Photography magazines

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Kcray85

Jul 16, 2012
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#1
I am about 6 months into photography as a hobby and live in the US. I am looking for some helpful magazines that some of you find enjoyable on a monthly basis. I am into sports, HDR and landscape photography. I am always looking for new information on new gear, software and techniques.

Any suggestions are appreciated. I am not currently subscribed to any right now.
 
#3
I personally wouldn't bother subscribing to any monthly publications. I was subscribed to a photography magazine for 2 years and found that they recycled a lot of the content, most of which I had already learned about online for free. I would suggest searching for photography tutorials online, and putting the money saved towards a local practical photography course.
 
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#5
imho MOST Photography zines are rehashed and regurgitated. Not all. The monthlies usually are but the quarterlies are most geared towards the artists and tech heads. Then there are the B/W's. Those have quite a few reader contributing photos and contests as well as stand out and famous photog interviews. Personally I like Aperture and B&W/Color.

If you want something like Shutterbug and Pop Photo then just look at their online content.
 
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#6
Popular Photography and some of the other mags that you can find in any magazine stand are somewhat repetitive and often don't cover subjects in too much depth. But with subscriptions as low as $10 for a year, it's not exactly terrible for what you are paying.

My favorite is Outdoor Photography. I think I have subscribed to it on and off for the past 10 years. I let the subscription lapse for a year or two, then subscribe again.

There is a ton of free and more detailed information online, but a magazine subscription does no mean you have to ignore those.
 
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#8
I subscribed to Photo Plus when I first started in photography and it was nice, since I needed something basic but technical. aGree with others, after exactly one year, noticed the material was basically recycled, so stopped then. The video tutorials were nice, though, as I started working with Elements. Now I pickup a few here and there from the bookstore when something catches my eye. Usually at the airport, when waiting for a flight.
+1 on the recommendation for a class. The best money I invested was a Saturday class at the local community college. Enough to get started well and a chance to ask questions from a professional.

Enjoy the new found hobby!
 
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#10
OK, so i'm in the UK - but my reply would still be the same.

When i made the switch to digital way back when (2002 i think), i bought most magazines and initially found them interesting.

But what i found most interesting and even cheaper, was photography forums & clubs.

This is very much a Canon based forum, but i've been a member of several over the past and they can be extremely informative, educational and fun. It also introduces you to other photographers who you can meet up with and enjoy a 'joint' shoot without some one saying "are you done yet - i'm getting bored now"

I've spent days out shooting with first timers through to professional togs and i've always learned more and had more fun than reading a mag. What's really interesting about a joint shoot is seeing the shots another tog got that you didn't see - or a scene captured in a way/ or processed in a way that you hadn't considered or thought would work. I'm busy trying to arrange a shoot now for 3 or 4 of us in London's Canary Wharf...
 
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#11
i agree with the recommendation of B&W and Color Magazine. but its mostly because of the sheer volume of great photographs they publish from original and creative thinking photographers. its more of a source for inspiration than informing about technique.

i would steer you clear of Popular Photography and other such magazines that as stated above regurgitate basic info often and are more of a vehicle to advertise products ad nauseam.

one little rag that i pick up on occasion is Photo Technique. i cherry pick the issues only when there is a topic that they are featuring that i find interesting. it typically offers an overview and step by step instructions for a particular technique and will have gear and software suggestions. they also typically invite a photographer who is putting the techniques into practice to offer their input in the article. it kind of goes just beyond the basics but avoids the highfalutin tone you may get from art magazines.

to be honest, i kinda stopped looking for periodicals as a source of information because i dont think the format allows for enough in depth understanding of subject matter. not to stoke egos...but i feel posting a topic here on the forums will generally get you in depth expert explanations as well as some informed debate on varying practices. for the most part anyway...
 
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#13
+1 on PhotoPlus Canon Edition for starting out.

You can get more in-depth information for free online. But sometimes its too much information and hard to digest.

Social photography groups are fantastic. But be wary of picking up 'not quite right' information etc

Best way is a little bit of each.
 
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#14
I'm in the UK, and out Amateur Photographer magazine is pretty good.
Decent reviews, good themed galleries and competitions, and usually a working pro feature and historical feature.

It's open to all levels but never condescends, Roger Hicks column can be frustrating at times, but overall a good read, and weekly.

Amateur in this context is from the meaning folk who do it for the love, rather than 'amateurish' or half-rate.
I tend to find with some magazines the more 'pro' they shout, the less pro the content.

If you are looking for something more easily obtainable then ephotozine.com is a good mix of review and feature.
 
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#16
There are many free online tutorial sites - just search for them. And do the following:
1. read article(s)
2. practice, practice, practice ....

after few months you'll have some ideas whats 'extra' info you want and how to get it - class or magazine.
 
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#17
Thanks all for the replies. I figured the magazines that I grabbed at the airport last week (outdoor photographer and shutter something) wouldn't be mentioned highly as they only had about 1-2 articles each that were of interest, it sounds like its more of the same elsewhere.
 
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#18
Kcray85 said:
I am about 6 months into photography as a hobby and live in the US. I am looking for some helpful magazines that some of you find enjoyable on a monthly basis. I am into sports, HDR and landscape photography. I am always looking for new information on new gear, software and techniques.

Any suggestions are appreciated. I am not currently subscribed to any right now.
Click to expand...

Honestly the only thing I have found the magazines good for is really basic information on new gear...even then I wind up going to the web and googling for additional information. I have not learned much in terms of technique from the various magazines. After a long period of buying different ones at book stores and reading them I decided not to subscribe to any. Instead I buy some topic specific books here and there, find articles and reviews on the web, and watch some of the B&H videos on YouTube, etc.
 
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#19
The problem with photography magazines is that most of them are out of date the moment they are published. That said, I find the UK publication EOS Magazine to be the most informative magazine for Canon cameras. Every issue discusses new gear as well as basic and advanced photography techniques using the Canon system. It's not cheap to subscribe if you live in the US like I do, but it is well worth it. I find this magazine head and shoulders above the other photography magazines out there today.

http://www.eos-magazine.com
 
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#20
Kcray85 said:
Thanks all for the replies. I figured the magazines that I grabbed at the airport last week (outdoor photographer and shutter something) wouldn't be mentioned highly as they only had about 1-2 articles each that were of interest, it sounds like its more of the same elsewhere.
Click to expand...

I buy a magazine or two from a newsstand periodically if I see something of interest in it. Shutterbug is the magazine you were trying to think of I'll bet. That thing is 95% advertising and is absolutely worthless. I've bought it before and won't make that mistake again!
 
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