Becoming a Published Photographer

I just found out I'm going to have one (or more) of a batch of three

photos published in a Texas newspaper (Austin American-Statesman).

This will be the first time I've been published. Apart from the

tearsheet the article writer is sending me, are there any other perks

I can take advantage of? Does the "published" label open up a couple

new doors? I know there are a few photo contests I could enter that

restrict submissions from published photographers only. Is my life

going to stay pretty much the same?

<i>Does the "published" label open up a couple new doors?</i><br><br>

It could, if people like what they see. Really, though, the only benefits of getting published (as an amateur) are 1) ego boosting and 2) exposure. One photo won't get you a whole lot of exposure; but if you have many good photos published in a short period of time, people will start to notice, and you can take advantage of that. As far as the label of being a "published photographer," that doesn't mean much. Most potential employers care more about what you can produce, not whether or not you've been in print.

I'm not sure I've ever actually heard the term "published photographer," except by people on photo.net. It's not like authoring a novel or having a scientific paper appear in a peer-reviewed journal after all. Not to denigrate your accomplishment or your photos, since I haven't seen them (for all I know they could win a Pulitzer) but simply getting photos published someplace is a trivial accomplishment, so I don't think many photographers would describe themselves that way.

I'm an amateur photographer and have been published four times; book, 2 magazines and

a newspaper. The "client" didnt know that I was published previously each of those times.

 

I did not reveal it to the client, I felt like it would be "bragging". If they had asked me, I

would have told them. Like someone mentioned, I'd like for my work to stand on its own

merit. But it sure is an ego booster :D

 

I do keep all of my tearsheets.

I'd like some ego boosting :) How does one go about getting published? How were your images "found" by the publication? I know about stock agencies and all that but I mean as an amateur, just for fun... just submit some prints to the photo editor of a bunch of different publications? Just curious.

for me,

 

I was contacted by the client. They saw my website, liked my work and gave me a call or

email. For the book deal, the client posted an ad and I responded. I did the kind of work

they were looking for.

 

Sometimes I do spec work (or low pay) for oppurtunities that could benefit me. I've had 2

covers this way (covers for a mag). I didnt get much pay for it, but I can use it on my

resume :)

This would be a good time to get into the habit of registering your images with the U.S. Copyright Office. You own the copyright at the moment of creation but without registration, the ability to deter and recover from infringers is very much impaired for most practical purposes. Infringement not only can cost you revenues, in some cases it can gut the market for your images. Conversely, courts tend to award reasonably high damages to copyright owners who registered their images prior to the infringement or within 3 months of the first authorized publication. I have posted some more information on how to do <A HREF="http://www.krages.com/copy1.htm">group and collection registrations</A> at my website. Congratulations and good luck.

You mention that the writer will send you tearsheets..yet you don't mention wether or not

you're going to be paid for the use of your work. That would be one BIG perk!

 

And...yes...getting your work published can open new doors...it can instill a new sense of

confidence in the value and useabilty of your images in an editorial context, give you new

credibility as you move towards turning pro...

 

It also comes with the responsibility of educating yourself to the value of photographic

images in the commercial and editorial world, educating yourself to the laws of copyright

and to the responsibilities of learning the established business practices of licensing

images for publication.

 

Congrats...you're on your way.

Getting paid for the use of one's images is not a perk. It is normal. On the other hand, giving rights to one's images in exchange for credits is in general an irresponsible, and eventually, self-defeating strategy when one eventually understands, after a brief ego stroke, that the reason the images were published was that they were free, rather than being quality images worth paying for. From a business point of view, keep in mind that one of lessons of the dot-cot area is that people will not suddently pay for something they are used to having for free.

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