I am submitting digital photographs to a magazine via e-mail and was wondering what I should put in the e-mail. Here is what the submission guidlines are...
Photographers:
Leatherneck accepts photography from both military and civilian photographers. Color slides and prints are preferred for most photographs, but black and white images are entirely appropriate for historical material. Digital photography also is acceptable and should be submitted in either a JPG or TIFF format, and be at least 300 d.p.i. or higher in resolution. Send digital photographs to the attention of the editor at: leatherneck@mca-marines.org.
I am not sure what I should put in the e-mail when submitting the pictures. Any help/advice would be appreciated.
Just send them the final version of your photo, using the largest size and least compression and you should be fine.
Their requirement of "300dpi" simply indicates a lack of understanding of digital photos on their part. Digital files are not ANY dpi, natively. That's completley a function of the output device--for you to send something that could be printed at 300dpi, you would have to know the final dimentions of the print that would appear. A small web-sized 800x600 file COULD be printed at 300dpi--of course, it would only be 2.6 inches by 2 inches, but it would be 300dpi.
Usual guidelines are 8x10 at 300dpi, at least for the magazines I've submitted work to. You might want to check to see if they really want you to email them print ready resolution images or would prefer them on CD, with contact sheets. It is also typically worth filling out the appropriate IPTC data on the image, along with your copyright information. Don't forget to include any usage guidelines you have for the image as well as understanding what rights you may or may not be assigning to them, along with any restrictions you have on the usage. (e.g., must have your name credited or how much money you want for it, if they can use it for additional marketing promotions or if you are giving them limited use rights for one-time publication, etc)
They'll no doubt want a good caption for any image you provide (location, names of anyone in the image, date, any other relevant info ( military type info like vehicle classes etc perhaps depending on the picture) plus information on what is happening. This should typically be in a factual style, without editorial comment.
Maybe I should have rephrased my post. What I really need to do is find out what to say in the e-mail. How do I introduce myself and submit the pictures without sounding like a total amateur?
You didn't say, but do you have a specific picture you want to submit? If that is the case, the picture should do most of the talking. Tell them why you think they should be interested in the photo. A brief "about me" paragraph should suffice and include contact information like email, phone and physical address.
You don't have to put anything in the e-mail. Just say Here's a shot I'd like to submit for your mag and attach the file. A sentence or two about the circumstances when you took it won't hurt. Make sure that they can get in touch with you. If they like it and want to use it, they'll ask you for any more info they need.
alot of mags like to see a resume and cover letter, but if you really haven't had your work published anywhere, don't lie about it as that can just be embarassing in the long run. if you have experience though, include a resume as an editor likes to see that they are dealing with someone who knows the business.
as far as the cover letter just explain who you are and about the pictures, dont write a biography about yourself or anything, just try and sound as professional as possible.
