Follow THESE Rules
Are you a photographer looking to get published in a magazine? If so, you need to follow the editorial magazine rules. No one ever tells you about these simple composition principles when you start.
Are you a photographer looking to get published in a magazine? If so, you need to follow the editorial magazine rules. These rules involve vertical and horizontal composition, non-distracting but complementary backgrounds, and making your subject the star. But what exactly are these rules?
I shoot Editorial Portraits which means, I get hired to shoot people for Magazines and Advertising Spreads. I’ve shot in an Editorial Format since the early days of my career. I shot my first cover when I was 23. That was exactly 29yrs ago. In this post I share my insight into editorial photography, the art of promoting your subject with a simplistic, easy-to-digest approach. I’ll highlight how almost all magazines apply editorial rules to the photography they choose to use. Photographers who understand these editorial rules are the ones who get hired.
If you want to create magazine-worthy photography, you should always keep in mind that every vertical picture you shoot is a potential cover, and every horizontal picture you shoot has the potential to be a double-page spread in a magazine. To achieve this, you need to think about how you compose your images.
For example, when shooting a horizontal image, you should avoid biasing your subject dead center. Doing so will limit where the photograph can be placed within the magazine, as there is a gutter that dips down the center of every double-page spread. Instead, put your subject's importance, like their face, on the left frame or the right frame, and bias your composition so that the viewer's eye moves through the picture to your subject.
When shooting your subject, whether it's a person, place, or thing, try to use scale and non-distracting backgrounds, such as monochromatic or bold colors that contrast with what your subject is wearing. The goal is to make your subject the star and make them rip off the page.
Magazine photography usually involves some sort of type on top of our images, so it's crucial to understand negative space, your framing, so you’re giving your images the space to breathe. The better your photographs work with text, the more likely you are to get hired to shoot for a magazine.
Best advice is to look at magazine photography for how the Photographers they use handle editorial formatting, scale and non-distracting backgrounds. Also note the headroom for various magazine Mastheads, and how the Shooters they hire give their photographs that Pop. Photographers that you admire have a technical ability, a visual signature, and most importantly, an understanding of editorial rules.
In conclusion, there are definitive rules for shooting for magazines, even though they may be unwritten. Understanding these rules and using them alongside your visual signature and style will make your work look like it was created for a magazine. So, keep these rules in mind, and start creating magazine-worthy photography that's sure to catch the eye of potential clients.
For even more great info on Editorial Rules, Watch this video I spent 60hrs putting together!
If you’re new here, make sure you check my most popular post on Your Visual Signature. If this post made you think a little differently about your composition, that one will help you Create a Photography Style you can call your own.
Thanks for Reading.
See ya Next Saturday.
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