Why I like magazines

Not that you were asking, but I, Dan Milnor, am going to share my magazine thoughts with you … again. Why? First, I’m amazed at how many people don’t know we make a magazine. Second, this format is so unique in how it looks, how it can be designed, and what it means to those who receive it. And third, there are so many people who have the drive and talent to be publishing their own. How do I know? Because I did it. On a small scale mind you.

I shot, edited, sequenced, and designed a short-run magazine, back in 2009, and sold my allotted number (100). And I’m pretty sure I could have sold a lot more.

Now, am I going to support myself on magazine sales? Probably not, but I will tell you within a week of “announcing” I was going to do this I was getting calls from people who wanted to advertise. I ended up not doing any advertising, didn’t really need it, but had I chosen to go down that route, I think I could have managed it. The magazine has ALWAYS been one of the Holy Grails to documentary-style photographers, going back to the days of Look and Life.

However, all of this died back in the mid-1990s, and yet many of us are still pretending like these magazines are the keys to getting work out. Please. They aren’t, and they haven’t been for a long, long while, but the magazine is still very alluring because of what it means.

First, it’s designed to be discarded, in most cases, that is. We all have friends who have every copy of National Geographic or Rolling Stone or Off-Road Buckshot Mudder … come on, people, I grew up country. To some, the magazine is sacred ground. Most people get a magazine, read it, leave it around until they look at it and ask, “Why am I keeping these?” then toss them out.

But why? Because they know another issue in on the way. People, this is so fantastic. Ever thought about a subscription list? A simple email database of those who want in? How easy is that to compile? Wait for it … I’m doing this precise thing. Stay tuned for a subsequent post.

Also, magazines are informal in comparison to books. They are treated differently, taken poolside, used to mop up the puke of sick kids, and probably still read, but I would need independent verification from you parents out there. Magazines travel. They are given away. My wife gives hers away on airplanes. “Hey, wanna read this?” she asks and they are always taken.

These last two spreads are from a new project, Whistleblower, which is a look at the modern surveillance culture and the changing terminology of modern warfare. The images were made in various places around the world.

In a way, this was a trial run. Just another test in a long, long line of tests. I made mistakes, even after proofing so many times I almost threw up. It happens. To everyone. Don’t sweat it. Correct and move on. Live and learn. Enjoy.

When I see this magazine I think to myself, “What are the limits here, the possibilities?” and what comes back at me is … there aren’t any. What are we waiting for? Permission? An editor to assign something and then embargo the work after running one image? If you are a wedding photographer, why not run a quarterly run of your best images which then goes out to your top vendors, planners, and former clients, via print? Are you an editorial photographer? Why not run an issue on what didn’t run via mainstream channels? If you are an amateur who shoots for fun, why not do a run for your family to keep them up on what is turning you on in the visual world?

We all need to get hip and get hip now. This isn’t 1975, 1985, 1995, or even 2005. This is a blank slate. A playing field where everyone gets in the game.

Looking for some guidance? Visit our blog for tips on making a magazine.