I feel the need to subscribe to a photography magazine. What are your recommendations.

My guidelines are:

More slanted towards photography and technique rather than the technology aspect of photography.

Preferably digital oriented.

Lot of pictures which represent the photographers ideas and that inspire.

"How to get better pictures" type essays and tutorials.

Ideas on how, what and when.

Thanks!

Doug

What country do you live in?

Yeah, I always forget that: USA

I assume you already subscribe to Michael's Video Journal? Better than any magazine I've seen in the racks.

My favorites are Lenswork and Photo Techniques. I also subscribe to Camera Arts and View Camera.

Lenswork is never about technology, it is about the art and the creative lifestyle. I'll never give up this magazine. It reminds me that the art comes from the photographer, not the equipment.

Photo Techniques has articles covering digital as well as traditional techniques, and I've learned a few good tips there. I believe Michael is also a contributing Editor to Photo Techniques.

For inspriration, IMO nothing else comes close: National Geographic Magazine.
No "how-tos", though. Just the best pictures you'll ever see.

For technique, the Internet and lots of experience.

I was going to suggest "Outdoor Photography"; not great (as none are) but a bit more practically oriented than many.

But while talking about a practical, hands-on approach, why not find a store with an extensive selection of such magazines, buy one copy of every plausible one, and judge for yourself? Barnes and Noble stores often has a decent selection, but another place to try is the bookstores of art schools that teach photography.


P. S. to mbridgers: I have not tried "Photo Techniques", so thanks for that suggestion and link!

P. P. S. As a sign of the times, forget about Pettterson's Photogaphic; it has just been discontinued. Maybe good websites plus good books is the modern approach.

Find a Barnes and Nobel book store. In addition to all the magazines mentioned, they carry a number of British magazines. Far more interesting that the US advertising dominated rags.

The exceptions are (my opinion) Photo Techniques, View camera and Lens Work.

I think you'll find far more information on equipment and technique doing just what got you here, namely surfing.

Filter out the chatter at DPReview though. Still, the best equipment tests in the business.

Bob

I agree completely about Lenswork. My next two favorites are View Camera and CameraArts. I have subscribed to Aperture since the mid 1960s, but in recent years it has been disappointing.

Tim is right about Michael's LL Video Journal. It beats any magazine out there.

I will also look into Photo Techniques, which I haven't checked out yet.

Eric

More votes for Lenswork and Michael's LL Video Journal.

Lenswork is about what photography is about, personal expression.

LL Video Journal is fly-on-the-wall presence with photographers who know what they're doing. Valuable.

p

If you do read french, then "Chasseur d'image" (www.photim.com) is probably not too bad either, and can be shipped abroad through subsciptions.

The balance is probably a bit more on the technical side, but they do have monthly technical tips section, as well as interviews with working pros and amateurs.

Regards,
Bernard

Photography Monthly is an amazing and inspirational magazine. I look forward to every issue. It's from the UK so it runs about 100 bucks to ship it to the US (that's what I do) but it's well worth it. Great tutorials, photos, interviews and reviews and not too many ads. Plus, great print quality.

I also subscribe to Photolife from Canada. It's a little lower budget but it's another magazine that has great articles and isn't all about selling you the newest camera or gadget.

My $0.02.

Agreed; for example, I find that Practical Photography is indeed a bit more practically oriented, for instance with lots of analysis and advice on photos submitted by readers.

And in the foreign language section, apart from Chasseur d'Image, I have also found several Italian magazines rather more serious, with more thorough scrutiny in products tests: they actually trust readers to understand lens MTF measurements! And German readers say similar things of some German magazines, which seems plausible --- or am I falling for stereotypes?

I come to suspect that the European magazines in general target more serious hobbyists that the US top sellers.

Very nice information. I'll start sifting through all of your recommendations shortly. However, since I moved from Southern California (los Angeles) area, where you can get your ahnds on anything you want, from amchine guns to Italian magazines, I cannot do that now. I moved to teh pacific North West, in a smaller town of North California (300 miles north of San Francisco). So you guys are my outlet before I subscribe. We do have a Borders up here, but their photography amgazines really, really suck ass.

Again, thanks loads!

IMO Photography Monthly is an awful magazine filled with whining and patronizing articles written by unqualified (the editor has never shot professionally, started the mag straight after Uni) and unskilled writers and with the worst pretence of reviews that I've ever seen. The only decent pictures in there are the reader portfolios. I stopped my subscription half way through eventhough it was a free 6 months provided with a sigma lens! The only excuse I can find for that magazine is that it is aimed at people who have never held a camera before in their lives and even then....

In the UK, the Amatuer Photographer is well written by some serious experts in the field and is pretty objective. The reviews are also very well regarded and have been for the past 80+ years.

