What do you want in a magazine?

I was thinking the other day I'd like to see a magazine like LOOK. Mostly pictures without much more than captions. One thing I think most magazines miss today are good editors.
 
Most of the mentioned magazines aren't for sale in my vicinity. Do you write German, Roger? There's a brilliant German magazine called Photographie that could do with good articles, although it never is without any.

I would also like to see a series of interviews with photographers of long standing, addressing subjects like how being a photographer has changed the way they look at the world, how their trade has changed, be it journalism, exhibitions, fashion photography, documentary, whatever. What would the vehicle of their creativity be if it weren't photography? How has their choice of materials affected their work: film, gear, digital, print?

Depth interviews on either of these subjects: one, maybe two of them in a single interview. Not just touching them, but exploring them!

I'd like to see a Sebastiao Salgado interview on his process of obtaining wet prints of digital files, for instance.
 
Roger Hicks said:
There's an existing thread on mediocrity - so what do you want instead?
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Roger, I find articles, especially reviews, much more informative and useful if I come to them knowing the writers' tastes and proclivities, even if they are the opposite of mine. That can only happen, of course, if I actually read a sufficient number of articles by a writer. But, the writers also need to expose those personal tastes in their articles. If I know how someone uses a camera, what they expect from a camera, then a personal account of time spent using a new camera is much more informative than a page full of numbers and charts.

Head-to-head comparisons of hardware are typically useless unless the reader has already narrowed a purchasing choice down to those two items.

I'd prefer more technique pieces, fewer pages devoted to nice pix. I like nice pix, but I don't need to buy a magazine for that. Authoritative and trustworthy how-to pieces are in short supply.

That leads to a broader point: I'd like a magazine to act as a filter and an editor of all the noise that's elsewhere in the media and the internet. Have a point of view, but don't hide it. Worry more about being fair and accurate and considerably less about the pseudo-objectivity that's rampant these days.

Bottom line: Have a personalty and a voice. If I like that voice and that personality, they could run recipes and I'd still read them.

Aesthetically, I like magazines with a sense of design. Good layout taxes the brain, not the pocketbook.
 
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I would like to see either: true committment to a specialized photographic topic (e.g. large format, traditional darkroom), or a well-balanced treatment of the breadth of photography. One of the most annoying trends I'm observing is that some magazine articles are not much more than recitations of internet forum chatter.
 
Something I've always been interested in is how good photographers work. What do they do all day? How do they approach their subjects, etc? For example, I've always wondered how Steve McCurry does what he does. He's talked about his methods a bit in interviews and and his blog, but a more in depth article by a journalist would be interesting.
 
antiquark said:
Something I've always been interested in is how good photographers work. What do they do all day? How do they approach their subjects, etc? For example, I've always wondered how Steve McCurry does what he does. He's talked about his methods a bit in interviews and and his blog, but a more in depth article by a journalist would be interesting.
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Dear Steve,

I suspect that the problem here is that most photographers don't have a routine, or a single specific way of approaching anyone or anything. And, of course, the majority of professional photography isn't about photography, so while this might interest you (or indeed me) I'm not sure about its broader appeal.

Also, of course, you have to persuade the photographer to 'waste' an hour or two talking to the journalist.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea. I'm just saying that this is probably why it's not done more.

Cheers,

R.
 
I think all I like in a magazine is two things:

1. Lots of retrospectives and essays from different topic matter, from war zones to people doing abstracts from urban architecture say, colour and black and white, be that current or past luminaries.

2. A decent dedicated space to up and coming peeps, as well as amateurs engaged in interesting work. I don't just mean 2-3 pages, I mean a decent part of the magazine.

I'm not interested in technique, film or digital but an even split of both would be good, say 4 pages digital technique, 4 pages darkroom technique. Then a letters page with tech questions and general comment.

And some columns.

I'm not bothered about equipment reviews at all, leave that to all the other magazines. And that includes reviews of film/darkroom stuff too, not just digital stuff.

Pictures and end results is all I am bothered about.

Basically I have summed up a magazine that would

a.) Be really expensive
b.) Die a very quick and sudden death from commercial uncompetitiveness 🙂

Vicky
 
I rarely read/view magazines now. For me, the world-wide web has largely replaced them.

I really like the format of Lenswork and used to be a subscriber. After a few years, I eventually found the content a bit repetative as Lenswork was largely a one-person show. It also didn't cover colour photography. I don't shoot a lot of colour myself but I really like seeing good work in colour. I once saw a portfolio in that magazine and visited the artist's website. On his website, the photographs were all in colour and looked much better than the b&w versions in Lenswork. I didn't really like that the artist had to convert his photos to black and white for the magazine.

