Submitting Photos Into The Magazine

Although you have quoted K25, I think you'll find it was 19D and not K25 who actually penned those words. Nevertheless, obviously when faced with such a task, everyone should have some sympathy with editors in exercising mutual restraint when considering what material actually realistically can be submitted. (For example, NOT engaging in a weekly 'confetti-scattering' exercise - as some apparently do!)
But surely a few moments 'cutting-and-pasting' a pre-prepared standard e-mail response is a relatively small price to pay, if only to save on the expense of sending out one's own staff photographers every single time that a particular job needs doing? And how could such a person expect to be absolutely everywhere at the same time, merely to capture the ultimate action - wherever that might turn out to be?
No, I agree with the others, all it takes is a little respect and "RM" has now indicated, if not in so many words, that wherever possible he will do just that.

 

My apologies to K25/19D if I have misquoted. However I still feel that my point stands - 'a few moments' sounds good in principle - it's when you multiply those moments by the number of submissions that the problem arises.


Keith

 

Are we not taking this far too seriously, surely this is an enjoyable hobby, not a business.

Half the fun of getting a picture published is surely the anticipation. Nothing beats the feeling of going into WH Smiths on publication day and searching through the magazine and seeing if your picture has made it into the magazine. \/ \/ \/

 

If its a hobby - then why are there branches of news sellers nationwide peddling untold amounts of glossy paper publications?

To you its a hobby - to the publishers and retailers it is most certainly business

 

............... or made it into more than one magazine????

I don't think any magazine publisher would consider their product to be a hobby and they do take very seriously any opportunity to save a few coppers here and there .... dare I suggest it, sometimes even if at the expense of maintaining good customer relations.

 

You've missed my point completely.
This was clearly worded from the point of view of the photographer, not the magazine.

 

You've missed my point completely.
This was clearly worded from the point of view of the photographer, not the magazine.[/quote:2hunfxqo]
No, I didn't miss your point at all! I was merely underlining what "5596" had just previously said, "To you its a hobby - to the publishers and retailers it is most certainly business!" and I have a suspicion that our friend might well have wanted to add that, in this age where everyone appears to be seeking an opportunity to make a 'fast buck', contributors to such publications (although by no means referring specifically to any one particular magazine) often appear to be treated as dispensible -in other words, like buses, if that one's gone, there will be another one along very shortly.

 

Those of us who have been around for a long time know it's a strict no-no to submit the same image to several titles 'just in the hope one may use it', and it's a rule many new contributors fall foul of.

Just the once, mind you !

However, some photographers are blatant about it and the give away is the email addresses of competitors which you spot as you read it. This is one case where the delete button does get used - probably by all of the recipients.[/quote:361er2qb]

Maybe if you put this was a bad idea into the magazine it would be less of a problem, rather than relying on telepathy ?

 

Maybe if you put this was a bad idea into the magazine it would be less of a problem, rather than relying on telepathy?[/quote:a002tgap]
We can all now but hope that the unusually lengthy period of silence now evident from "RM Staff" is indicative not merely as a consequence of 'the ball having been taken' home, in an argument which that person realises he cannot entirely win, but, perhaps, moreso that the various views, expressed by the rest of us here, actually HAVE been taken on board!

It's all a very difficult situation, in an extremely competitive market, but I would like to think that those who are concerned, ON BOTH SIDES, might, nevertheless, now have learnt something from all of this ... and that mutual respect is also now going to be shown.

In the event of simultaneous submissions to more than one publisher, for the very valid reasons already explained by others hereat, I would argue with our friend in his describing it as "a strict no-no". As a very frequent contributor/writer myself (not necessarily to the periodical currently under the spotlight!), but, at the same time, not being paid a regular retainer (unlike some, I am led to believe), I personally maintain no particular loyalty to one title or another. I do, however, afford the first one to whom I submit any material, the option of expressing their interest in using it ... within an acceptable period of time, before then considering offering the same item elsewhere.

I certainly agree that, particularly in the case of electronically submitted material, an extremely brief standard acknowledgement message sent in return would be very appropriate, if merely as a mark of respect. Rapidly pressing delete buttons each Monday morning, merely to clear a clogged ‘In-Box’ does not indicate respect one single bit, and that is irrespective of any other practical considerations!

I can fully accept that, very clearly, there is no real all-embracing solution to all of this. “Beaker”, however, definitely DOES have a very valid point in that, maybe, it wouldn't be a bad idea for magazine editors to occasionally explain in print to their readership the difficulties they experience over such issues and to adequately outline their policies so that others know precisely what to expect ... ot not to expect! If nothing else, that might well cut down on the number of the confetti-scattering ‘cowboys’ out there - who do not read these columns – and, hopefully, make life a little easier for the rest of us!

 

Well, gents, the ball is back in play !

Producing a magazine takes a lot of time, as does organising an open day such as Eastleigh. I've said my piece, have no plan to expand on previous posts, and just for the record, I had a emails from two contributors today thanking me for replying to emails, and offering advice.

As for photo retention, I think you will find that because digital is an easier medium to store, it is in our interests to keep material on file long term (just as major photo libraries do), because you never know what may turn up. It's also incumbent on us to provide images for the future, a time when our successors will be writing about the troubled times we are in and the impact on the railway network. It is my understanding that other magazines delete unwanted images after a few months, but we see value in creating a digital archive.

