JPG: Two Ways to Participate
March 9th, 2008 | Published in Creative, Featured | 2 Comments
Lately, one of my weekly, and usually daily visits, has included JPG Magazine. Through this site I have found a new light shining in terms of my photography. For those unfamiliar with the site and how it works, I have some helpful information just for you.
There are basically two ways that I have found one can participate with JPG Magazine. First, you can participate and second, you can interact.
- Participate: To participate with the site, you will have an account and upload a few photos here and there, primarily in hopes of having your work published. As you know, having your work published means $100 and a free subscription. That is pretty snazzy if you ask me. Those who participate would normally log in to check the stats on their photos, vote a few times, and then check out.
- Interact: This site and publication relies entirely on users. If it were not for the heaps of photographers submitting their photos, articles, stories, feedback, and votes to the site, the magazine would just not be a magazine at all. To interact with the site, you might be what I have become the past month: almost obsessed. Someone who interacts goes beyond submitting photos, they engage with the work of others allowing it to inspire them to create new work. They consider their own process and workflow to submit new articles and how-to instructionals. They jot down ideas which are later crafted into personal stories documented with their own lens. And after all of that, they spend hours voting and sifting and voting on the unending talented pool of work flowing through the site.
So why does this matter?
It might not. What you get out is often times what you put in and lately, I feel a new connection with my photography. After seeing some of the work in JPG, I have attempted to broaden my photography horizon, working more with film (I even bought a Holga) instead of solely digital. I spend more time surfing photographers websites and seeking out the work of others that I have found because of JPG.
If you are looking for inspiration, interact. Don’t just participate.
April 25th, 2008 at 5:41 pm (#)
i found a 3rd way to participate: never get published!
April 26th, 2008 at 8:33 am (#)
Ha! Yea, I found that way out as well. At least so far. I have two images that somehow made it as “hot” images for Issue 16:
Metro Trans which was submitted for the Human Impact Theme and Fresh Tobacco which was submitted to the Fresh theme. My Shark in the Water photo submitted to the On The Go theme got little to no play. I would even be happy with the My Precious story that I submitted see some love.