I would very much like a magazine in the same vein as Lenswork but with colour work featured along with B&W photos, and with interviews conducted and articles authored by a variety of people.
 
antiquark said:
Something I've always been interested in is how good photographers work. What do they do all day? How do they approach their subjects, etc? For example, I've always wondered how Steve McCurry does what he does. He's talked about his methods a bit in interviews and and his blog, but a more in depth article by a journalist would be interesting.
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You should check out "On Being a Photographer" by David Hurn and Bill Jay
 
Nando said:
I rarely read/view magazines now. For me, the world-wide web has largely replaced them.

I really like the format of Lenswork and used to be a subscriber. After a few years, I eventually found the content a bit repetative as Lenswork was largely a one-person show. It also didn't cover colour photography. I don't shoot a lot of colour myself but I really like seeing good work in colour. I once saw a portfolio in that magazine and visited the artist's website. On his website, the photographs were all in colour and looked much better than the b&w versions in Lenswork. I didn't really like that the artist had to convert his photos to black and white for the magazine.

I would very much like a magazine in the same vein as Lenswork but with colour work featured along with B&W photos, and with interviews conducted and articles authored by a variety of people.
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Yes! That would be good, and I agree with you about the sub-optimal constraint Lenswork has in reproducing color work in black and white.

::Ari
 
Roger Hicks said:
There's an existing thread on mediocrity - so what do you want instead?

inspiration to go out and take pictures, or to make you think about what you shoot and why; and finally photographs

Cheers,

R.
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Yes, Roger. I'd like a bit of inspiration , a bit of information and a bit of illustration.

It would need to be well written - I'm thinking the editorial panel should be Mike Johnston and Roger Hicks.
It would be bi-monthly - too hard to fill a monthly mag without dredging.
It would include a page covering new cameras/equipment, but for information with links, not as full reviews, and one page reviewing vintage stuff.
An article on or interview with a significant photographer (new or old) together with some examples of their work.
And a section on processing of some kind (and I don't necessarily mean Photoshop although many of us use a hybrid system so I wouldn't exclude it).

Now B&W (UK) used to do this pretty well. I've subscribed for some years but I have to agree with others that from my point of view it's declined since Ailsa McWhinnie vacated the Editor's chair. It could probably be rescued but I suspect the magazine's owners are chasing a different demographic and more revenue these days and are happy with what they're putting out.

Whether the model I've described is viable or not I don't know. There are a couple of magazines here in Australia (which are just full of digital and Photoshop everything) but nevertheless seem to survive very well with high quality printing and a quarterly schedule. Maybe that's part of the answer - less is more. And we also have an equivalent to AP that comes out monthly. I get those occasionally just to find out what's going on and where stuff can be found but the content (for a non-digital reader) is of limited interest.

But I do go to TOP every morning before I do anything else!
 
I really miss Bill Jay's writing. To borrow from an interview he did with Brooks Jensen: after a meeting with David Hurn, who gave a dismissive review of Jay's portfolio, Hurn told Jay that there needs to be more writing about photography, and it's what started Jay on his path.

There are zillions of pictures out there, I can find thousands to look at and enjoy daily if I wish but very few people talking about what, why, or how they did it other than the usual 1/125, f/16 @ ISO 100 with a Canikon DXX and Wide-to-heavy expensive lens.

That said, It can include gear also but I think it needs to go past the typical reviews.

If you've ever heard the LensWork Extended interviews, that's the type of content I would like to read. I enjoy your AP writings, and I enjoy the few printed interviews in LW. What may be 'pretentious twaddle' to some may be insightful to someone else.
 
mabelsound said:
I would love a magazine that focused on several long interviews with photographers--say, three different kinds of photography per issue, you know, a street photographer, a digital abstract person, a journalist, etc.--that include discussions of the technology they use and how they use it. I'd also love columns about specific cameras, old and new, and other imaging technology--their history, specs, design flaws, and so on.

Basically, I would like a magazine that addressed photography as a creative endeavor tied up with the use of tools. A nerdy mag, for people who love cameras, and love using them even more.
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THIS.

inspiring interviews and stories from and about inspiring photographers showcasing some of their inspiring photographs. i pick up magazines to be INSPIRED. that inspiration then pushes me to push myself and take photographs and try new things... i do not buy or read photo magazines (aside from flip through briefly on the odd occassion at the newstand). i generally buy specialist magazines most often solely for their photographs (and a lot of the time they are different language publications that i cannot read). a lot of magazines i buy for the photographs first, articles second.
 
When I buy a magazine it is because there is something new. I am tired of the same articles recycled for years in all the "major" publications. Inspiring articles are rare but OK go for it.
I don't like too many gear reviews but maybe why a pro (pj or artist) uses the specific equipment they use. Review of "older" gear sounds worse than reviews of P&S's all year long.
In a thread here on RFF there was mention of editing. Maybe a good series of what good editing is and how to actually do it.
Or maybe a good series on composition. I see many pictures that I feel have poor composition (I am not a pro or have a degree).
How to build a 'portfolio'... would encompass both editing and composition and add how to give your work direction or flow.
Developing a personal style would be a good idea but hard to guide people towards their goal.
If i find an article that interests me I buy the magazine but do not find a magazine worth subscribing to.

