As bloggers we all know how important beautiful photos are to our posts.
It’s what keeps our readers coming back or even staying long enough to get to know us.
But what if you want to submit those photos to a magazine…
Here are my 5 must know tips for magazine worthy photos.
This is the MOST important step towards being published. Your photos MUST have a resolution of 300 dpi. This is an area that confuses a lot of people, so let me explain the requirements when it comes to resolution. Your photo may appear large on your computer screen where the resolution is 72 dpi (dots per inch), however, when it is printed on paper it may only be a few centimetres wide. Print media requires a much higher resolution of 300 dpi to produce crisp, clear photos that are large enough.
There are several easy ways to determine what the resolution of your photos are…. if you have a photo editing program like Photoshop you can check the image size for resolution and dimensions. Alternatively, right click on your photo and click on Properties. It will give you all the specific dimensions.
It is always a good idea as a blogger to take your photos using high resolution settings on your camera, so you have appropriate sized photos that you can then resize and make separate files of low res photos for use on the web.
There is a way that low resolution (72 dpi) photos can be converted to a higher resolution in Photoshop, except it does reduce the size of photos considerably and may no longer meet the magazine size requirements.
Natural daylight offers the best lighting conditions for natural looking photos. Photos taken at night are too dark and if a flash is used the shadows are harsh and the colours distorted. Almost every house has that one area that is perfect for lighting. You may have to set up a mini studio spaces to harness those lighting conditions.
This one’s simple… eliminate the shake and have crisp non-blurry photos by using a tripod and timer setting on your camera. I most often use my small table tripod for those close up photos, but you can use what you have available, whether that’s a stack of books or some kind of box to rest your camera on.
The background of your photos is very important. There’s nothing more disappointing than a wonderful project that has all the right lighting conditions, but in the background of the photo there is an overflowing sink of dishes for all to see. Some basic styling can still appear natural, but eliminates clutter or bright colours from the background. Think about the theme of your photo… can you add some similar themed elements or props to enhance the photo. Sometimes simplicity and a muted background is the perfect backdrop. A few extra minutes spent composing your layout could be the difference between ordinary and extraordinary!
You may only want to submit a few photos, but be armed with dozens to choose from. For every photo shoot I do, I take heaps (and I really do mean heaps) of photos. Each shot I vary the angle slightly, move the lighting source, take the shot from many different positions and reposition the props to get slight variations on my photo setting. Try taking both full photos and close ups.
I’ve had many submissions for Simply Shabbilicious magazine, but sadly only a few that met the requirements. Photo resolution seems to be the biggest issue, so I hope you’ll pin my 5 tips for magazine worthy photos, so you’ll know what magazines require.
And please, take a chance and submit your photos and projects for consideration.
You’ll never know if you don’t have a go!!
I’m sharing my 5 tips for magazine worthy photos with these friends this week: Inspiration Exchange, Live Laugh Rowe, The DIY Dreamer, Tutorials, Tips & Tidbits, , Transformation Thursday, French Country Cottage, The Vintage Farmhouse, 36th Avenue, Be Inspired Friday at Common Ground
I’d be thrilled if you’d like to connect with me at the following places. . .
or if you’d like my posts delivered directly to your Inbox
Some great tips here, you’re bang on about resolution! And I personally get very creative with my tripods, can be anything from my shelves to the kitchen sink! (Okay, perhaps not the latter!)
Hey, if the kitchen sink is the right height… why not!! We have to do whatever it takes to get those great pics 🙂
Thank you for this! Photography is a love of mine and I do try and take “good” images xxxxx
You are most welcome Rosa and I hope the information was useful for you. 🙂
Very interesting article for someone like me who doesn’t know anything in pictures. I note the idea of a books “tripod”;
thanks a lot
xoxo from PARIS
Joëlle
Hi Joelle,
Yes you can use almost anything to raise your camera up. I’m glad no one can see m when I’m taking photos… I do all kinds of crazy stuff!!
Hugs,
Kerryanne
thanks for the great tips, –i need all the help i can get:)
You take gorgeous photos Lynn… I don’t think you need much help in that department 🙂
Great tips Kerryanne!
Thank you Anne 🙂
Love you 5 requirements for photo taking……very good advice!
Thank you Carol Sue. I hope you find it useful 🙂
Very useful set of tips Kerryanne – TFS.
Toni xx
Thank you Toni. I hope others find then useful 🙂
Wonderul tips, Kerryanne!
LOVE your blog! Thanks for sharing these great tips at TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS!
Thanks for visiting Yvonne 🙂
Great advice! I will definitely try these, TFS!
You are welcome Carmen and I hope the tips are useful.
Thanks so much for your great advice! I always really appreciate photography/editing tips from the experts.
Thanks Laurel, but I’m definitely no photography expert 🙂
These are some great tips! Natural light is a must.
PS Do you have any post/tips on how to contact the magazines or do we just have to wait for them to contact us?
Here’s another BIG tip Javeriya….. magazines need great photos. You should contact them!!
Don’t be discouraged if you get a few knock backs, keep submitting and let people know you are out there waiting.
Good luck 🙂