business of photography: marketing your photography using photographer’s market

How to get your work published

Many photographers aspire to have their images published in magazines and books. There’s a lot of competition for this type of work but with a plan and dedication you can make it a reality.

As a teenager I wanted to be a photographer for motorcycle magazines. By the age of thirty I had fulfilled that dream, shooting and writing for publications around the globe. Here are some of the keys I found to getting published.

You’ll need to find a market for your work

What are your interests besides photography? You are more likely to succeed by creating a niche for yourself rather than a broad approach like “I want to photograph people”. Do you like travel, pets, sports or food? Try to combine your love of photography with another interest, taking photos while traveling or photographing food that you‘ve created in your own kitchen. That way you’re creating samples of your work while having an enjoyable experience, regardless of your photographic success.

Who are the potential purchasers of your photography?

If you want to market your images to magazines, greeting card companies or galleries I highly recommend the 2008 Photographer’s Market. This book lists hundreds of potential purchasers, the staffer you should contact to submit images, how they should be submitted and what they generally pay. Interested in horses, autos or agriculture? There are potential magazine clients listed for most anything you can imagine. Want to find galleries in Wisconsin? It’s all in there. Photographers Market also has great case studies on successful photographers and some very useful general business and marketing information.

I also suggest going to the local mega-bookstore (Barnes & Noble, Joseph Beth Booksellers, Borders Books, etc.). Peruse the magazine racks and pick up copies of publications fitting to your work. Create a list of potential clients using the Photographers Market and the editorial contact information inside each magazine.

You have some photos and you have a list

If you think your work is suitable for a publication, then introduce yourself. I would suggest sending the following:

• An email or letter of introduction to the art director, stating who you are and what you have to offer. Be sure you are familiar with a recent issue of the publication and compliment the art director on a certain feature or the look of the magazine. Let art gallery directors know you are familiar with their recent exhibits and show them why your work is well-suited for them. It’s important to show a genuine interest in what they do, it helps a great deal in capturing their interest for what you do.
• Samples of your work. This might be a photo attached to an email, a large printed card with your website listed or a small booklet you’ve designed and printed yourself. Be sure to provide a link to an online gallery of additional images.
• For magazines, offer a story idea you would be ideal for. Mention a local event, person or place that might be of interest to the magazine and offer to shoot the story. Are you traveling somewhere of interest to the publicaton? Let them know. In the beginning you may have to shoot “on spec (speculation)”, getting paid only if the story runs.

After this initial contact you’ll want to follow up with an email or phone call. Don’t be surprised if it’s tough to get through to the art director or editor, it may not happen. Repeat this process every month by sending new images and keep in mind it takes three contacts for someone to really recognize your name.

It’s a bit of a waiting game, editors and gallery directors see photographers come and go, making a brief effort and then disappearing. Plan to be in it for the long haul and keep making contact, letting them know that you’re dependable and will be there when and if they need you. Like I always say, “you have to be in the right place at the right time” for opportunity to happen. If you keep putting yourself (and your work) in the right place, sooner or later it will be the right time.

For additional reading, here are a number of books on the topic of marketing your photography.