David Kilpatrick Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 This may be slightly cryptic for those who don't remember when my last mirror broke, but a little over seven years ago, in late summer 2006, I made a sudden decision to cease publishing f2 Freelance Photographer magazine. With hindsight, my timing was wrong, as the DSLR market was about to boom, full frame high resolution arriving properly in 2008, mirrorless cameras in 2010, and 'freelancing' took on a new meaning as the web speeded up to the point where every photographer is their own publisher. EC1, who took the magazine over from me, told me last week that they were closing down and without even considering the possible state of the magazine, I immediately agreed to take the title back, and will be at The Photography Show with the first revised edition. José Ramos, the dedicated photographer of Portugal's Atlantic coast whose work has been portfolio featured in Cameracraft (which will not be affected!) has agreed to be on the first front cover. To bring a little lightness to a magazine which I think has become very solid in recent years I'm putting back into it some open gallery pages for all comers, and One Vision Imaging, the UK lab, is sponsoring these pages under the title of 'Your Vision' by providing a voucher redeemable against their services for every pic used. I'm more than open to Alamy regulars - especially UK - and if you would like any pics considered in the next couple of weeks run up to my press date, why not post the Alamy preview here, and we'll see what looks good? I'm also looking for any freelancing success stories (I can think of a couple of photographers here who had a very stormy winter and some amazing coastal shots used all over the media). David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike@Meonshore Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 David that is excellent news - congratulations. As a subscriber from a long time back when it was last in your hands (albeit maybe for that final year) I'll be very interested to see what you come up with now you have it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Best wishes for the born-again venture, David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 To bring a little lightness to a magazine which I think has become very solid in recent years I'm putting back into it some open gallery pages for all comers, and One Vision Imaging, the UK lab, is sponsoring these pages under the title of 'Your Vision' by providing a voucher redeemable against their services for every pic used. I'm more than open to Alamy regulars - especially UK - and if you would like any pics considered in the next couple of weeks run up to my press date, why not post the Alamy preview here, and we'll see what looks good? I'm also looking for any freelancing success stories (I can think of a couple of photographers here who had a very stormy winter and some amazing coastal shots used all over the media). David Hi David, would you kindly consider humble submissions from an Alamy forum newbie and Canadian-based travel photographer? Good luck with your renewed venture. I hope it's a smashing success. The submissions: 1. The Bay Lights. Bay Bridge, San Francisco, California, USA. 2. Dreaming of the World Cup. Vittoriosa, Malta. 3. Beautiful girls. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 4. Dreamspace. Place Masséna, Nice, France. 5. Guarding the house. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Kind regards, Felix dingobear photography http://www.dingobear.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 This may be slightly cryptic for those who don't remember when my last mirror broke, but a little over seven years ago, in late summer 2006, I made a sudden decision to cease publishing f2 Freelance Photographer magazine. With hindsight, my timing was wrong, as the DSLR market was about to boom, full frame high resolution arriving properly in 2008, mirrorless cameras in 2010, and 'freelancing' took on a new meaning as the web speeded up to the point where every photographer is their own publisher. EC1, who took the magazine over from me, told me last week that they were closing down and without even considering the possible state of the magazine, I immediately agreed to take the title back, and will be at The Photography Show with the first revised edition. José Ramos, the dedicated photographer of Portugal's Atlantic coast whose work has been portfolio featured in Cameracraft (which will not be affected!) has agreed to be on the first front cover. To bring a little lightness to a magazine which I think has become very solid in recent years I'm putting back into it some open gallery pages for all comers, and One Vision Imaging, the UK lab, is sponsoring these pages under the title of 'Your Vision' by providing a voucher redeemable against their services for every pic used. I'm more than open to Alamy regulars - especially UK - and if you would like any pics considered in the next couple of weeks run up to my press date, why not post the Alamy preview here, and we'll see what looks good? I'm also looking for any freelancing success stories (I can think of a couple of photographers here who had a very stormy winter and some amazing coastal shots used all over the media). David Congrats David,can't wait to see it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Great news David. I for one would be interested in seeing the magazine when you finally publish. Will it be hardcopy, digital or both? Could you let us know when it will be available? You are welcome to look through my 1900 odd images on Alamy to see if any would be of use to you in f2. Please let me know if I can be of help in any way. