# Photography magazines



## Kcray85 (Jan 6, 2013)

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.


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## Ew (Jan 6, 2013)

Have a look at David duChemin's new quarterly:


http://davidduchemin.com/2012/10/introducing-photograph/


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## moocowe (Jan 6, 2013)

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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## shutterwideshut (Jan 6, 2013)

If you can afford it, subscribe to www.lynda.com for unlimited photography video tutorial courses at US$25.00/month.


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## crasher8 (Jan 6, 2013)

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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## TexPhoto (Jan 6, 2013)

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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## jeffabbyben (Jan 6, 2013)

kelby training offers some great online training videos.


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## DrChemE (Jan 6, 2013)

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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## Waterloo (Jan 6, 2013)

I subscribe to http://www.naturesbestphotography.com. "I don't read the articles, just look at the pictures."


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## And-Rew (Jan 6, 2013)

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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## agierke (Jan 6, 2013)

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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## crasher8 (Jan 6, 2013)

The interview and images from Stanko Abadzic in an issue of B&W last year was worth 10x it's cost. One of the greatest imho.


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## jp121 (Jan 6, 2013)

+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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## paul13walnut5 (Jan 6, 2013)

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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## TeenTog (Jan 6, 2013)

I love outdoor photographer. It's got great content, and has more content than reviews, but has a "new gear" type section that I like. Popular photography is ok.


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## localhost (Jan 6, 2013)

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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## Kcray85 (Jan 7, 2013)

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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## artsmalley (Jan 7, 2013)

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.



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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## tgara (Jan 7, 2013)

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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## nonac (Jan 7, 2013)

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.



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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## jp121 (Jan 7, 2013)

Magazine subscriptions are much cheaper via itunes/ipad. It takes a bit to get used to. But i am to buy magazines from all over the world. And they are much cheaper than news stand prices.


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## FatDaddyJones (Jan 7, 2013)

I just picked up two issues of Photo Plus - Canon. It's a great magazine and I might just subscribe to it. Thanks for the heads up.


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## David Hull (Jan 7, 2013)

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.



I subscribe to several but as many have suggested after you have subscribed for a while the material tends to repeat. 

Three of my favorites are:

1. Digital PhotoPro -- bi-monthly this one has lots of good articles on photographers showing their work some good technical stuff as well. Claims to be targeted at Pros but Hobyiests can learn a lot here.

2. Lens work -- oriented toward B&W but the work in there is always inspiring.

3. Black & White -- this mag is oriented toward collectors of photography but like Lens Work, it is quite inspiring.

If you are looking for how-to magazines about technique and gear, try Popular Photography and Outdoor Photographer. You will outgrow these eventually – I am starting to get to that point.

I would also recommend loading up iTunes and subscribing to some podcasts – those are free.

1.	Martin Bailey Podcast
2.	This Week in Photo
3.	Digital Photography Café’
4.	The Art of Photography
5.	The Candid Frame
6.	Lens Work Podcast
7.	Nik Radio
8. Tips from the top floor

Do a search on the iTunes Store and find a few you like. There are literaly dozens of these -- all free. If you have an iPhone, iPad or iPod (or other MP3 type device) you can take these with you, listen during lunch, while exercising, taking a walk, driving etc. Excellent source of free info – highly recommended.

These are the photography orented ones, you can find ones targeting lightroom, photoshop, Lighting, etc. etc.

Also, there are a lot of good blogs out there. I think these days, teh internet is your friend


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## David Hull (Jan 7, 2013)

nonac said:


> 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.
> ...



I am glad to hear someone else say that. That was the first one I dumped. Worthless, worthless, worthless.


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## crasher8 (Jan 7, 2013)

I'm going to go buy one today and I'll tell you later tonight what I got out of it.


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## subashseo (Jan 16, 2013)

Photographic and digital imaging equipment reviews, company updates, business management information, and profiles of photographers.


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## Nazareth (Jan 26, 2013)

playboy magazine is a great photography magazine- j/k

If you want to learn soem great basics, and get soem pretty good inspiration, check out Bryan Peterson on Youtube- He's got a lot of pretty good short to the point videos- And another youtube photographer type in 'for knows photo' although be aware he uses course language- but he's pretty good too- I think Rick Sammon has a number of youtue videos too- I've picked up several pretty good tips- Look for videos on youtube by soem of hte well known photographers- they usually do short videos to promote their site and courses- Carl Taylor is a good practical knowledgeable photographer too on youtube-


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## Pixel (Jan 30, 2013)

As far as I'm concerned Digital Photo Pro is the gold standard of photo periodicals. Popular Photography makes me puke when I read it. It's nothing but a shill for the advertisers. They wouldn't dare take a manufacturer to task for anything. I'm not saying others mags are going to bash their advertisers, but Digital Photo Pro goes out of their way to write compelling, relevant, and informative articles that don't read like regurgitated manufacturer press releases.


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## David Hull (Jan 30, 2013)

Pixel said:


> As far as I'm concerned Digital Photo Pro is the gold standard of photo periodicals. Popular Photography makes me puke when I read it. It's nothing but a shill for the advertisers. They wouldn't dare take a manufacturer to task for anything. I'm not saying others mags are going to bash their advertisers, but Digital Photo Pro goes out of their way to write compelling, relevant, and informative articles that don't read like regurgitated manufacturer press releases.



Yep... I completely agree. DPP is the one magazene that I do not think I will ever outgrow. Popular Photography is one notch above Shutterbug IMO.


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## jthomson (Jan 30, 2013)

DrChemE said:


> 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!



+1
I picked up a couple of copies of Photo Plus at the newsstand then subscribed for a year. Definitely learned quite a bit from them, but I didn't renew the subscription as I found that I outgrew them.


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## Pieces Of E (Jan 30, 2013)

Practical Photography and Digital Photographer are 2 of the best magazines at the newsstand. They come from England, cost about $13.00 US and are worth every penny. One word of advice though and it's been repeated here in this thread. Photo mags tend to state and re-state articles over and over, therefore buying a yearly subscription might seem fruitless after a few months. Second word of advice is that they also tend to lean very heavily on Adobe Photoshop in their tutorials. Great if you've got it, worthless if you don't. I know it's the gold standard, but it's also $600 US. Happy reading, sharp shooting!


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## markwilliams279 (Feb 11, 2013)

It is good habit to learn photography through magzines.you can try http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/ I am following it from last 3 years. Lots of good techniques, new camera reviews, lens etc, almost every thing is there. Also you should attend photography event. Dont forget to watch you tube videos related to new techniques aswell. It will help you alot.


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