Please tell me: how to submit photos?

There are a large number of amateur photographers in China, many of whom have been scrimping and saving for years and creating amateur works. However, due to various reasons, it can be said that there are more inputs and less gains, and some even make ends meet. In addition to the choice of subject matter, poor information, shooting technology and artistic level, there is also an important factor, that is, the lack of awareness to improve the publication rate of works. In fact, shooting is a science, and it is even more a science to send photos so that you can have a better ownership. I think it's better to have the following awareness when taking the same photo, which will be conducive to the publication of my work.

● News awareness and artistic awareness

There are thousands of Qian Qian themes in life, but everyone should shoot according to their own advantages. Especially for amateur photographers, first of all, it is necessary to make clear that some content is suitable for news shooting, but it needs to be shot in time and released in time, with a strong sense of time. First, it must be delivered in time before the newspaper deadline. Without express delivery, it may be difficult to guarantee the timeliness. Second, we should consider whether there are reporters on the scene. If there is, there is no point in posting your photo, because even if your reporter takes it badly, it is more human than you.

Some photos require artistic consideration. Although the timeliness is relatively loose, according to the recent editorial policy or the requirements of the focus of newspaper propaganda, it is often ineffective labor out of season. So sometimes the content filmed this year can't be used this year, and it won't be published until the second year or even the third year. Many things in life can be easily grasped by anyone. For these photos with general themes, they must undergo artistic sublimation. When shooting, you must have your own ideas and unique advantages, which is likely to produce publishing value. This requires photographers to make more efforts in image selection, running out and instant grasping. And the actual shooting is difficult to succeed.

● Consciousness of regional characteristics

We often see photos of some landmark buildings frequently appearing in some newspapers. No matter what major events there are, the chances of photos taken in these places being published in newspapers are much higher than usual. There is a reason for this, because as far as the world is concerned, as far as the whole country is concerned, many places have their own landmark buildings, some are traditional buildings and some are emerging buildings. For example, the Eiffel Tower appeared in French competitions, and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower or Bund often appeared in Shanghai competitions, which made people feel flattered. Other historical sites, such as Tian 'anmen in Beijing and Baota shan in Yan 'an, are familiar landmarks. They can represent some places to some extent. Pay more attention to the reports of Xinhua News Agency and CCTV reporters on major events, and you will deeply understand how they use these iconic objects, from which you can learn some real meanings.

Because photography, as an image medium, mainly speaks with visual images, as long as these iconic features appear, the audience can clearly understand the areas reflected by the content in the picture. Therefore, many photographers often wander around these typical news-producing places, because once a major event happens in a certain place, it must be a point, and the regional image characteristics here provide a certain basis for the publication of photos. The photo market without regional characteristics will be greatly discounted.

● Quality awareness

The reason why we should advocate the awareness of fine works is that the editors of any newspaper face a wide range of authors, and almost all editors will receive manuscripts from all over the country, many of which are works of professional photographers or celebrities. Therefore, when you choose and measure your own works, you should stand at a certain height and observe whether your works are innovative or superior from the perspective of the National Photography Group. If you are lucky enough to send some mediocre manuscripts, you will naturally get lost in the ocean of manuscripts. Therefore, don't take chances when you contribute. Be sure to send the best photos and works. Some authors think that they have encountered many difficulties in making these films. In fact, the editor won't care what difficulties you encounter. What matters is the quality of the film. It is only the material of the story that is difficult, not the reason for sending inferior photos.

Of course, when shooting, we should pay attention to ensuring that the moment is properly grasped, the characters are typical, and the lighting is consistent with the theme of the picture; Technically, we should pay attention to clear focus, accurate exposure, normal color reproduction and photo density to meet the requirements of plate making. (By the way, generally speaking, the photos provided to newspapers should not be too dark, because the photos after plate making and printing will be darker; The photos provided to the magazine can be deeper, which will enrich the level. You have considered all the relevant factors that an editor should consider for him, so your photos will be published more often.

● Consciousness of composition and scene separation.

What I mean here is not the general picture composition, but the choice of picture composition from the perspective of editing. Some people say that it is good to shoot more vertical composition so that such a picture can be used as a cover without any clipping. But we know that if a cover is needed, it must be published in a magazine, and there is also a very important form in the magazine-spread photos. But the requirements of cross-page photos are completely different from those of cover photos. It must be composed horizontally, and because there are stitching creases in the middle, their wonderful parts should not be arranged in the middle. Moreover, the photos on the cover and spread often need typesetting, and the content of the picture should not be too full and blocked, giving people an airtight feeling.

When providing group photos, we should pay attention to the combination of horizontal composition and vertical composition, and at the same time pay attention to photos of various scenes, such as large scenes, middle scenes, close-ups, etc., as well as the combination of a little material and surface materials, so as to facilitate excellent editors to arrange impactful layouts after having pictures with different spatial spans or different perspectives. In other words, when you spend a lot of energy and money taking group photos, you must consider these factors from the editor's point of view, so that the editor has a choice, so that when he gets your photos, he will know that you have taken them into account when shooting. You are an expert, and your photos will have more opportunities to see the light of day.

● Editorial consciousness

Look at the problem from the perspective of empathy. The author might as well consider the problem from the editor's point of view. You should consider the factors that the editor will consider, and you'd better also consider the aspects that the editor has not considered. For example, where should I put this photo? Which column is it in? Of course, a particularly good work may create a column for you, but it is unlikely for ordinary amateur photographers. What is the estimated area? When is it scheduled to be published? What is the reason for the release? Do you need some written explanation? Is it better to take a single photo or a group photo when releasing? Do you need a concise text description or a detailed monograph? Do you need the necessary data to explain the problem? If you want an article, what are the requirements for the genre and literary talent of the article, and so on. In fact, your manuscript was finally published in newspapers and periodicals, which is no longer the result of an editor's review. In a sense, your manuscript was handled by a group of people who found fault. How can we do without foresight and certain quality assurance?

Of course, there is still a lot of market awareness, but paying attention to the above aspects is undoubtedly beneficial to your work. Long-term persistence will help to create, help to yield, and help to get rid of their own economic difficulties.

Editor in charge: Excerpted from "Sina Photography"