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Editorial Photography Tips

06th January 2011

Photography, as we are all well aware, is the art of creating or capturing still moments by recording them either on photographic film or an electronic sensor. Photography is widely used as a platform for professional purposes, personal expression, entertainment publications or simply as a hobby. Read more photography tips and techniques and types of photography.

What is Editorial Photography?
Editorial photography simply refers to the photos that feature in magazines, newspapers, publications, but are not for advertisement purposes. The publishers have to procure these photographs from one source or the other. These sources are either employed by the publications themselves or they can even choose to accept editorial photographs from freelance photographers. Any photographs that accompany the articles in any medium of publication, or even the photograph that features on the cover, are included in the field of editorial photography. See more on digital photography.

Editorial photography differs from commercial photography since it does not include any advertisements. As is suspected, editorial photography does not pay nearly as well as commercial photography, but its importance for the impact of any content cannot be undermined. To get opportunities for commercial photography, editorial photography is a great way to build one’s portfolio.

Editorial Photography Tips
The beauty of editorial photography is the creative license and freedom of expression that you have. It is imperative that you do not think of only one single picture, but rather think of a sequence of pictures. If you can manage to narrate a story of sorts through these photographs, it would greatly improve the chances of your photographs getting selected for publication. Here are some commonly known photojournalism photography tips.

  • Cutlines for your photographs are necessary. This refers to a brief description of the people, place and situation captured in the photograph. Read some more photography techniques.
  • Obviously, the image quality of your photograph needs to be topnotch. Mediocre quality photographs have no chance of intriguing the viewer.
  • The format of the image and its size are also crucial factors. The images should not be RAW files and should be in the jpeg format. The image should also be 200 pixels per square inch.
  • It is also advisable to keep the photoshopping of the image to a minimum.
  • The sequence to follow for the shots should be the main shot, opening shot, overall shot, detail shot and closer shot.

Getting Into Editorial Photography
The market for editorial photography is very competitive and overly subscribed. For a young inexperienced photographer to get into this field would require a lot of hard work and plenty of patience. Though the market for this field of photography has expanded due to the widespread revolution in printing, the number of photographers has made it a very difficult field to venture into. See more about a beginner’s guide to photography.

In the last few months though, the field of freelance editorial photography has opened up. Magazines, newspapers and other publications have had to let go of some of their photographers so there are more opportunities for younger and inexperienced photographers. Some editorial photography tips in your arsenal will prove to be of great help. Also read some portrait photography tips.

In the foreseeable future, this rising trend of editorial photography will continue to prosper as the costs of publishing and maintaining publications has come down greatly, due to technology. This is a trend that may never occur for portrait photography or landscape photography. Tips for editorial photography though, will serve you well.

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