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How To Submit Photos To Magazines by Meri Sanz

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One of the most satisfying moments for creatives is when your work gets featured in magazines, but where to start? How do we know exactly if the magazine is interested in our concept? What is the process? Fashion photographer and ambassador Meri Sanz explains step by step how to submit photos to magazines. Keep reading!

Where to start

First of all, before submitting your photos to magazines, you need to create the concept and produce it. For this, it will be essential to decide on the idea, the photo style, the team you want to work with, and where you want to be featured. Here we gathered some tips:

Create an idea considering the type of magazine you want to be featured in. It is important that prior to shooting you have an idea or concept that you want to convey. I always like to review my photographic and artistic references and look at magazines that inspire me… For example, if I want to create something more alternative I would focus on magazines like Pap, WRPD, Sicky but if I want to shoot a more traditional style, I will check magazines like L’Officiel, Vanidad, Vogue.
Decide the photo style you want to achieve. Mark a stylistic line of how you want the shots to be, decide if you want to shoot in digital or analog, how you want the makeup and styling to be… Creating a mood board will help you to put all ideas together.
Choose your time wisely. Create a team of people who believe in your idea and want to transmit it. The whole team is important, from the makeup artist to the camera assistant. Everyone is important and part of the group and all the team will make your idea come true.

How to submit your editorial to magazines

Once you have the editorial created, edited, and ready to go, this is where perhaps the most complicated process begins. Where can I publish it?

#1 Gather information

The first step would be to get informed. Normally magazines submissions work by email, but on every website you will find a section to know if they can feature your work, what the requirements are, and how to get in touch with their art department. Some websites have already a submissions section, and for others, you will find it in the contact or about us.

#2 Create a PDF to present your work

To submit the pictures to magazines, you will most likely have to create a pdf, where you will need to place the photographs that you select for the publisher. I suggest you give it a special touch through the layout: Add a striking title, an introductory text (if you want to clarify the concept), and the team’s credits.

EXTRA TIP: I always try to make my PDFs look as if they were already laid out for a magazine so that the editor imagines my photos in his magazine. Choose between 2-4 photos per look, and add clothing credits under the caption of each look.

#3 Get in touch with the magazine

Once you have your PDF ready, it is time to get in touch with the magazine. For that, you will need to create a striking email that has the following sections:

Introduction. Who are you? They need to know about you as a professional.
Your project. Explain to them what your project is about, and why they should choose you to appear in their magazine, before others.
The team. Don’t forget to give credit to the team that carried out the session with you.
Don’t forget that if you want to be featured in a fashion magazine, including information about the clothes will be essential. Talk about the fashion brands that appear on your editorial, always highlighting the best well-known or those that help your editorial stand out.
Attach your editorial PDF so they can see your work.

It is important the email you create is generic, but you customize it using the editor’s and magazine’s name. Let them know that you took the time to write to them specifically.

Another tip that can be very useful is using the Kavyar platform. With it, you can opt for submissions in many magazines. On its website, you will find the requirements that each magazine asks you to get featured. It can be very useful to find interesting magazines and get your shootings to international magazines. The platform allows you to upload a number of pictures and give credits to the team. It’s nice because it keeps you updated about your submission status. Honestly, it is a very good platform to use if you want to be published in a magazine. It is like the Infojobs of fashion publishers!

After all this work, the hardest and, at the same time, easiest part comes. You will have to wait for your editorial to be accepted. This is everything you should know about how to submit photos to magazines. Fingers crossed and good luck!