You use JPG and I use RAW, I don’t have a problem with that. Anyone should use the tools they like to get the final product they want.

I actually use both, but it's not about me - or you. It's about passing on useful information to those that may know very little about photography, but want to add something to their writings. It can be done for far less than some will have them believe.

__________________
I've a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore.

35mm film has more pixels than most (all? I know one with 35Mp .. but that is way beyond my buget!) digital cameras . so the 35mm film will be ok resolution wise.

RAW vs JPEG .. RAW means you have all the information for latter photo manipulation. JPEG means you have a smaller file size on the memory card .. and possibly quicker file saving between shots. I shoot in JPEG .. be aware that before you save after data manipulation that saveing in JPEG will loose more information - each save will try to compress the data more .. unless you tell it other wise. For safety - save in TIFF .. no further compression occures. If I know this shot will need photo manipulation and I have the time and space I might shoot in RAW. I too would not send a RAW onwards .. unless paid to do so. I'd not send the original JPEG off either .. compresed and/or cropped yes. I figure that the original is my best way of proving that I have copywrite over any reproductions.

Whatever you do -
Don't select a smaller sample size than the maximum avalible for your camers .. why buy a 10 Mp camera and only shoot in 5Mp?
Don't use digital zoom .. it simply crops the information .. you can do that latter, and there may be something going on that would other wise be cut off.

With the best photos in the world the mag won't be too intrested unless the words around them are also interesting ... novels sell due to the content not the photos .. they sell really well with good words, concepts and entertainment.

Good Luck.

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Regards Frank Warner
motorcycles BMW R80 G/S 1981, BMW K11LT 1993, BMW K75 G/S

I think it’s nice that RAW was mentioned here (thanks Pictish).

People can argue if it’s better or not but it’s nice to know that RAW exists, and if you go to an interview with a magazine it’s nice not to look as a question mark if/when they ask you if you shoot RAW.

Yes, but remember that all printed pictures are manipulated. (Change of color space, hue, saturation, levels, sharpness, interpolated++)



Which brings up a few important subjects….


I might be a bit biased because I mostly have experience with the glossy magazines. But like I said earlier bad pictures = no story.
If you have great pictures but you are not able to write the story they help you to write the story or they do it in an interview-form and pay you for the pictures.

I’m sure it’s possible to sell “plain text” but certain magazines have some layout-rules like at least 25% of the total article should be pictures.
Most people are to lazy to read 4-8 pages with plain text, they skip through the pages and start to read when there are pictures that catch their interest.


I once met a guy who now is trying to publish a book about his travels. He has been struggling with the text since 2002. He has been rejected time after time… But the nice thing with text is that he can rewrite it. He can even study how to write and ask people to get help.
Sadly he doesn’t have good pictures, and there is nothing he can do about it.

Jpeg it is then. Seriously though - why make it harder than it is? It should be fun.

No argument there.

__________________
I've a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore.

Hi there,
there is always huge debates about raw or jpeg in most digital magazines.
Raw comes standard in nearly all DSLR canon and nikon as well as other makes digital cameras[ you nomrally get small med and large jpeg as well]. Even the older models from a few years ago which are pretty cheap now have this dual feature. Never had any problems shooting with it or slow down in either the basic entry level dslr or my 5d. Downloading to pc takes a bit of time but most editors allow you to view the first ones while the others download. Most dslr also have a auto mode which means the camera does everything for you which is great for learning about taking pictures[composition, settings ect] while you figure out what everything does. Cf cards are also pretty cheap these days and again havnt really had any problems using the slower cheaper sandisk ones.
My advice about choosing a camera[dslr] is choose one that is comfy to hold as well and one you can actually hold and work the buttons.Go into a store and hold them all and see what you feel, do not let the guy talk you into buying a cutting edge newly released model as they drop in price very quickly. Then go online get the best deal and go to jessops or some other store that will price match as its much easier to replace if it breaks when you face to face. Buy lenses and other bits online you will save a fortune.
If you have small hands you may struggle with alot of the more pro/mid level ones due to their size and they arnt exactly light either. My backpack weighs around 20kgs minimum with just the camera stuff which is fine for me but my ex who had identical equipment struggled a bit while hiking as you had to add nibbles and water on top of that. A 350d sized dslr with a either a cheaper zoom or small prime lens will fit easily into a tankbag]
The canon 350d is an ideal first venture into dslr for those with smaller hands[but not so good if like me you have spades]. Its also cheap as it was replaced with a newer model. Nikon have also uprated all their entry level ones and they are becoming more affordable. Both companies also produce budget level ones as well now. The good thing about buying a cheaper well known brand such as nikon or canon is you can keep your lenses and upgrade your camera[apart from canon digital fullframe cameras dont like the digital only lenses]
As for my processing it only takes hours if you really get into the manipulation side of things[ and know what your doing ]. Most of the time I just use it for checking the photos, quick removal of spots of dust,unwanted stuff and evil seagulls who always manage to screw up that perfect horizon, over/under exposure, white balance and cutting which takes a few minutes each picture[there is automatic setting to do this for you] as I havnt got really into the using all the curves and graphs and all the other wonderful stuff you can use. Then with one click of a button after a few choices you have your jpeg or tiff at any size you want suitable for web[smaller] or printing[bigger]. The good thing about raw is when you return home or have the time to play around you can always go for the longer manipulation and really get the best out what you have shot. You can also create very large jpegs which are great for large poster sized prints.