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin P Wilson Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 David, Great news and best wishes with the reincarnation of Freelance Photographer. It explains why you have been a bit quiet here recently. I stopped reading (and writing for) Freelance Photographer/F2 when my subscription expired shortly after the sale and I realised they were not paying for content (it showed). I'll probably be in touch in due course through other channels. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Good news. I'll be in touch in good time for PK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSnapper Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 send me a message km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julesimages Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Will say hello at the photo show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilpatrick Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Martin - it will be a while before I know whether I return to having a budget for contributions. EC1 was certainly paying a few writers recently, Kevin Carter and Adam Woolfitt for tests/gear, Gavin Stoker and maybe one other non-staff writer for interviews or miscellaneous stuff. It's ironic that when they took the mag over, the budgets existed to do this but in the state it's been handed back, they do not. I've got to meet £2800 worth of not-refunded subscriptions, most running to late in the year, and honour some pre-commissioned work. The worst that can happen is that is that I lose a lot of money :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin P Wilson Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 David, Payment is not my main concern at this stage. What I do know from working with you on and off over many years is that you will be honest and straightforward. As you do with CameraCraft you will find ways to play fair by contributors, after all you are one of us, not some invisible bean counter. As you say you cannot operate in a way that will harm yours or the magazines reputation. So, ouch on the inherited problems; you have to get that sorted before anything else. My hope is that you can get it back to a viable condition; if I can help I will. I have a busy couple of days but I will try and drop you a line with some thoughts at the weekend. I hope I will be able to get to the show and meet up with you there. Good luck, Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilpatrick Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Felix - thanks for showing those images - I really like the lights on the Bay bridge, if I remember that's not a permanent thing? The gallery pages are I guess really aimed at UK photographers as the voucher given for the use is from a UK photo lab. I will pm you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilpatrick Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Linda - I know one of the things which really knocked the wind out of the last owners of the magazine, after I passed it on to them, was their ambitious plan to sell it in the USA. They shipped 10,000 copies at great expense to a distribution hub in your own great city but they did not understand the US magazine market, pricing, content or how to handle their 'distributor' - I believe it was a very expensive way to send magazines for landfill or pulping. They never repeated it. But we WILL have continuation of their existing bookstore App so it will be available in iPad, Android etc version. Just not got that sorted yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jordan Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 David, Great news, I enjoyed F2 very much when it was yours before, but soon stopped subscribing in 2012, it just was not my thing any more. I will be looking out for when it starts. (Subscription money ready and waiting). Good luck with the new venture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Felix - thanks for showing those images - I really like the lights on the Bay bridge, if I remember that's not a permanent thing? The gallery pages are I guess really aimed at UK photographers as the voucher given for the use is from a UK photo lab. I will pm you. Thank you, David. Regarding the Bay Bridge, yes the lights are part of an art project called "The Bay Lights", and they're scheduled to be taken down March 2015. I think there are many who are hopeful they become a more permanent feature of San Francisco Bay, however. (I sure hope so, I think it's beautiful). Ok, going to check my email right now. Felix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Gaul Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Good luck David. Over the years you have given good advice freely and I wish you a successful return. I am not the best or most prolific of photographers but if you would like to use anything of mine either on Alamy or at www.flickr.com/photos/periscopephotography don't hesitate to get in touch. