[Naturenut]

Hi folks.

I was thinking that in all that I've read about photography thus far (on line, in magazines, etc.) I haven't seen too much about people talking about having their work published for the first time. I would really love to 'hear' about some of your stories.

How did your work first get noticed and published? Was that a goal or did it just kind of 'happen'? What was it like when you first saw your pictures in a publication? Did it immediately lead to lots of opportunities/offers to do freelance work and/or work for a specific company/magazine, etc.?

I'm genuinely just curious to hear folks backgrounds and stories as I think it is probably an interesting journey.

[hcc]

Hi folks.

I was thinking that in all that I've read about photography thus far (on line, in magazines, etc.) I haven't seen too much about people talking about having their work published for the first time. I would really love to 'hear' about some of your stories.

How did your work first get noticed and published? Was that a goal or did it just kind of 'happen'? What was it like when you first saw your pictures in a publication? Did it immediately lead to lots of opportunities/offers to do freelance work and/or work for a specific company/magazine, etc.?

I'm genuinely just curious to hear folks backgrounds and stories as I think it is probably an interesting journey.

Laurie,
I believe that the PentaxForums regroups a wide, broad range of people with a wide range of experience and expertise. In turn, you will hear many different stories. Be prepared for a wide range of responses, from the professionals to the amateurs.

My personal experience: I have had several photographs published in international scientific journals and books to illustrate some scientific studies and student textbooks. Most texts were published in English but a couple were in Spanish, German and Chinese. Thse publications were aimed to university students with a few targeted to school students, How did it happen? A number of my photos were already posted on my websites and the people contacted to seek permission to use them.

I add that I am not a professional photographer and I do not make money from my photographs. Instead I am happy for people to use freely my photographs provided that the source of the photo is clearly acknowledged, the description is technically correct and I ask to get a copy of the published pages. Importantly I retain the intellectual copyright of the photo. While I am nearly always happy to help people who ask, I take a very harsh/strong stand against the few unscrupulous individuals who use without permission my photographs.

All in all, I am an amateur and I am simply glad (and proud) to see my photographs used for educational and scientific purposes.

Hope that the experience may be of interest ...

[Naturenut]

Laurie,
I believe that the PentaxForums regroups a wide, broad range of people with a wide range of experience and expertise. In turn, you will hear many different stories. Be prepared for a wide range of responses, from the professionals to the amateurs.

My personal experience: I have had several photographs published in international scientific journals and books to illustrate some scientific studies and student textbooks. Most texts were published in English but a couple were in Spanish, German and Chinese. Thse publications were aimed to university students with a few targeted to school students, How did it happen? A number of my photos were already posted on my websites and the people contacted to seek permission to use them.

I add that I am not a professional photographer and I do not make money from my photographs. Instead I am happy for people to use freely my photographs provided that the source of the photo is clearly acknowledged, the description is technically correct and I ask to get a copy of the published pages. Importantly I retain the intellectual copyright of the photo. While I am nearly always happy to help people who ask, I take a very harsh/strong stand against the few unscrupulous individuals who use without permission my photographs.

All in all, I am an amateur and I am simply glad (and proud) to see my photographs used for educational and scientific purposes.

Hope that the experience may be of interest ...

Thanks for sharing. That is very interesting because I never really thought about all those images I used to see in my text books and such. It must be as you say a source of great pride to have one's work used in such a manner.

[RioRico]

Many moons ago, I was in the US Army. For a while, photography was my job. My pictures were printed in official and unofficial publications. "Pvt Xxxx has joined Yyyy unit" photos were published in newspapers across the land. Big deal. My first "real world" success was taken one dark night as I braced a Canon half-frame rangefinder with a fast lens against a streetlight, and shot an 'outlaw' motorcyclist being busted by local cops a few feet away from me. It was printed in EASYRIDERS magazine. Woo woo. The excitement comes from getting a name credit, as long as it's spelled correctly.

[hcc]

The excitement comes from getting a name credit, as long as it's spelled correctly.

Fully agreed with RioRico.

Some excitement comes also when some authors decide to choose your shot(s) over many others to illustrate their work. It is a form of recognition.

It is also exciting to see the finished product. Some texts can take several years to be published and available, while several years may span between the time of the initial request and the publication date.

[Naturenut]

Love the stories folks. Please, keep them coming!

[TaoMaas]

I had been doing photography for quite a while, but had never done anything with my pics other than enter them in my camera club competition. I hit a spell where my style changed and it caused me to stop doing well in club competition. In order to get over the hump, I attended a couple of photography workshops. I received a lot of encouragement from the instructors at those workshops, so I decided to submit my work to a travel magazine and see what happened. I gathered up what I thought were my best slides and put them into two sheets. As it happened, when I had culled everything, I only had 39 slides. Just to fill out the second sheet, I took the best of my culls and stuck it in the bottom right corner. Then I dropped my slides off at the submission desk of the magazine. A few days went by and I heard nothing. That turned into a week...then two weeks. Still, nothing. I thought, "Okay..they must have hated my pics and don't want to mess with me. If I don't hear from them by Friday, I'll go pick up my slides. At least I gave it a shot." Late Thursday afternoon, I got a call from the editor. She had just gotten around to looking at my pics and loved them. She asked if she could hang onto them because he wanted to start working them into some issues of the magazine. Of course, I said, "Yes!" That led to about a 7-8 year period where this magazine used my pics on a fairly regular basis. I didn't make enough money to make a living, but I made enough to buy some decent camera gear and some nice guitars. Remember that slide that almost didn't make the cut? The one that I only tossed in because I was one slide short? It became my most published pic. So ya just never know! Eventually, the magazine changed editors, changed directions, and stopped using my pics. But it's all good because now I work for the same folks, except I shoot the video for their tv show.

