Photography magazines: Next Level

[Helen B]

Along with Aperture and Blind Spot, Next Level (http://www.nextleveluk.com/) has become one of my must-look-at-in-the-newsagents-and-probably-buy photography magazines. It does have a few adverts at the front that set off the hype detector, but once you are past those it is ad-free. Though it only comes out twice a year, each issue is substantial.

Best,
Helen

 

[arigram]

Is it a portfolio (photos only) magazine?
The subscription prices are pretty high, I hope it is for its good print quality.

 

[modafoto]

I hope it is for its good print quality.

It better be fibre based with those subscription fees

 

[Leon]

I work with a friend of the editors ... it has a very "modern" style of photgraphy in it, and is very good!

 

[rbarker]

It does appear to be a bit pricey. But, $12/issue or so for U.S. delivery really isn't too bad for a high-quality photo magazine with minimal advertising. Publishing costs are probably one of the few things in the world more under-appreciated than photographer's expenses.

 

[Helen B]

I agree, it does seem expensive for a magazine, but it has over 100 pages of well-printed photographs without interruptions by advertising - you could liken it to a bumper edition of Aperture in terms of the amount of photographs and text. It does not deal with technique or equipment at all.

Best,
Helen

 

[jd callow]

Aperture and Commercial Arts (photo annual @~17.00usd) are not far behind in cost and are, when comparred to a soft cover book of similar content, down right cheap.

 

[Monophoto]

While I would like to accept your assertions, my unfortunate experience with photo magazines leads me to want two things. First, I would like to see an actual copy to decide whether the quality justifies the price. Unfortunately, neither Borders nor Barnes & Noble carry this publicaiton in my area.

My second concern is that I have been burned by boutique magazine publishers - both in the US and in the UK. In the US there was the famous Darkroom Photography debacle. Followed by Camera & Darkroom. Followed in recent months by PhotoVision. Three times on one publication ought to have taught me a lesson. Of course, they sold the mailing list to "Outdoor Photography" - an equipment-shilling rag that I throw away the same day it arrives in the mail.

But then there was Darkroom User, later relabeled Camera & Darkroom and published in the UK. Excellent publication - but alas the publication schedule had to be sacrificed to the publisher's need to be the sole caregiver for his ailing wife. And when they moved to France, publication ceased, even through my subscription had more than a year left to run. Only in this case, they didn't sell the mailing list to another publisher.

 

[Jorge]

It does appear to be a bit pricey. But, $12/issue or so for U.S. delivery really isn't too bad for a high-quality photo magazine with minimal advertising. Publishing costs are probably one of the few things in the world more under-appreciated than photographer's expenses.

I think your math is wrong, 72 pounds translates to about $140 USD. For 4 issues that is about $35 per issue....too rich for my taste, I dont care how good is the photography.
If I wanted to order it, I would end up paying almost $50 per issue...thanks, but no thanks...

 

[rbarker]

I think your math is wrong . . .

You're right, Jorge. I didn't have my other eyes on, and missed the £ symbol.

But, I think that focuses even tighter on the underlying issue of whether high-quality analog publications are economically feasible absent a strong advertising base to underwrite the costs of publication. If we want affordable subscription fees, we need to put up with the ads.

 

[jd callow]

Yeah, I missed the math as well. It is more than twice what I pay for Aperture and Comm Arts for 2 fewer issues and half as many issues respectively .

 

[Jorge]

You're right, Jorge. I didn't have my other eyes on, and missed the £ symbol.

But, I think that focuses even tighter on the underlying issue of whether high-quality analog publications are economically feasible absent a strong advertising base to underwrite the costs of publication. If we want affordable subscription fees, we need to put up with the ads.

I dont mind the ads, hell, I dont even mind digital ads, as long as the magazine is analog...

 

[John McCallum]

It does showcase some outstanding photographers ....

