American Angler Cover Call

[mark s]

Lee:

#1: too tall
#2: the middle of the frame is empty
#3: too dark and static

Plus AA wouldn’t want someone that ugly on the cover anyway.

[lee church]

He’s sensitive Mark

[Steve K.]

Phil,

Thanks for the critiques. I’ve learned a lot.

[Douglas Barnes]

…..Should any of you, whether through design or dumb luck, shoot something that you think would work on a cover (keeping in mind all my objections to images in this thread) please don’t hesitate to send it to me.

Phil

Thank you so much Phil for this opportunity. You have obviously spent some time here and whether we give up some cover worthy goods or not, we’ll all come away better photogs because of your input this week on IA. Thanks again!

Doug

http://www.nowpicturethis.com

http://www.nowpicturethis.com/Rec/Rec1.htm

[Corey Kruitbosch]

This thread has been a HUGE learning experience! Thanks to both Zach and Phil .. Information like this is priceless to a noob like me!

[Neal Osborn]

Phil –

I thought of you and this thread last night while watching a documentary on Annie Leibovitz.  There is scene about the process of choosing a magazine cover and it shows Rolling Stone magazine just after it’s move to New York in the early 70’s and there are the executives, editors, and photographers all sitting around discussing (arguing?) the topic of not only what pictures but more importantly what themes should be included.  Having recently read this thread I got a real kick out of watching it unfold (no pun intended).

[Anonymous]

Information like this is priceless to a noob like me!

I am sorry but this is a rediculous comment.

[Corey Kruitbosch]

I am sorry but this is a rediculous comment.  By that I mean calling yourself a noob…that is insulting to those of us who actually are NOOBS!

[anonymous]

What an astonishing thread!!!

Putting aside the

[Mike McKeown]

I just spent a few hours looking at past AA  and a few other mag covers and  have a way better grasp of what does and doesn’t work  based on  what has been discussed.  Methinks creating a template  image and  uploading it to on  cam storage as a reference is a good idea for future reference.

What an awesome idea…. WOWOW

[John Bennett]

Im by no means an expert or professional but I’ve learned a few things (with lots more to learn) about what works and what doesn’t. So take this with the appropriate grain of salt.

Earler in the thread I mentioned “shooting for a cover” and in another thread I’ve mentioned theres shooting for yourself and shooting for the AD.
Two very different things.

First and foremost. Read what the AD says he or she is hoping to see. Read it again and be fairly clear.

If they have a seasonal requirement and they often do, make sure you don’t break it. If its a summer requirement, leaves changing colour in the background or new growth of late spring might be deal breakers. At worst select images that are ambigious that could anywhere, anytime but realise they are missing a quality thats sought.

Lots of great photos might get passed on for a cover shots for the smallest of things that have nothing to do with how “good” an image is or isnt.

The fist obviously is “framing”. Most people and this includes myself have a natural tendency to want to fill the frame with the subject.

Doing so doesnt leave an AD room for logos, block text and whatever else. Knowing before hand which magazine your going to send the image to helps as they are all slightly different but there are usually

[Phil Monahan]

Pretty much everything John says here is spot on. I thought I might also explain how we end up with a particular image on the cover:

1. We put out a photo call and receive LOTS of submissions, the vast majority of which we can disqualify immediately, for all of the reasons I’ve used in this thread.
2. Once we’ve got the list narrowed to the images that are technically, seasonally, and compositionally appropriate, everyone on the editorial and art staff picks 4 favorites.
3. From comparing these lists, we get a sense of which two or three images appeal to the most people, so we mock those up.
4. From the mockups, Steve Walburn and I choose the cover.

That said, there are times when one image trumps the process, as is the case with the cover that’s on newsstands now. We got the shots of Carter Andrews with a 13-pound brown and said, “That’s a cover.” Done. No photo call necessary. In that we case, we actually built a feature article around the cover image.

When it comes to actually shooting, there’s no substitute for extensive coverage: if you’ve got something set up that might be a cover, shoot as many frames as you can. That increases the chances that you’ll get something just right. That little red jacket in the background of John’s photo is a good example.

I discovered very early on that it’s almost impossible to fish AND shoot pictures, so now I try to travel with a photographer–usually my high school buddy Sandy Hays. When he is in a situation where he thinks a really good photo is possible, he likes to say he’s going to “hose it down,” meaning shoot if from every angle, bracketed, etc.

I am perfectly willing to look at any and all future submissions, but I ask that you evaluate your own shots carefully before you send them to me. Using what you’ve learned from this thread, ask yourself if the shot really works as a cover.

Thanks,

Phil

[Mike McKeown]

Thanks Phil

I showed this thread to one of my local magazine editors and she agrees that it is one of the hardest decisions to make.
Might I ask if there is a way we can see your back issue covers? Now that we know what your look for and what NOT, I would like to put your theory to practice.

Regards

Mike

BTW this is their latest copy, and that’s DarrYl Lamperts picture on the cover.

[Mike Anderson]

When I imagine a cover that would make we walk across the room Gray’s Sporting Journal comes to mind. The simplicity and “old timey feel” always makes me want to pick that magazine up and read it cover to cover.
What I would strive for in a cover is what would make this cover and magazine so good that somebody would consider stealing it from the magazine rack in the Dr’s office.

I’m sure AA sells a lot more mags then GSJ though.

[Phil Monahan]

Might I ask if there is a way we can see your back issue covers?

Here’s all the 2008 covers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29518378@N07/

[Mike McKeown]

Thanks You Phil.

[yuhina]

Great thread! Thanks Phil… not sure if a fish will suitable for cover…but here is a fish in a net with tiny bit of a rod…

[yuhina]

and maybe this one is more summer scenery…

[yuhina]

[les_kish]

[Author]

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