How did you first get published

I did search the archives as it seemed to me someone would have asked

this question. But here goes - sorry if it is old hat. Skip down

to "The Question" if you want to skip the background stuff. I am

just developing what it is I want to do.... I did a few weddings 10-

12 years ago, and that is not really my thing, though it can pay

well. I have been shooting with my 10D for a couple of years.

Recently bought some L glass. It seems, that while I take a lot of

wildlife pics, that the subject I have the most shots of, and that I

enjoy the most, is Surf Photography.

 

The question: How does one go about getting published in a sports

magazine, newspaper, etc....How did you get your first photo

published.

 

I am sure you all have your own stories, I would like to hear them to

see if maybe I can encorporate some of your experiences in my quest.

 

Maybe I am not good enough yet - but I am learning - you can see some

of my recent Surf Images here if you are interested:

 

http://www.pbase.com/webrx/surfshots2

 

thanks

 

d

The non union apartment construction project accross the street from where I lived caught fire in about 6 places at once and burned to the ground before the staff photographers from the Denver Post could get there. (I lived in Boulder at the time.)

 

They paid me $15 for a shot and gave me photo credit.

 

I got an 8x10 on the front page above the fold.

 

"F8 and be there"

I was at a Babe Ruth baseball tournament during the summer. A guy was there writing an article on one of the teams in the tournament. I asked him if there was going to be a photographer from the paper covering the team. He didn't know so he called the paper and I talked to the sports editor. I got the gig. The next day I went back and covered the team. Sent in 5 photos. One was used. Got $75 and a photo credit.

I walked into the office of the local paper to place an ad for my computer service business. I left a card for my event photography busines and recieved a call wondering if I would shoot frelance for them when they ere short staffed. That was two years ago and I shoot on a regular basis for them. I even shot their Christmass party photo's. I get paid $35.00 for a quick 15 miniute shoot up to $200 + milliage for a two hour assignment. Ive had several front page shots ans one and two page spreads.

 

Cheers...

I did a lot of beauty portriats (i dont do beauty anymore) and a small woman's magazine

was looking for a photographer to cover a 4 person feature for their magazine. The pay

was decent and I got a few pages of photos in the mag. A few months later the editor

called me again to shoot their cover. I was floored and grinning from ear to ear :D

 

Since then I've been published a few times; magazines, CD covers, books, etc. I have all of

my "tear sheets" stored safely. I have yet to be published in a large national magazine.

That's my next goal.

I've told this story before so if you've seen it here it is again. I got out of the army in Sept 1962.Ft Hamilton NY. Went into NYC and traded in an old camera for a Honeywell Pentax H3 and also got a 300mm Komura lens. Pretty good stuff at the time. About a month or so later I was at a sports car race in Vineland New Jersey trying out my new gear. A lady named Donna Mae Mims who was racing that day came over and said her photographer was running low on film (probably bs.) and would I send some pictures to a magazine she wrote for. I did and sold about 6 or 7 shots $5.00 each. The other photographer also had about the same number published and stangely enough he was using a Pentax with the same 300mm lens. I worked for a couple of years for a commercial studio and also freelanced in the 1970s. Had work published in Time, Washington Post ,Washington Daily News, Washington Star, and had pictures move on the UPI wire. Also sold pictures to non news stand magazines like PTA Today. Check out website Photosorce International and pick up a copy of Rohn Engh's Sell & Resell your Photos to get a handle on editorial stock photography. As for the pictures you like to take,get a hold of the publications that use them and you could submit them. worse they'll do is say no but don't let that stop you.

My first publication was in my little hometown newspaper donating sports shots when I was in high school.I got the byline and started my little scrapbook. I entered a few photo contests in college which I was lucky enough to win some high honors and shot an occasional wedding for friends that started to get me some confidence. Now I have the internet which get quite a few of my images posted for various bands and motorsports sites and able to get some work in the music community and have 2 CD cover shots and a few other CD inner tray images published. I also have *donated* a few pics to alternative fashion website/magazines for bylines. I usually don't get paid for these shots but it helps my occational wedding,music and sports bookings. One of my sports image customers was a top ranked female motorcycle racer from Canada and asked my if she could use one of my photos in a DISCOVERY CHANNEL story about her and the DISCOVERY paid me $150...not exactly a fortune but atleast thats another little bit of help to add to my photo resume. I will never get rich shooting photos..I will never even make living doing and infact I will go broke if thats all I did but sometimes for little while, it makes you feel great knowing people like your work.

Hi David,

 

My first published shot was back in the early 80's, boring newspaper stuff of weddings etc.

 

Now more specifically, surf photography, I don't want to sound negative because if you

want to do it enough then there is nothing stopping you but yourself, but it is incredibly

competetive, like most specialties there is a very well known and relied on hardcore set of

pros. They make good money because they are called by magazines and surf product

companies to go on assignments, below them is the larger group of more localised pro,

known by the magazines picture editors and they send stuff in to hopefully get published,

below them is a group of area specific pro and semi pro shooters, they, like you and me

can cover a local competition or good session, we try and sell prints to the actual surfers

and local papers, bug local surf shops like mad (free prints to the owners and staff work

very well) and try and get noticed by a wandering reporter or as in my case a pro

photographer who took the day off to surf! Even then getting more than the occasional

shot published is a push.

 

The next real downer is the equipment needed to keep up with the best, 600 f4's are the

standard and high end digitals are now taking the place of high end film cameras, also to

be competetive you really can't specialise too much meaning you need to get in the water,

that requires housings and all kinds of crap, having said that ebay turns up the occasional

bargain complete set. Don't get me wrong, you don't have to get in the water, but you are

going to be noticed quicker if you do.

 

The next obstical is the subject matter, as a rule you can get some really good spectacular

looking shots of local guys regularly but to magazines they are not worth anything, they

want "names" and if your area doesn't have many "names" then you are going to struggle

to interest them. Websites are a bit better as they have a need for more pics and they are

often more local so want to cover stuff with a more local feel, the down side is the pay for

that kind of use is lousy.

 

I took a look at your shots, you have some good timing but they really need to be more

dynamic, shooting from above makes the waves look smaller (you need to make the waves

look as big as possible). Hey you are plenty good enough to take your first step on the

ladder, start bugging the local surf shop, get to know the surfers, most of them are

exhibitsionists and will often raise their game for the camera. Make sure you put your

website on the front of all prints, print some cards and put them on the windshield of cars

with surfboards on and keep at it!

 

Take care, Scott.<div></div>

Thanks for all the responses. I am going to update my surfshots folder to only display "dynamic" type images and keep the artsy stuff in my at the beach folder. We also have a local paper and a start up paper so maybe I can submit to them and get some exposure that way..

 

d

As for surfing photography, there are a bunch of them that post on fredmiranda.com, in the sports section.