📸 Bruce Gilden's "Only God Can Judge Me," 12 magazines and blogs for photographers

INSIGHT

If you follow us on social, you might have noticed that we've been quiet for the past year or so. We have large followings on our platforms, but the problems with social outweigh the positives for us: the ever-changing algorithms, mental health strain, content overwhelm, time suck, and pressure to conform to trends, to name a few.

Lately, I've noticed that many photographers (who somehow still manage to pop up in my feed amidst the myriad of TikTok-style videos) are sharing something new on social: links to their newsletters. Some photographers are even hosting giveaways to encourage subscriptions. Photojournalist Ami Vitale recently hosted a giveaway on her Instagram, and over 700 (including me) signed up.

Newsletters are emerging as the new frontier for photographers to “own their audience,” communicate authentically and without judgment, and showcase their work with full creative freedom.

Moreover, newsletters can be a boon for your photography business. Regularly delivering valuable content via newsletters builds a loyal customer base, encourages repeat business, and fosters a sense of community. And by strategically integrating calls-to-action and links, photographers can drive traffic to their websites, online stores, or portfolios, boosting sales and bookings.

Some photographers are even offering paid content subscriptions, collaborating with brands to host giveaways, and taking on sponsored advertising.

Are you curious about starting a newsletter or growing an existing newsletter?

If you answered yes, we recommend that you use Beehiiv.

Feature Shoot recently migrated our newsletter to Beehiiv because it gives us (and you!) the tools to customize, grow, and monetize easily and with full design control.

If you want to get started, we can help!

Use our link to sign up, and you will receive our insightful guide, “21 Ways Beehiiv Can Help Photographers Grow Their Business.” Additionally, when you opt for a paid plan, you'll get a complimentary 20-minute consulting call with me, Alison Zavos, to discuss custom strategies for starting (or growing) your specific newsletter.

Here’s how you can gain access:

1. Register on Beehiiv at no cost.

2. Opt for a paid plan (available from just $49/month).

3. Forward your purchase confirmation to [email protected].

Note: If you're not ready to commit to a paid plan, no worries. Feel free to test the waters with our link and experience Beehiiv for free. Once you choose to upgrade, you’ll still be eligible to receive the consulting call.

PODCAST

Folks, this will be our last podcast for a bit, but we are leaving on a high note. We recorded this episode a few years ago but didn’t put it live before we went on hiatus. I don’t want that to happen again, so we are closing out the Feature Shoot podcast with legendary photographer Bruce Gilden speaking about portraits of sex workers he photographed in Miami.

I could literally listen to Bruce read the phone book. It’s well worth 7 minutes of your time. Have a listen here.

Many thanks to MPB for sponsoring our podcast season.

ON FEATURE SHOOT

A Teen Photographer Races to Protect a Massachusetts Forest

The teen photographer Soren Goldsmith spent his childhood exploring the woods and wetlands of Belmont, Massachusetts. By the time he was in high school, he’d started photographing them too. One spring, he visited the same patch of woods each afternoon, returning time and again to watch a pair of Great Horned owls, listening to them hooting back and forth just before the sun hit the horizon.

This land, where Goldsmith grew up and discovered his passion for wildlife photography, is currently under threat. The Belmont Hill School, which owns the land, has plans to clearcut the woods to make way for a parking lot and mechanical facility, despite a petition signed by more than 2,800 people to stop the development.

Since the announcement of those plans, Goldsmith’s work has taken on a new kind of urgency. Using camera traps, he’s captured images of wild animals in their element without altering their behavior or interfering with their habitats. These are the animals with whom many of us share our homes but rarely get to see.

Read the entire interview on Feature Shoot.

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

📷 Skillshare- Learn everything from cyanotypes to retouching for boudoir portraits. Feature Shoot readers get a 30-day free trial. (link)

💻 CleanMyMac X- Rid your computer of junk and get it humming again fast. (link)

🦾 ChatGPT for Photographers- Learn 101 clever ways to prompt ChatGPT to give you the edge you need in the age of AI. (link)

🌆 Mylio- Manage, curate, catalog, and share photos and videos. (link)

SURVEY

Thanks to all who’ve taken the Feature Shoot survey. It’s not too late to tell us your thoughts, although I will stop bugging you about it soon, I promise!

And for those who have shared some, let’s say less effusive thoughts – we see you, and we're grateful for the feedback.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The 17th edition of the Sony World Photography Awards, the leading competition for photographers, is open for entries! Closing on January 5, 2024, at 13:00 (GMT), the Open competition of the Sony World Photography Awards welcomes photographers, both established and emerging, to submit their striking single images across ten distinct categories. Open Photographer of the Year wins $5,000, a range of Sony digital kits, plus global exposure.

Redeem your exclusive bundle of images for free today with the code FS24 to enter up to 20 additional images into the Open Competition. More information here.

NEWS

• “From an old-style Afghan camera, a new view of life under the Taliban emerges.”

• Barbara Iweins has photographed every last item in her Brussels home.

• 12 magazines and blogs that every photographer should check out. Pretty sure this is an SEO play, but still, it’s a good list.

• Drone reveals a mysterious cliff-hanging shack in California.

WORK WITH US

🚀 Discover opportunities for career and/or project growth and development with a 1-on-1 consult with Alison Zavos, Founder of Feature Shoot.

🖼️ Submit your photos for a chance to have your work featured in this newsletter (with 50K subscribers) and on Feature Shoot. ​

📸 Get access to exclusive articles and guides with a premium newsletter subscription to Feature Shoot. Upgrade today.

🗣️ Receive expert feedback and advice from photo editors at The New York Times, WIRED, Flowers Gallery, and more. Sign up for a portfolio review.​

🔥 Reach an audience of 50,000 photographers and creatives. Sponsor our newsletter.

This newsletter runs on Beehiiv.