Best way to reach out to magazine/web editors for work?

I've been shooting live shows for about 3 years now, mostly for local websites & venues. Started out shooting small clubs but now I don't have much problem getting access to shoot big names at large venues & arenas. I'm confident enough with my skill & portfolio now to where I want to start reaching out to publications for paid work. What's the best way of doing this? I have a website, FB page, and Flickr. Should I just start sending emails with links to editors? Or will those be ignored?

I've thought about about putting together some kind of promotional package...maybe a softcover book with a bio about me and mailing it to some sites & magazines. But I'm worried about dumping money into something that won't be looked at.

I have a few friends that shoot for publications but they didn't reach out to anyone to get those jobs. The publications contacted them. I want to be proactive about this though and not wait around for someone to contact me. Any tips from the pros here about getting your foot in the door?

I'm in a similar situation. I've recently started shooting paid gigs quite a bit for a magazine that approached me, which is great, but I'd love to shoot for other magazines too and yet I have no idea how to approach them. Like you, I've also been considering putting together a printed portfolio in a magazine or book type format and sending it to them, but I'm not sure if it's worth it, financially. I've tried emailing picture editors but have never had any replies.

I'm interested to read that you say you now have no problem getting access to venues though - isn't it usually the other way around? People build a name for themselves shooting for respected publications, and are then able to just get into venues on their own credentials? Or are you getting access through the local websites you mentioned?

I get the feeling that other photographers are not too forthcoming with information about this stuff because of competitiveness (note the lack of replies to this thread). Especially for me in a city like London, where there are quite a few photographers vying for the available shows.

yes...welcome to the machine.


i share your frustration, and don't have any eye-opening advice for you. as far as publications contacting others, how did that happen? SEO? word of mouth? maybe there is good info there to be had.

Norkusa wrote in post #16348170
I've been shooting live shows for about 3 years now, mostly for local websites & venues. Started out shooting small clubs but now I don't have much problem getting access to shoot big names at large venues & arenas. I'm confident enough with my skill & portfolio now to where I want to start reaching out to publications for paid work. What's the best way of doing this? I have a website, FB page, and Flickr. Should I just start sending emails with links to editors? Or will those be ignored?

I've thought about about putting together some kind of promotional package...maybe a softcover book with a bio about me and mailing it to some sites & magazines. But I'm worried about dumping money into something that won't be looked at.

I have a few friends that shoot for publications but they didn't reach out to anyone to get those jobs. The publications contacted them. I want to be proactive about this though and not wait around for someone to contact me. Any tips from the pros here about getting your foot in the door?

Contact them directly with your portfolio.

I'd consider trying to arrange a face to face meeting if it's at all possible - I realise that there are US states the size of my home country (UK), and probably the one I live in now (Spain). My most successful negotiations for getting work have been conducted like this, though, and not always on my doorstep but now I live in the capital it's much easier.

Bring a printed portfolio and be ready to talk about your work, and what you can offer them - thinking about the publication and what they do. Try to have a few different ideas prepared - show them you can do what their existing photographers can do, but that you could also give them something different, something their competitors don't have. I realise everything's been done by now - but some things have been done more than others and therefore still retain that air of something different about them.

Easier said than done, but for example, I'm about to start working for a theatre - but not doing the usual stuff like photos for press, photos of shows in the final dress rehearsal - they can get staffers from the local government to come and do that, then they don't have to pay me. I get to sit in rehearsals for a few weeks, photographing the show developing, the actors, director and all the production people working on the show - it's not original in any way, but I do it well and have earned the respect of the AD (and after the first time I did it, for an exhibition, visiting companies started asking if I'd be coming for their show as well) and it's something different that they can use to get people interested in the shows as they progress. I'm also starting a project to photograph the theatre audiences and general public interaction with the theatre. Again, hardly original in itself, but they like my work and my approach and are interested in having it done as it's something other theatres won't have.

You could always do a little bit of personal work to show them, something like a series of portraits of pit/backstage security - I remember a photo of yours on Flickr featuring a security dude that I liked and thought was interesting for this reason ... and maybe a magazine would too.

EDIT: Sharing the photo, hope you don't mind. Credit to Norkusa, obviously ...

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/norkusa/9971321​194/

onona wrote in post #16354794
I'm interested to read that you say you now have no problem getting access to venues though - isn't it usually the other way around? People build a name for themselves shooting for respected publications, and are then able to just get into venues on their own credentials? Or are you getting access through the local websites you mentioned?

I get good access to venues through the website I shoot for. Before I hooked up with them, I would send out media pass requests for myself as a freelancer. Got rejected a lot but also got lucky once in a while (EDM shows were the easiest to get passes for). Also built a name for myself by shooting a bunch of shows at local venues. After a while, the club & venue managers knew who I was and usually accommodated me any time I asked for a pass.

@Owain - Thanks for the advice. I really should should start thinking about other angles instead of magazines/websites to get photo work. There's a few Indian casinos near me that bring in some big concerts & shows. I've thought about reaching out to them and seeing if they want someone to photograph their events. There's even a theater company near me too that I should look into as well.

Norkusa wrote in post #16376408
Thanks for the advice. I really should should start thinking about other angles instead of magazines/websites to get photo work. There's a few Indian casinos near me that bring in some big concerts & shows. I've thought about reaching out to them and seeing if they want someone to photograph their events. There's even a theater company near me too that I should look into as well.

Likewise, I could probably be hitting up more magazines/newspapers/w​ebsites. Currently waiting on a few tweaks to my website before making contact with a few other theatres in the city about similar work ... also waiting until pay day to get a load of prints done, and this should include some Portfolio style units as well as just things to make my walls look nicer!

I only do occasional gig shooting, but it might be worth looking at crossing over a bit more as well ... always something for us to be doing!

EDM?

Electronic Dance Music.