For canon
- cheaper lower range sandisk cards are fine so shooting lots of raw isnt a problem.Dont buy them from a camera store! they charge a fortune.
-Tamron and sigma lenses[or older canon model ones that have been updated] are good alternatives to expensive canon ones
-Older models drop in price[ 1-2 years they uprate the models] so their not that out of date
-Non canon batteries and other bits work fine and save a fortune My radio shutter release[for pic of yourself while doing something] cost 10 quid the canon one is over £100
-You can get cheap rain guards of ebay which are copies of expensive ones[kinda like a giant hand muff thing] or even better a freezer ziplock bag works well.
-bottom to mid range have a pop up flash not the greatest but does the trick.
- A 20 quid tripod does the job just as well as a 200 quid one if it breaks bin it, and you dont mind so much sticking it in a river. Walking stick monopods are also very handy.

As for making money by photography have a look at fotolibra, and photographers direct for the sort of stuff that sells. You will be surpised its not all mindblowing sunsets and nature shots. Pictures of buildings,food on plates, plants, people doing everyday things in other countries. Pretty much everything does.
recent requests I have been emailed are pictures of hotels,lodges and resorts all over the world and UK[huge list], an energetic indian bloke, a loaf of bread from pompei[volcano bread excavated] and first edition kids books[100 of]. My exmissus even sold a picture to bbc wildlife magazine of a herring on a plate, so if your going to weird and wonderful places shoot everything people ,places, beasties, flowers, food as you never know.

If you have a 7 megapixel plus. You should be able to take motorbike magazine pics without a problem.

I have a 7.2 megapixel Canon and have had photos published in a newspapaer and a book published this year. I have just moved onto a Canon Rebel Xti which I got from E-Bay at a steal of a price, so look on there. I will still use the pocket canon as it takes great pictures and is easier to haul around than the Rebel.

Steve

Ebay is good but its also full of what they call grey market items[non eu spec stuff] the rebel was the name for the 350d canon outside the uk and most of the EU, the earlier ones also had some issues which did not appear in the uk versions.
So if your going down that route you should check with friends in asia and USA and you will save a hell of a lot if your from the UK, but you may not have a warranty for UK[some do have worldwide ones].
I recently got alot of new stuff from hong kong through ebay[lenses and filters]and saved almost 40% on the uk prices.

I would also like to say there is probably more chances of a female [couple even] getting stuff published as womans magazines tend to be more abundant, and unless your doing a worldwide tour of strip joints or wet t shirt contests most men magazines tend not to publish this kind of thing unless you do something totally insane.

Hey everybody,

This might be of use re working out what editors are looking for - from the horse's mouth as it were. The first article/interview with MaryAnn Golan is particularly useful for tips on how to approach photo editors. Note her comment: " we're increasingly looking for photographers who've found their own voice and can write a narrative..........not just copy what is already about."

Canon Professional Network - In front of the lens

Regards

Belle

Thanks all for the points raised in this thread. I've been thinking about writing articles about my travels for some time now and needed a bit of a reminder to start sorting out my kit and attitude to doing so.


Ok some camera advice please then: I know little about camera lens and the difference between one camera's picture quality and another's. At the moment I've got a Canon Ixus 65 (6MP) but this I have found doesn't give enough a large enough picture size to meet the 3000dpi requirements of most companies/high level photography websites. So I'm now thinking that I should get something better for my trip which starts in a month's time. Maybe another Canon- the Ixus 9O IS is 9MP and should allow me to use the same power cable as my girlfriend's Ixus 65. BUT as I already have the compact I may get something slightly larger like the Canon PowerShot SX110 (and only £209 from Canon themselves)

Actually, sod it. I'll start making suggestions and just for some advice:

Can someone recommend a camera that meets the following requirements:
1. High enough picture quality to be magazine acceptable and have decent sized prints printed off (A4 at least).
2. Easy to use yet good enough manual settings to allow for fine-tuning the settings.
3. Under £400.
4. Good zoom (at least 3x but preferably more as I'm going to be travelling in Southern Africa and going on a few safaris).
5. High quality lens.
6. Relatively compact size (an SLR is too large for me, especially with extra lens - but something between a compact and an SLR, like the SX110, could be good).
7. Tough design that will survive a few bumps and knocks.
8. Any make that will last me at least a couple of years (by when I'll have probably entered the SLR world).

Any more aspects of a camera that should be looked into?

Check out the Panasonic DMC-FZ50

I once wrote two articles for a hostel organization and they provided me with enough passes to stay in their hostels while I was in their country. It was a win/win situation.

Now if Motel 6 would do the same I could traverse the USA.

Hi, it seems the going rate in UK for motorcycle magazine articles is £200 for a complete article including lots of photos. Rates may have come down a lot in last year as too many people sending in material now. Linzi.

£200 is a joke….
YouTube - Harlan Ellison -- Pay the Writer

Yes, that's what I thought. It seems there are enough people happy with a little money and seeing themselves in a published magazine to make that sum acceptable to many. One year ago I WAS offered £1,000 from one magazine and that's now £200 from the other magazine. Still, I suspect that quality of both writing and photos would raise the offer. Too hopeful? Linzi.