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Getting your Foot in the Door
By Clayton Spangler
At some point, someone will see your work in a magazine or book and think your job as a professional photographer is so
glamorous that they would like to try it. One of the questions I am often asked is "How do I get started?" or "How does one go
about getting published?"
It's a simple enough question with a simple enough answer; you need to develop working relationships with editors and
publishers so they will use your work on a regular basis. It's getting your work in front of them the first time that's
difficult.
The way I started out with magazine work was this…
I didn't really know anyone in "the business" of selecting stories and articles at any particular magazine, but I was planning
on going to an event called the Gauley River Festival. As this was some distance from where I lived, I thought that it might
be a good idea for someone to "pay my way" so to speak.
I researched magazines that catered to outdoor lifestyles, extreme whitewater sports, and photography related publications.
By looking at the publication information page (usually located near the first 3-5 pages of a magazine) I would find out who
the photography editor, feature editors, and if possible; the pay rates for photography and articles. I then made contact
sending a query letter or query email that explained who I was, my professional experience, and what the event I was
attending would be about. I would then ask if they had any interest in accepting a story with photographs or if they had a
need for editorial photography to go along with an existing story idea already in the works.
* Think about this part- you are trying to get your foot in the door without losing toes! They get a "reporter" to attend an
event they don't have to pay unless they like the story and/or photographs and publish it! You have even more incentive to
attend something you were going to anyway- except with a press pass and a good chance at getting paid….pretty cool huh?
I would be remiss here iif I didn't remind you that I did RESEARCH the publications I sent queries out to; I read the type of
articles they were likely to publish and the magazine style their readership was used to. I tried to make sure MY style went
with THEIR style.
Here is the hard part; I received no less than 15 rejections - "not interested at this time" so rejection is a big part of
this industry. I did however receive one "hey that's a GREAT IDEA!" from Paddler magazine. My first "job"? I supplied a
photograph to accompany a "blurb" about the event in their magazine. Although it wasn't enough to cover my expenses (
keep in mind I was going anyway)- the following year, when they did a full story on the Gauley Fest, guess who got the
call to do the photos for the article? Yep, you guessed it! Me. A relationship was born. I went on to cover paddle sport
dealers in a sister publication that covered trade/industry articles as well.
(Being able to write a story to go along with your photos will double your chances of getting picked since you are a
"package deal" to publications at that point. )
This is by no means the only way, or even the best way, to get published. It's just how I went about it . One thing leads
to another and the more you do, the more credibility you get for the next job, and so on, and so on.
Clayton Spangler 's Bio
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