We also like to have the flexibility to swap features at short notice rather than have them set in stone for the next 6 months, and again is a reason why we have a stock of images. Should any image that has been submitted need returning or deleting because it is to be used elsewhere, that's absolutely fine. You only need to ask.


Anyway, some of you are clearly up for a challenge, so here it is.

As part of the Eastleigh open day, there will be an auction (possibly using ebay, possibly by sealed bid - logistics still to be worked out) where on offer as a prize, will be a day in the Railway Magazine office, so the winner can see first hand how the magazine is produced, the decisions we have to face, the number of emails and images sent in and so on. We will also produce a facsimile front cover as a souvenir of using one of the winner's photos. Lunch will also be included.

This prize will be along with other great prize such as a loco nameplate, totem, cab ride and more, and form part of a special auction/raffle for enthusiasts, rather than the public who will have other great prizes on offer including a holiday to Portugal for 2 and Orient Express tickets.

All money raised from the raffle/auction will be added to the proceeds from the Eastleigh Centenary open days, split equally and donated to three charities - the Teenage Cancer Trust, Naomi House Children's Hospice and the PSP Association which helps suffers of Progressive Supranuculear Palsy.

Full details about Eastleigh and the centenary events will be announced in around 12-14 days time, and tickets should be on sale roughly the same time. For more information see http://www.eastleigh100.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for any support from forum members in respect of Eastleigh.

 

Hi there.

Just a few thoughts to add.

With regard to the process of how the magazine was produced, if memory serves me right, was this not on a dvd a few years back?

On the photography front both railway and non railway I've always been inclined to take the view its not neccessarily how good the camera is, though it may help, but having the eye for a good shot. I rarely use editing as I'm of the view if I take a good picture things don't need to be cropped out, lighting changed. The exception I totally agree with though is image size. Writing and compiling reports at university photos being emailed at full resolution certainly clog up inboxes. (I've been amazed by some pictures with a basic 1.3 MP camera which managed to produce good photos without a tripod-this may have been in part to there being no display and so I had to make sure everything was right to take the picture as I wouldn't see it until it was uploaded onto the computer.

Anyway thats just a few of my thoughts on the matter.

 

"touting images around several titles" !!

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A couple of months ago I recieved a letter informing me that some pictures will be shortly returned to me from Railway Magazine, saying they would not be needing them anylonger and wouldnt be published..

I didnt recall sending them any, as I generally had no luck with RM and had given up sending them to RM eon's ago...

Then when I looked at the pictures I'd submitted them in 1988 ! and the mag had held onto them for 20 years before returning them ! I'd completely forgotten about them...However at least they returned them, and took consideration to writing.

Have to admit I have had considerably more luck in being published in industry publications/internal documents for companies / non-uk publications, and the remuneration is somewhat better too, though sometimes the subject matter is directed rather than pure free lance. (recent examples include Warsaw Airport, Clapham Junction, CMK fastline, Dubai metro and my avatar... Taiwan HSR)

For sure magazines have favourite photographers, and for good reason, regularity, guarenteed results and also archiving (the mag will have access to large known libraries of images spanning many periods of time).. If I received 15 near identical pictures from the same location.. for sure i'd go with the known photographer first).

 

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Clearly 24C still has a problem. Despite invitations to make himself known personally, either by email or letter, he has consistently failed to do so.

How can I comment objectively to someone who refuses to provide the necessary information, so I can see why we did not use his photos?

To hide behind an alias slinging out comments like this is tantamount to cyber bullying.

Identify yourself to me in full, by email or shut up!

As regards my term 'touting around' if a photographer is dim enough to send a batch of photos in the same email to several competing magazines showing their email addresses, then there is no other suitable term.

You claim badly-cropped and extremely tiny pictures that seem to be the forte for the Railway Magazine, well if that is the case maybe you wont want your pictures published the size of a postage stamp? Happy to oblige if you wish

Finally, I cannot let the comment "Mention was also made of the title's preference to use one particular photographer's work in preference to anyone else's ... "because Mr M is big pals with that person".

I will repeat, yet again, that decisions on the use of photographs are made on the basis of the content/composition/exposure and the time they are received in relation to when the page is laid out, and in conjunction with the Editor and art editor, to ensure fair play. Whether they happen to be a friend or otherwise is irrelevant.

There has never been any favouritism at The RM, and never will be. Some photographers are better than others, and produce quality work. And if photos aren't sent in then we can't consider them,

Unfortunately, Mr 24C remains a mystery man, so I cant compare your work to anyone elses.

Let's be fair and give you 7 days from this post to identify yourself to me so we can at least try to tackle your grievance head on, after which point I will ask the mods to lock the thread or even remove The RM forum completely (as Danny did with Steam Railway), as this barrage of abuse is becoming tiresome. Not to mention timewasting.

 

Understandable Chris.

But can I please request that you don't take this option as I found your posts here useful and helpful with reference to submitting to RM, and more generally as an insight into what periodicals publishers expect from those wishing to submit such material for publication. Looking back at previous threads under the RM forum they have contained much interesting material both from yourself and others, and it would be a great shame for that to be denied in the future because of ( yet again ) the perverse attitude displayed by a minority of individuals. I will just agree and 'quote' the comment from Matt Allen in 12-09-2007 under the 'Good to see RM on here!' thread - "Much as the subject says really, good to see the best mag ... represented on Nat Pres! ".

J.L.
Banbury

 

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That tells us more about you than it does about RM !

 

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