© nevada wier Bagan, Myanmar

The first photography magazine I read religiously was Outdoor Photographer. I bet I bought its inaugural issue in 1985. There was nothing like it on the newsstands for avid photographers. I poured over the magazine, tearing out pages about technical and creative tips that inspired me. I learned so much and was riveted by spectacular images.

I was first featured in the November 1993 issue (photos from my first book Land of Nine Dragons: Vietnam Today). I was ecstatic! I continued to be featured over the years in various articles: Landscape & People, India’s Himayalas, an article about my National Geographic Blue Nile expedition, an article I wrote on flash “Flash on the Go” — are ones that come to mind. OP also supported Visual Journeys, a nationwide lecture series with Lisl Dennis and myself, that was on the road from 1995 – 1997. I owe many thanks to Steve Werner, the Publisher/Editor in Chief.

I have to admit that my subscription lapsed as I became more adept in photography. I moved on their pro digital magazine Digital Photo Pro. [And, there was that article I promised to write years ago that I never did. Editor extraordinaire, the extremely witty Christopher Robinson, I think has forgiven me. Please?]

Generously, they just profiled me in the recent November 2011 issue People in Color. I heard it was out so I bought the magazine a couple of days ago and think it is a well written article. Aside from this bit of vanity, I still love OP! [And, shout out to them for putting a watermark on the photo, not just a credit in the text.]

However, I don’t need another printed magazine subscription; I can barely get through the four I have: Photo District News, Digital Photo Pro, National Geographic, and Mac World. I love printed books, newspapers, and magazines. I like flipping pages. However, I like even better not toting all this heavy printed matter on my travels (that’s when I read them). So, I do have an increasing number of digital subscriptions: NY Times, Wired, National Geographic Traveler, The New Yorker, and I’m sure more will come. I love to read. And, now I have a digital subscription to OP! I didn’t know it existed until a few hours when I was researching for this post. I get to see more great images on my ipad!

So, please read the article and think about subscribing. In fact continue to subscribe to magazines, printed or digital. I got my start in professional photography being published in magazines. I wish that for today’s emerging photographers. Hopefully, once this awkward period of publishing is over, photographers might be able to make a reasonable living again in editorial magazines.

What’s your favorite photography magazine? Printed or Digital version?