 

[lee]

kinda pricey for me too.

lee\c

 

[bjorke]

Given that Aperture is well-stocked by the local library (they have quite a selection in the basement in San Jose, with a variety of titles going back to about 1900), the cost is near-zero -- just my time. I wonder if I can find a library over here stocking Next Level.

(Why do I find out about this two weeks after I'm back from the UK????)

 

[rbarker]

I dont mind the ads, hell, I dont even mind digital ads, as long as the magazine is analog...

I assume you mean focus of content as opposed to production, Jorge. Most of the glue pots and hot wax rollers for analog production went in the dump years ago. Not enough value to go on eBay with the Hassies and the enlargers.

 

[jd callow]

A long time ago (early to mid 80's) I did the keylines for the ads/brochures/etc.. that I designed. Often mounted with wax on non photo reproducible blue grid board or the truly painful striping of negs with ruby lith on flats. Even then the typesetting and some of the process colour seps were created on old monstrous dedicated digital contraptions.

 

[lee]

there are still people that take digitally produced page negs and strip them on to golden rod stripping paper for metal plate exposure. Mostly in the long run offset industry.

lee\c

 

[Jeremy]

A long time ago (early to mid 80's) I did the keylines for the ads/brochures/etc.. that I designed. Often mounted with wax on non photo reproducible blue grid board or the truly painful striping of negs with ruby lith on flats. Even then the typesetting and some of the process colour seps were created on old monstrous dedicated digital contraptions.

John,
I used to paste-up a newspaper by hand with wax and keylines. Oh, it was so much fun

 

[glbeas]

John,
I used to paste-up a newspaper by hand with wax and keylines. Oh, it was so much fun

I've done that, and shot the pasteups on the large copy camera and hand developed the litho film and made the halftones, stripped the negs and burned the plates then loaded the press with paper, plates and ink and printed the whole thing. I worked for at least a half dozen small newspapers over the years, glad I'm out of it but life was interesting then!

 

[jd callow]

I recieved a few 100 sheet boxes of sxx because it was nolonger needed for colour sep work.

So the movement to digital has its up side.

 

[roteague]

"Outdoor Photography" - an equipment-shilling rag that I throw away the same day it arrives in the mail.

An equipment-shiling DIGITAL rag.

 

[arigram]

There is this greek published magazine that has very high quallity glossy thick pages book-like binding and a bit more than a hundred pages, has about five pages of ads per issue, concentrates on photographs only with a few lines of photographer's biography and costs seven euros per issue. The double edged sword is that it accepts images from any source and aesthetics so it can have anything from classic cliches to experimental garbage. It is published every two months and I always look forward to a copy in the newstand.
The US, BW magazine has good photography and paper but its printing could be better especially since it is aimed at collectors and ends up costing 12 euros an issue.
In other words, I don't think any magazine justifices higher prices than 10 euros/dollars unless is printed and valued as a book.

 

[Aggie]

Big difference would be the cost of shipping to Europe. Same holds true the other way. We pay more than you do for a magazine that comes from Europe. It's the postage that kills the prices.

There is this greek published magazine that has very high quallity glossy thick pages book-like binding and a bit more than a hundred pages, has about five pages of ads per issue, concentrates on photographs only with a few lines of photographer's biography and costs seven euros per issue. The double edged sword is that it accepts images from any source and aesthetics so it can have anything from classic cliches to experimental garbage. It is published every two months and I always look forward to a copy in the newstand.
The US, BW magazine has good photography and paper but its printing could be better especially since it is aimed at collectors and ends up costing 12 euros an issue.
In other words, I don't think any magazine justifices higher prices than 10 euros/dollars unless is printed and valued as a book.

 

[arigram]

Well, the price difference of BW is a couple of dollars, it still costs about 11 dollars in the Us, doesn't it (don't have the mag next to me, so I can't comfirm that)?
In any case, a magazine should have magazine prices. If it's priced as a book, it should be printed as one.
There are two kinds of magazines for me: The ones to consume, for the articles and the news and the ones to keep as reference for the photos or complex techniques.
For the second type I will pay more if it is made to be something I will keep refering to.