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 David, should anything of mine fit the bill, it's yours for the asking for f2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSnapper Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Just had a nice conversation with David K on the phone best of luck in converting my random gibbering into coherent prose km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Linda - I know one of the things which really knocked the wind out of the last owners of the magazine, after I passed it on to them, was their ambitious plan to sell it in the USA. They shipped 10,000 copies at great expense to a distribution hub in your own great city but they did not understand the US magazine market, pricing, content or how to handle their 'distributor' - I believe it was a very expensive way to send magazines for landfill or pulping. They never repeated it. But we WILL have continuation of their existing bookstore App so it will be available in iPad, Android etc version. Just not got that sorted yet. A few years ago I really disliked APPS for reading books and magazines now I love them. I appreciate them the most in PDF format because I can search and read on any medium. I don't want to be hampered in the future if I changed formats and not be able to access something. I've recently sold off so many books because I'd like to relocate in a year or two and I'm starting to sell things off now.It's so nice not to have a 4 foot stack of magazines and 3 bookcases bending from the weight! At least in Chicago,the bad part for magazine sales is not too many outlets to pick them up. I really miss Borders Books. Barnes and Noble is the only chain left and not really in most neighborhoods. The grocery stores and drugstores only carry the best selling titles.Can't wait to see f2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilpatrick Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 I'm well under way with my issue and I would like a bit of feedback. My original (2004) logo was very much f2 as the identity for the magazine, before that it was just Freelance Photographer. I still like f2 as a title and that's what we call the magazine here. My design for the cover puts f2 very small and Freelance big as a word. Now considering the impact of this on news-outlet buyers - is Freelance a word anyone uses today? f2 is obviously a bit cryptic but maybe it was, and still is, a better name. It's suggested that I must have 'Photographer' big or no-one will know what the magazine is about. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Crean Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Presumably the mag will be displayed alongside other photography titles in the general WH Smith type of outlet so I don't think the Photographer needs to be big. 2¢ Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Depends how much passing trade you expect. 'Photographer' is big enough, it might go to the same size as 'Freelance' but it wouldn't worry me as it is. It's not unclear what it's about. f2 might go bigger, but maybe it's more a title for the 'in' crowd than the casual browser. But don't let this committee design your horse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 People who don't know that f2 has to do with photography are not your audience, David. Is there anyone out there on Alamy or other agencies who does not know what PDN means? Here's a little test I used when I was in control of designing the covers for American Airlines brochures. In the WH Smith or the like I would take a half-second to look at the entire magazine display. Then I looked away and tried to visualize which covers I remembered best. Black and red made the best color impressions. Closeups caught the eye better that landscapes. You don't need to answer all questions about what is inside a magazine with the cover. It's more important to activate curiosity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Ed is right. Testing is the way to go. I don't know how magazines are displayed at the main outlets in the UK, here your layout would be disastrous: most magazines overlap the others about 2/3 coming from the right. So the spine and about 1/3 is visible on the display. Cover layout usually reflects that. It's different for magazines that get a full size display slot of their own, Like the Vogues of this world. Photo magazines seldom fall in that category I'm afraid. They may though, if you decide to distribute through your own channel (lots of work) and you sell them from the counters of camera shops. (How many of those left?) In the US many outlets show the upper 1,5 to 2 inches. What sells? Eyes that look at you. And if your audience is predominantly male: those of a young woman. If your audience is predominantly female: eyes of a young woman. (I'm not kidding.) Open face. Well known is a bonus of up to 1000%. Scandal? Sky is the limit. Usually you do not move layout design to far from what the other magazines in the same field are doing (like yours now) because clients wouldn't recognize it as a photography magazine. That's overall typology. In typography; the choice of typeface and the size (big & tight = loud = mainstream vs small& space = quality = expensive -could be value for money) positions your magazine in that field. The same goes for paper and cover of course. Heavy and stiff is quality is good. Big differences in paper there. On the shelf it has to stay fresh for at least a week. No sagging, no creases or blemishes. Square spine with title: people may collect and display them. Make PDN-UK and you will have a sure winner. And you wouldn't have to worry about putting a woman on your cover. (PDN covers) wishing you lots of success! wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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