It’s late summer, the perfect time to discuss what it takes to win a winter holiday cover. Or, at least what it was like for me to earn the prestigious Design NJ holiday cover shown below:
As you may know, publications obtain the majority of editorial photos via submissions from hopeful photographers and the designers they work for. These are provided gratis in exchange for the cachet of appearing in print if selected. Of course, my submissions are in competition with many, many others. While my work has appeared in numerous publications, including most notably Architectural Digest, the majority are returned with a polite, “Thanks but we’ve decided to pass at this time.” (I’m a believer in the importance of accepting “failure” as a means of success).
So, landing any holiday editorial at Design NJ is really something to be proud of. Landing a cover - Well, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. ;-).
Here’s a brief slide show of the editorial as it appeared within the issue. Click the arrows to view.
But, here’s the backstory. This particular holiday shoot benefited from several stars aligning. First, as the text mentions, it was photographed within the home of Alyson Sugar, a designer herself. Wonderful holiday decor was additionally provided by pro stylist Joanna Policastro. Both fine talents were in full force and effect the first day of the shoot when I produced most of the photos. There were, however, two compelling reasons to extend the shoot a 2nd day.
On Day-1 the exterior of the residence had only the remnants of a receded snowfall, rendering the grand entrance far less snowy white than ideal. (Why an exterior shot for an interior design pub? I felt strongly that it would serve as a great establishing shot. And, well, just look at that exterior)! Secondly, for the table and especially the place setting vignette we somehow omitted soup spoons. Gulp. Once weather was cooperating, Alyson happily accommodated a few extra hours access as I nailed down the entrance and place setting shots.
Editor Ren Miller has recommended to me directly that I keep cover shots in mind when doing editorial photography, but there was certainly no promise that any photo would become a cover here. I thought the grand foyer with its Christmas decor had pretty good chances, and it lent itself to a vertical shot to boot:
Or, otherwise maybe the living room, which was truly stunning. But, where’s the vertical crop to be found here?
What I didn’t know at the time, but was explained to me subsequently, is that since the issue is available on the newsstand well into January, any photo elements that said “Christmas” would likely disqualify the image from consideration. We can have wintery, but no Christmas in January. We live and learn, as they say …
Enter the dining room shot, replete with seasonal fare, but remaining non-denominational:
Do you see a cover? I wish I could say I did. But, I’m extremely thankful that there are keener eyes in the art department at Design NJ. By cropping the left-most side of this image, a smashing holiday cover became a reality. (Cover photo appears at top of this post).
One final note … You might be wondering what homeowner would allow a photographer to disrupt their home at the onset of the holidays? The answer is, probably none. Even if they did, there wouldn’t be enough lead time for any magazine to select submissions and publish sufficiently before the holidays. Therefore, holiday shoots are actually photographed in January of the same year. They only appear to be for the current season. Clever, huh?
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or magazine submission opportunities.