I enjoy Professional Photography which has a lot of business stuff in it and few equipment 'wow' articles if any. It is expensive though for the amount you get.

These are some great tips. I just checked out Lenswork and they are offering a special new sub rate - $19.95 per year. I just put in my order - looking forward to getting first issue.

I also subscribe to Photo District News - great mag re the photography business/industry, and a pretty good website with inter-issue updates. Also subscribe to View Camera. High quality publication, with usually one article per month that I find valuable.

Does anyone have a link to Michael's LL Video Journal?

I have, at one time or another, subscribed to most of them.
here is what I get now and quite satisfied with them.

Outdoor Photographer. Really good articles from time to time (mostly outdoor photography duh)

Natures Best: This one is frustrating at times because the quality of the images are awesome and all I am doing (at that time) is looking at someone elses great work. If you want motivation I recommend this one.

http://www.naturesbestmagazine.com/

Popular Photography: what can I say. lots of good adds and once in a while a nice article.

and of course LL Video Journal also very good

Hi Doug,

As many have mentioned, Lenswork is an inspiring read. I would however suggest Lenswork is largely caught up in the 'West Coast American' black & white ideal of photography (steming from the aesthetics of Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, etc).

I'm always on the look out for a good article OR ten on photography, but I find that it's hard to find decent interviews with inspired photographers and image makers. There are plenty of inspired photographers out there, but maybe inspiring writers/interviewers are harder to find?

Why is it that nearly every photography article is written to this age old formula of: Where did you begin? Who influenced your direction? What equipment do you use? How have you found the transition to digital? These formulated questions have little scope for new and inspiring reading.

It's because Lensworks editior Brooks Jensen thinks a little outside of the square that Lenswork continues to provide engaging reading.

At the same time, maybe it's me... I spend so much of my personal and professional time considering creative practice, workflow, pricing, business and imaging that it's getting harder to find engaging reading within photography periodicals.

I can however suggest a couple of Australian based magazines that I think deliver a similar level of reading to Lenswork, yet they open us up to a wider scope of photography creatives.

Check out:

Better Photography (published quarterly) http://www.betterphotography.com.au/

and

Capture Magazine (published bi-monthly by Yaffa Publishing) http://www.yaffa.com.au/mags/cphmag.htm

'Capture' is directed at professionals and in my opinion blows both 'Professional Photographer' and 'Rangefinder Magazine' out of the water.

'Better Photography' is probably the best written and printed general interest photography magazine around. (general interest, meaning it covers from enthusiasts to professionals through a wide range of fields in photography and digital imaging.)

Two other notible mentions are:

Digital Photo Pro (published bi-monthly) http://www.digitalphotopro.com/

and

Picture 'For the emerging professional photographer' (published bi-monthly) http://www.picturemagazine.com/

However, after reading a few editions of any these magazines I do find they become formulated in their scope. No doubt, variety is the spice of life.

When the writing style contained within a magazine starts to get stale, I just look to the photographs within these magazines. Better yet, there comes a time when one has to stop reading and start seeing the world through their own eyes.

Das Bosun

I find it ironic that many people dismiss AP because it has amateur in the title. But when you look at the staff, you see very talented and highly respected people. One worked for a major company developing processing chemicals, another is a highly respected newspaper photographer, several have worked as professional photographers and so on. They are only amateur in the sense of enthusiast.

I never liked Practical Photography. There approach is to get lots of wonderful stock photos, and wrap some words round them. And some years back a huge amount of the magazine was written by one person who was a journalist and not a photographer and it showed. It was rather formulaic. I also did not like the harsh attitude taken to readers pictures. Working professional photographers seem to be more forgiving/humble.

The UK magazine Outdoor Photographer (I hope I remember the name correctly) is essentially a series of short articles by respected photographers such as Laurie Campbell. So it has lovely pictures (but largely UK locations) and informed commentary.

However, for my own part, I feel that the only way to learn is to get outside, take some pictures, and then ask what went right, and what went wrong.

Leif

Thanks again. I actually found some of the magazines you mentioned in our local Borders. I think when teh magazines come out, the large ratio of people in our population who love art and photography scoop them up so fast I didn't get to them last time.

Still, no luck with the LL Video Journal. Do they have a website?

After I look into the LL Journal, I'm going to post my decisions. Probably will be two magazines for now. I agrree, more shooting, less reading, to a point. So two mags will be quite enough.

Thanks again and keep the opinions coming.

Priceless!

LL Video journal = Luminous Landscape Video journal

You're already there guy. Back out to the main page.

bob

HAHAHAHA. That is good. Thanks.

Many of you suggest Amatuer Photographer out of the UK. Do they have a website? I haven't had any luck Googling for it.

PhotoLife is an extremely under-rated gem. Give it a try.

Regards, Art.

http://www.amateurphotographer.com/ it's pretty awful though the magazine isn't.