Editorial feature of Fayetteville, Arkansas, in Good Grit Magazine

One of my favorite things to photograph is features for magazine articles. I love that it digs into my photojournalism roots, but also allows for a little direction to be able to create images that are a bit more polished.

Last summer I was contacted by the creative director at Good Grit Magazine. It’s a southern culture magazine based in Birmingham, Ala., but is available in 41 states. They asked me to shoot images for the reoccurring series, “Travel like a Local,” where they list the best hidden gem places to visit while in various southern cities. It was a blend of environmental photos, interiors, landscape and food photography.

If you were able to read my last post, you’ll understand a bit more why this is right up my alley. Magazine photography is what helped me shape where I wanted to take my photography business, and what direction I wanted to take my focus. My experiences with magazines help me to narrow the services I provide to clients.

With editorial features like this one, I’m usually sent a list of potential places to photograph and not really given too much direction other than a total number of final images needed for the story. My thought process for narrowing usually involves choosing places I have not photographed in the past. I’ve been a freelance photographer for quite some time now, and I’ve grown a fairly extensive collection of images of Northwest Arkansas in my archive. When I look over lists, I try to add to that archive rather than duplicate it. I also try to think about the visual aspect of the location, and if it will lend to better photographs just because it’s a cool place. I also think about the historical significance of a place to our area and if it needs to be featured because it’s a staple. In these situations, the magazine often rely on local opinion to choose the places that best represent the community. I usually lean toward places that have been here a while because it would look bad for the magazine to feature a place that closes before the article is published. There’s a little more to choosing than closing my eyes and pointing at the list to make a random choice… although that could be a pretty fun way to pick.

Leverett Lounge

Wood Stone Pizza

Local Shopping – City Suppy and Dickson Street Book Shop

Local Entertainment – Razorback Greenway