[HypnoCin67]

I had been doing photography for quite a while, but had never done anything with my pics other than enter them in my camera club competition. I hit a spell where my style changed and it caused me to stop doing well in club competition. In order to get over the hump, I attended a couple of photography workshops. I received a lot of encouragement from the instructors at those workshops, so I decided to submit my work to a travel magazine and see what happened. I gathered up what I thought were my best slides and put them into two sheets. As it happened, when I had culled everything, I only had 39 slides. Just to fill out the second sheet, I took the best of my culls and stuck it in the bottom right corner. Then I dropped my slides off at the submission desk of the magazine. A few days went by and I heard nothing. That turned into a week...then two weeks. Still, nothing. I thought, "Okay..they must have hated my pics and don't want to mess with me. If I don't hear from them by Friday, I'll go pick up my slides. At least I gave it a shot." Late Thursday afternoon, I got a call from the editor. She had just gotten around to looking at my pics and loved them. She asked if she could hang onto them because he wanted to start working them into some issues of the magazine. Of course, I said, "Yes!" That led to about a 7-8 year period where this magazine used my pics on a fairly regular basis. I didn't make enough money to make a living, but I made enough to buy some decent camera gear and some nice guitars. Remember that slide that almost didn't make the cut? The one that I only tossed in because I was one slide short? It became my most published pic. So ya just never know! Eventually, the magazine changed editors, changed directions, and stopped using my pics. But it's all good because now I work for the same folks, except I shoot the video for their tv show.

What a great story! Cindy

[HypnoCin67]

I posted these two photos in April of 2008 on Google Earth's Panoramio on the Portland Head Light map link, and mentally put it out to "the universe" that "someday, a magazine editor will see these and call me, wanting to use them." Yeah, right. . .

But then, in early June 2008, I got a call from Portland Magazine, and sure enough, they had found those very two photos and wanted to use them--the vertical shot was July's cover and the horizontal was the heading of the signature article that month for summerguide.

I haven't stopped working for them and do multiple assignments every month now and love it! Because of them, I now have lots of architectural clients and have had some portrait clients and of course many landscape clients!

Cindy

[HypnoCin67]

Here is the link to Portland Magazine's webiste: Portland Monthly Magazine It's a great site and usually a bunch of my photos are on the changing banner. --C

[scatron]

Besides shots of my kids, I do take other photos with the thought of being able to use them for something - at least to illustrate a Wikipedia article.

So along came a project that allowed anyone to submit photos to be voted on for inclusion in a coffee table book called Capture my Utah. I submitted a bunch of photos and managed to get one included in the book. Then I get an email from the production manager of the local weekly alternative paper asking to use some of my photos she saw on the Capture my Utah site in their city guide they publish each year in January. I even got paid for it.

Here's what they ended up using:

1. Gateway outdoor mall:



2. Spring Mobile Ballpark:


3. Discovery Gateway children's museum:


4. Utah state fair at night:


They used three of these for the online version.

[HypnoCin67]

I love the Children's Museum shot and the fair at night! Nice! Cindy

[casil403]

I have had 2 photos published in Photo News magazine...the editor contacted me via Flickr asking if they could publish my images. they also sent me several copies for my portfolio along with some cool camera stuff. I have to say it was pretty awesome to get a request for the first one and an even bigger surprise to get the request for the next issue! I've only been shooting photography a bit more seriously as a hobby since February 2009.

If you are interested in viewing go here:
Top page on 31 mine is the ice patterns
PhotoNews Magazine Winter 2009-2010 - Your Source for Canadian Photography

And go here:
Mine is the building abstract at the top of the page # 48
Photo News - Digital Mag

[Naturenut]

I posted these two photos in April of 2008 on Google Earth's Panoramio on the Portland Head Light map link, and mentally put it out to "the universe" that "someday, a magazine editor will see these and call me, wanting to use them." Yeah, right. . .

But then, in early June 2008, I got a call from Portland Magazine, and sure enough, they had found those very two photos and wanted to use them--the vertical shot was July's cover and the horizontal was the heading of the signature article that month for summerguide.

I haven't stopped working for them and do multiple assignments every month now and love it! Because of them, I now have lots of architectural clients and have had some portrait clients and of course many landscape clients!

Cindy

OMG those are gorgeous!!!!!!!

[Pentaxie]

I have had 2 photos published in Photo News magazine...the editor contacted me via Flickr asking if they could publish my images. they also sent me several copies for my portfolio along with some cool camera stuff. I have to say it was pretty awesome to get a request for the first one and an even bigger surprise to get the request for the next issue! I've only been shooting photography a bit more seriously as a hobby since February 2009.

If you are interested in viewing go here:
Top page on 31 mine is the ice patterns
PhotoNews Magazine Winter 2009-2010 - Your Source for Canadian Photography

And go here:
Mine is the building abstract at the top of the page # 48
Photo News - Digital Mag

Cool Winter Picture there, casil403.
I went to the link you mentioned and was mesmerised by the snowscape shots that you have there.
Thanks for the link.

Cheers.