Steve
 
when you've got all this on the internet, you don't need a magazine:

the online photographer
5b4
magnum blog
luminous landscape
apug
large format photography forum
photo.net
thom hogan
roger and frances
dante stella
sean reid
erwin puts

the only thing i'd add to this list is an english translation of asahi and nippon camera.

but that doesn't really answer the question. i will subscribe to a photo magazine in a heartbeat if it does the following:

- reviews photography exhibits, monographs (new and old)....
- commissions essays about photography history, genres, photographers, photographing and the photographer's life in general (like on TOP, ben lifson's 'making pictures' articles that used to be on rawworkflow, and Robert Adams's little books)....
- interviews photographers without art speak.
- prints portfolios from great photographers (dead and alive), rising stars, and talented amateurs. even better if it's a thin book on its own, with nice paper and printing at whatever size is most suitable.
- has a great op-ed column.
- teaches me advanced printing techniques in b&w and color (contrast masking!).
- revives the lost art of mixing your own developing chemicals, and how to adjust store bought developers to suit your needs.
- guides you through DIY projects, such as how to make an 8x10 field camera, fix up an old speed graphic or other inexpensive large format camera, convert a 4x5 beseler or omega to 8x10, or make cabin projectors for larger formats (6x7+). in other words, how to make certain things that are not very accessible.
- teaches you common camera repairs (clean lenses with haze and fungus, re-lubricate rough or dry focusing helicals, fix russian 6x6 slrs with film transport problems, unjam slrs, how to realign rangefinders). you could get rick oleson to write it.
- step by step camera restorations by mike elek.
- features film cameras in the $500-1500 range, as well as classic cameras (especially how to distinguish the variations), and obscure cheap thrills (can include cheap, old lenses, too. must show photos in this case!). follow the japanese magazine model for this section.
- pay house calls to well known people and businesses in the online community, e.g. mike johnston, jeff ladd, tom abrahamsson, stephen gandy, dante stella, don goldberg, shintaro yaginuma, harry fleenor, ken hough, crr luton, s.k. grimes, john van stelton @ focal point, keith canham, dick phillips, ebony camera, arca swiss, gandolfi, alpa, razzledog, ctein, sean reid, erwin puts, roger hicks, ken hansen, KEH, dirk rösler @ japan exposures, photobackpacker, jörg m. colberg, ilford, efke, nazraeli press....
- misc. arcana, like retouching large format negs, developing by inspection, etc.

that's about it.
 
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Aizan,
While some of your suggestions are very good others are so narrow that they will never be seen. Printing techniques, chemicals, your DIY projects, camera repair, camera restorations and film & classic cameras are so narrow that I don't think any magazine will "bother" with them. They are aimed at a very small minority of camera users.
Even reviewing art exhibits would be of a narrow interest in the real world - but I like the idea.
Most, if not all, magazines are geared to more digital and a wide audience. They have to have very 'vanilla' articles to get the readership. I wonder if magazines are really for beginners and not someone who has been shooting for years.

Roger, who do you think most / all magazines real audience is these days?

Steve
 
sjw617 said:
Aizan,
While some of your suggestions are very good others are so narrow that they will never be seen. Printing techniques, chemicals, your DIY projects, camera repair, camera restorations and film & classic cameras are so narrow that I don't think any magazine will "bother" with them. They are aimed at a very small minority of camera users.
Even reviewing art exhibits would be of a narrow interest in the real world - but I like the idea.
Most, if not all, magazines are geared to more digital and a wide audience. They have to have very 'vanilla' articles to get the readership. I wonder if magazines are really for beginners and not someone who has been shooting for years.

Roger, who do you think most / all magazines real audience is these days?

Steve
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Dear Steve,

Bloody good question! If I knew I'd start a new magazine aimed at them! Though I suspect Damien at Amateur Photographer has a better idea than most.

I just got last week's AP, and they're coming very close to what a lot of people here are asking for, e.g. a couple of really good photographer interviews (2 pp of Steve Bloom photographing macaws, plus Benjamin Rusnack on photographing for Food for the Poor, 5pp including a stunning opening double-page spread), the background to the famous James Dean photo in the rain in Times Square by Dennis Stock, 3pp with the contact sheet on a full page, reader galleries, advice on how to improve pics readers have sent in, a good article on exposure in snow by Lee Frost (even though he repeats the common error that an 'average' scene reflects 18% instead of 12-14%), a review of an A3 printer and (can't win 'em all) 5 pages on Photoshop Elements 8. Plus letters, Q&A, news, book and other reviews, and guess who on the back page (it's Chesnutt next week, but I'm back the week after).

And that's just one week!

Not all weeks are that good, but most are pretty damn' good. I'm going to point Damien (the editor) at this thread so he can see what people want.

Cheers,

R.
 
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