A lot of people read my recent Menopause article, and if you’re one of them you may recall that I didn’t get that particular image sold to that particular magazine at that particular time. No worries.
Here’s one that DID get published, and what I did to get their attention. You may have seen this image from prior posts; I did a bunch of shots in the series, but this is the signature piece.
It’s now visible online at Arlington Magazine, their “big picture” special feature. Below is a copy of their print version, a 2-page spread.
The process
Briefly, here is how I got it done. After making this and other images (see the post on how this one was made) I looked for a good landing spot. One obvious choice was Arlington Magazine, where they focus entirely on stories in their region. Even if they’re doing a story of national interest, they highlight local people or issues when covering it, so that’s a requirement. Ian had recently begun selling directly into Arlington at a farmers market. Check.
Next, I wrote a full story. I thought if I provided a complete, buttoned-up piece, the barrier for entry would be greatly reduced. They might even run the story as is. I wanted to make it easy for them. We’d never met, after all. My submission was purely a “cold-call", or cold email that I’d planned to follow with a phone call.
I’d already interviewed Ian to tell his story visually, so it was not a great stretch to write it out. It also gave me an excuse to get familiar with a publishing tool, Affinity Publisher, and the process gave me a sense of what it’s like to fit into the format of the chosen magazine’s layouts and fonts, and to be constrained by the physical space of two printed pages, plus imagery. (for a comparison of Affinity to InDesign, click here).
I used tools in Chrome to determine the fonts that the magazine prefers, so the look and feel would match their publication.
Submission
I submitted the pages below to the Editor, with this introduction:
Attached is a completed story that I thought would be a good fit for Arlington Magazine. I hope it doesn’t come across as presumptuous that I’ve prepared a complete a version of the story myself; I don’t intend it. I spent time with the subject while photographing him, and while visiting I collected enough to write the story in addition to taking the photographs. He has reviewed this for accuracy, etc.
Please let me know if this is appealing. I would be honored if you wanted to include it, or a version of it, in an upcoming edition.
Their response
Following receipt of my cold email, Editor Jennifer Sullivan told me that she’d never received a complete story like this before, and it absolutely got their attention.
And they loved the work.
And. While they didn’t use the article as-is, my primary objective was always to get the imagery published. This just gave me a foot in the door. And they ultimately highlighted the most creative of the images, in a big (ha!) way. It’s uncommon to get any photograph reproduced in a full-page spread into any publication, and this image spilled over into a second page.
In the end, to accompany their “big picture” format, Art Director Laura Goode did her own interview, then wrote and published the final, reduced version. Fine by me. As time1 goes on, I’m happy to be teamed with excellent writers. I’ll do more shooting, they’ll do better writing, win-win.
And I love me a good win-win.
Until next time,
Limited Edition Prints for Sale
Another channel of my photography. Oof. But as promised, I’ve got this new set of Limited Edition prints available for purchase. Any unsold African wildlife images from last fall, as promised, have been retired from circulation.
Each edition consists of ten Numbered Prints and two Artists Prints, 16x24” silver halide, with certificate of authentication. As before, these are limited both by number and duration of the offer. If you’d like one or more for that special person, don’t hesitate. You wouldn't want to become he who is lost!
Is there something here you like or dislike? Questions? Have anything else to say? Let us all know by clicking on the Comments button below, and express yourself. Don’t be shy, now.
If you like this post you’re bound to like the next one as well. I’m sending them weekly. Quit any time, or better yet, stay and read on!
Know anybody who should hear about all this? Be a friend and let them know!
Or, are you interested in seeing more work? My website welcomes you. We may even want to work together. I promise a joyous and productive experience if we do.
Visit: www.dobkinphoto.com
I believe Time will be the subject of my next article. Please put some time in your calendar for it.
Yeah it did. Well done! The article was good but the picture was fantastic.
Congrats, Donn! Great job.