or The Guilfoyle Report. Study the magazines for style and content of pictures in order to be able to best select your own pictures for submission.

Keep a client (or potential client) file using the Clients database in NSCS Pro 3.0. You can store a great deal of information about clients.

Query

Most editors like to be queried before anything is submitted. DO NOT CALL. Query by letter or FAX or email only. DO NOT EMAIL PICTURES UNLESS YOU ARE ASKED TO. Keep the query letter short - no life histories or photographic philosophy. Give any past credits (if any). Give emphasis to any uniqueness of your photo coverage. These days, for a first look,  many editors like to see printouts done on the photo quality inkjet printers (Epson Photo Stylus printers, for example). Also, you can use the feature in NSCS Pro 3.0 to print high quality promo sheets from your database thumbnails. These make great presentations, complete with your caption information, and save wear and tear and possible risk of sending original transparencies.

  (partial sheet shown)

Edit

You need to be absolutely ruthless in editing your pictures! Buy a large wastebasket and use it. Buy a good quality film loupe - preferably two: a 4X for quick evaluation, an 8-10X for critical examination. Do not kid yourself into thinking that the publication will correct any exposure problems, unsharpness,  or bad composition. They won't.

For submissions, edit not only for quality but quantity as well. Don't deluge an editor with hundreds of pictures. Most photo essays should have no more 40 - 50 carefully edited pictures in a submission.

If you are doubtful about the quality of one or more pictures, leave them out. It's far better to leave a good impression with a few good pictures than to dilute your submission with mediocre pictures.

Caption

See the page here for Tips on Captioning and Filing. Keep in mind that you can actually enhance the marketability of your photographs by using the captioning features of NSCS Pro 3.0. With up to 6 lines of information on each label, you can provide very complete captions.

Submit

If you submit original transparencies, be sure to keep good records and generate a good paper trail in case of loss. Use the submission features and Delivery Memos available in NSCS Pro 3.0.

Be patient. Don't start bugging the editor a week after sending pictures. Since most picture editors are overworked and often swamped, the average holding time for picture submissions has increased over the years. It may be months before you get a response. A reasonable time may be about one month to six weeks before making a polite inquiry about your submission.

What about picture pricing? Use the Picture Pricing Module that comes with NSCS Pro 3.0. This module provides a comprehensive information, based on ASMP rates, for negotiating picture pricing for both editorial and advertising usage.

Don't be discouraged by returns. Many picture stories are turned down not because the pictures were no good, but because of other reasons: backlog of other picture stories, similar stories already in the mill, similar stories done in the recent past (another good reason to do some careful research).

If you can't handle rejection, this isn't the business for you.

And, oh yes, Don’t quit your day job.

    The (ultimate) End

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