Photo Magazine Round Up
Magazine Subscriptions
I’m definitely the type of person who turns to the internet for everything; instruction, critique, reviews, examples, anything I want to learn about. Magazines, however, can make for a nice break from the glow of the computer screen and occasionally offer new angles on old subjects. So, naturally, I took a look at several magazines when I began getting serious about photography. Here are my thoughts about these three I have read over the course of a year or so.
- Digital PhotoPro - Bi-Monthly. This could be my favorite magazine right now. This magazine covers a lot of personal interviews and stories about working photographers. You can find a lot of beautiful photography and discussion with pros in this magazine. It also covers technique and there have been a few good articles about specific techniques and things to try. This is a great magazine to inspire creativity. Gear is covered by the magazine, but not quite to the degree of…
- Shutterbug - Monthly. This is a gear-lovers magazine. I enjoy it because I always like to know about the latest gadgets, new cameras and new photo technology. The quality of the writing is also very good and they do cover technique and some professional photographer pieces which are well worth reading. It’s always packed with information and you are guaranteed to find something in every issue that is of interest.
- Popular Photography - Monthly. The old granddaddy of photo magazines. Chances are, this magazine is quite a bit older than you. This is the first photo magazine many people pick up and it’s good for that audience. I find it’s a bit light weight on content (a product of an aggressive monthly release, I suppose) per issue and the information presented can seem basic at times. There is no question this magazine has value, but I decided to cancel it now that I am fairly confident about most of the established rules and techniques of photography. It’s time to move on!
Next I hope to try out some photo magazines from other countries. Any suggestions? I noticed the other day that David Hobby (Strobist) posted about receiving magazines such as Pix from Australia. I’m sure there is a lot out there to explore!
There is still room in our digital world for physical, printed publications -tho it may seem like digital is overtaking everything. For example my iPhone can read web pages, discussion groups and even digital books while I am traveling away from the computer, and there are many other ways to participate and learn online without even having access to your home or work system. Still, there is something about a printed, monthly publication… a deliberate scheduled slow-ness that online resources don’t have. The process of collecting written articles, interview, reviews, etc for a time and then organizing everything into a complete issue definitely produces something different from rapid fire discussion group posts.
I should also mention a really interesting publication: JPEG magazine. It seems there was an upheaval among the founders/management of the magazine a while back, but the concept is still the same. The magazine is comprised entirely of images and articles submitted by readers and then released in a simple style showcasing the work. Definitely something different!