Magazines I read

BadDog and I attended the class (as I remember at BadDog’s insistence, Thanks ‘dog!) and we got a lot out of it. It was taught by Kyle and was well worth the price to attend (actually the attendance fee was low, so it was more than worth it).
But beyond that, I’ve pretty much learned by reading and shooting. Digital was the portal through which I really accelerated my education, simply by shooting a zillion pictures and being able to analyze them immediately afterwards. I can’t stress enough how beneficial this is.
I thought you might be interested in the magazines I read, and maybe I might help you to discover a new one or two that you weren’t currently reading.
If you have any favorites that I don’t mention, please let me know as I’m always looking for new sources of information or creative spark.

National Geographic- Even though this isn’t a “how-to” photo-magazine in the strictest sense, just looking at, and analyzing how these masters take pictures is well worth the price of admission.

American Photo- An offshoot of the French PHOTO, this magazine usually has more edge to its photographic subjects, so it is interesting to get an alternate photographic perspective. The new-stuff features quite often contain items that aren’t always featured in other photo magazines.

Outdoor Photographer-Great how-to articles, and wonderful writing in its monthly columns, this magazine is good for both novice and pro. They also feature more equipment features for outdoor photography (like grad ND filters, or rain-coats for your cameras) so this can be informative for anybody who takes pictures outdoors in all kinds of conditions.

PHOTO Techniques-A good magazine that features one of my favorite columnists, David Vestal, who at first glance, comes off as someone who’s many levels above the norm (which he is, technically), but his writing always has a heart to it that let’s you know this is a man who just loves photography and wants to share his knowledge with all.
The magazine as a whole is still firmly in the darkroom-camp (firmly, but not completely), but reading the articles about darkroom processing will give you good insight as to what constitutes a great photo. This is knowledge that you can take with you and apply to your digital experience. It does, however feature very good digital info as well.
DIGITAL PHOTO PRO-A nicely laid out and produced magazine aimed at the Digital Photographer. Another magazine with a creative edge to it, they cover tips and techniques aimed at the digital darkroom.

PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY- This British magazine has some great tutorials. They also have readers-photos critiques (careful you aren’t the sensitive type) that are good at helping you improve your photography. They have good photographer features, and unlike most American magazines, the product reviews aren’t “advertiser sensitive”, and thus have more believability. If they think a product is poo-poo they tell you! Some of the American publications have started imitating what these magazines have been doing for a while, and it’s not a bad thing.

PHOTOGRAPHY MONTHLY- Another British magazine that’s more in-line with our Outdoor Photography. Great “Practical Photography” tutorials are an excellent way to get to the next level (or levels) in your photographic technique. Good exposure of pro-photographers, and the same No-fear attitude with regards to product reviews.

PHOTOgraphic-A venerable old-school publication, But they’ve been updating their content to better reflect current trends. Good tutorials, lots of ads, and a good magazine for all levels of photography. The best thing is you can usually get a year’s subscription for the same price of a single-copy of the other magazines. Recently absorbed by Shutterbug magazine, it’s no longer published.
PHOTO-A French publication that features more edgy subjects and a lot of Old Masters such as Henri Cartier Bresson, or Lartigue, or (one of my favorites) Robert Doisneau. Usually nicely done, it also feature much of the Gallic quirkiness that French-publications are known for.

Popular Photography & Imaging-Another venerable old-school publication that’s been updated to reflect today’s trends (thus the addition of “Imaging” to the old Popular Photo moniker). It features good product reviews (watch out for the manufacturer-pleasing comments though), and great how-to articles, good features on photographers, and their equipment and techniques. They’ve also adopted the British commentary on reader’s photos. Another good value for all levels of photographers if you get the annual subscription.

Studio Photography & Design- A Cygnus publication that’s nicely done and features very contemporary Photographers and Photography. A lot of studio technique as well as a lot of info for the wedding photographer.

Photoshop USER- Brought to you by NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals), this is probably the best monthly publication on how to learn to use, and learn to become and advanced user of Photoshop. Incredible advanced tutorials, as well as a “Back to basics” section for novices, and everything in-between. Very highly recommended for any Photoshop user.

This is just a sampling of magazines I read each month to keep up on my game; others include Arizona Highways (awesome photos), Smithsonian (great photos and articles), Road & Track (awesome photography), Automobile (great photos too),MacWorld, iCreate (the best tutorials for a lot of creative applications), Layers, DesignGraphics from Australia, Life magazine (mainly the old ones for awesome B&W photography) and many others.
Like I said, reading is knowledge, and if you have any favorite publications that aren’t listed here, let me know as I’m always on the lookout for new stuff!