Photography Magazines

shemwhistler

Hey folks,

I just wanted to get a gauge on people's opinions of photography magazines, as a noobie I thought they might be a good source of inspiration/information. So I'm really looking to know;

- Are they worth the time/money?
- Are there any that people particularly recommend?
- Am I better off with a book?
- Etc

I flicked through a copy of Digital Photographer and it seemed interesting enough, I like the fact it had some software advice too, as I'm looking to practice some PS whilst engaging with photography.

PCPhoto

the magazines are decent enough - but after a while the content is repeated !!

books are a great source of information, the internet also has video clips, tutorials, articles and people willing to give advice hints and tips.

I haven't read it but "understanding exposure" is normally given out as advice here for starters (I've been at it full-time over 12years...prob more - I've lost count) but its only in recent years that I've actually started to learn and expand creatively with photography.

you never stop learning with photography !!

Sabre Man

PhotoPlus is great if you have a Canon.

I like Digital Photographer too.

There are also some good podcasts out there, especially handy if you're using iTunes:
The Art of Photography
Meet The GIMP
Photography 101
The Photography Guild
PhotoTips by BCPhoto

shemwhistler

I should have said that I am reading Understanding Exposure and am liking it a lot, I was looking for other media that I can consume in more bitesize pieces, which is why I thought of magazines.

I don't know why I hadn't thought of podcasts, and I am indeed a Canon user Will try that out.

I havea few magazines but to be honest, unless you're stuck with nothing else to do for a while, and there's a newsagents handy, I wouldn't bother.


I bought my first one when I was inthe Airport, to keep me occupied on a flight. Then I bought the following issue because it had a topic i was interested in (can't remember exactly what it was) and then another one because it was just on the shelf so I went for it.

I'd say i've got about 10 magazines at this stage and they're grand for a quick flick through, but the articles and topics and subjects covered in them don't have much substance to them at all. There's nothing in-depth ever covered, and a good portion of the magazines are usually about reviewing upcoming gear or advertising products (amazon's user reviews are generally much, much more in-depth and easier to use).



So what I do now is just spend a little extra and buy a book on something that interests me. Bookdepository.co.uk generally have fantastic prices on books and more than enough range on subject (and if you take the books code and search for it on amazon, again, you can get user reviews of the book and what people thought of it).

Books are generally much more detailed and discuss a subject a whole lot more than your average magazine ever would, so they're much better value in my opinion (though they do cost more up-front).

thedarkroom

Generally they are good but as PCPhoto said above, they tend to start to be repetitive. I like Black+White Photography and Outdoor Photography and would get them regularly but the rest of the bunch would be occasional, depending on the contents. A good browse in Easons will give you a good idea of which ones are worthwhile and which are rubbish.

A great resource on the web is http://www.issuu.com/home, you should definitely look this up. Set up an account, it's free, and then type in PHOTOGRAPHY or PHOTOSHOP in the search box. It is full of eBooks which can often be downloaded for free and I don't mean cheap or tacky home produced stuff. There's a load of titles from Focal Press and other quality publishers. Not everything is available to download, some is only available to view online, but quite often if you see something worthwhile, doing a second search will show it up again elsewhere to download. Some publishers have their own sections on it which will allow you to download sample chapters of their books (Wiley Publishers) and some magazines put up sample sections of their current issues. It's a great site.

Rainbowsend

I got addicted to buying magazines, used to buy them all until I realised that I was spending a fortune for often repeated information and even pictures, I was left with a stack of mags that weighed a ton and never got thrown away because "I might need it one day" Now I only buy if there is something specific that is of interest to me, which is rare!

There is so much information on the internet and in forums like this that there really isnt much need for mags, and at €6 or so a pop money soon adds up!

pete4130

They are useful in the sense that they will get you familiar with tools in photoshop that you might not normally have used or allow you to learn how to use a tool in a different way.

They can be inspirational and motivate you to go out and take more photos.

The downsides are that the tasks or tutorials can be totally irrelevant in YOUR everyday photography (such examples like applying a snakeskin texture to someones skin, or making an portrait look like the person is on fire etc....).

The other downside to magazines are that people who are new to photography sometimes think that any image that doesn't look like it was taken for the purpose of being in a photography magazine is a bad photo. This isn't the case. the magazines do go on a lot about technical profficiency and perfection. Not every image has to be technically perfect to be a good image.

Keep an open mind with regards to them. The world would be a VERY bornig place if everyone tried to shoot photos like they saw in a photography magazine.

Gregor Samsa

pete4130 wrote: »

or making an portrait look like the person is on fire

Damn, I knew I should have done that in PP instead :eek:

shemwhistler

That's an interesting point you raise about context.

I've found in the past if I follow an abstract tutorial, I get it at the time, but I don't retain it, it's the real world problem solving that sticks.

Right how do I do X to achieve Y.

I can see that the magazines from a cost point of view quickly become less value for money than a quality book.

I think it's more inspiration to push me out of my comfort zone, like the assignments on here, that I'm looking for.


Thanks all for your advice and views.

samhail

For my 30th a few months back i upgraded my camera and i got a present of a box set of 3 books from Scott Kelby, and its a realyl good set.
He goes through a specific topic on a single page, but he doesnt explain why its done... eh explains how he does it...
Thats how he introduces his book... as if you were on a shoot with him, and asked him how would you shoot a wedding picture, instead of teaching everything about lighting and apertureetc, he will say to set your camera to this, this, and this. put the subject close to a window so the light hits the side of the face.

Has a chapters on specific types of photography, wedding, outdoor, sports... even flowers
looks like the box set that i got has been reduced to £20 too (not including delivery or the free delivery on over £25 deal they have)
Check out that amazon link and it will give you a few screenshots of the first few pages of a book.

I would recommend it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scott-Kelbys-Digital-Photography-Boxed/dp/0321678737/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313670635&sr=8-1

bazamax

http://2011.photoireland.org/news/martin-parrs-best-books-of-the-decade/

If your interested in books this is an amazing starting point! Magazines, most are a waste of time to be honest. For ideas Source is the way to go + it is only released four times a year so its not just filled with rubbish so you have to buy it every week or two! Blow is a fairly new irish magazine also, well worth a look. Thats all if your looking for ideas. Most of the magazines on sale in book shops are aimed at the mass market of photoclub so it will contain photoshop tips etc.

For ideas shoot what interests you the most and create a body of work on it!!

Best of look and happy shooting!

dinneenp

have a look for 2nd hand. I bought 30+ from adverts.ie for about €20 or so....