Is there need for a local photography magazine?

[Larry]

posting up a simple yes/no poll out of professional curiosity...

do you think there's a need/market for a Singapore (or even Asia) based photography magazine, to compete with the imports like Practical Photography, Digital Photography, Outdoor Photographer, Popular Photography and so on?

also, what would you like to see in a local magazine title if it's available, besides the usual product updates/reviews, photographic tips & techniques and 'expert' advice columns?

feel free to comment. thanks!

 

[Wai]

coming up with CSMag?

If compare to a computer magazine, i think come up with photography magazine is more feasible

computer stuff is moving too fast already, printed magazine is very hard to catch up with online one, but for photography...i feel that it will be ok...how often a new camera is launched compare to a CPU or graphic card? Also, those nice photo in photography magazine is more worth it to keep than a picture of a motherboard.

not sure abt the demand in Asia or Singapore, I think the price and the content have to be better than oversea one in order to capture readers attention

other than usual stuff like review & tips

may be also can included latest price for camera and lenses and accessories.....and may be also can include 2nd hand price? since the price for camera stuff dun fluctuate as quick as computer stuff, it shouldn't be too diffcult to maintian the database

and may be also can have some contest or "review" of photography courses?

 

[hongsien]

There used to be PhotoAsia (the magazine) here for a few years and it died out.....Singapore is a too small readers public for that

Hong Sien

 

[silver.wolf]

pai sei, borrow the thread for a while ....

which photography magazine in the market right now is worth buying huh?

thanks!

 

[mpenza]

might not be easy to compete though. US magazines could go for ~S$5 per copy with subscription (they're heavily subsidised with advertisements).

 

[eug]

I think the mag, should primarily cater to Digital newbie .... as population for this is growing and they need help from such a mag to start off.

 

[Ansel]

Cars are so expensive in Singapore, yet there are about 4 local car magazines.

Cameras and photographic equipment are inexpensive here, yet there aren't any photo magazine.

I am sure more people own cameras than cars. And how many cars can you change in your life time? Asuming you live in Singapore?

The four local motoring mags have survived for many years. I am a subscriber of 2 of them.

Yet, there is no local photo mags:cry:

 

[GoclPa]

it gotta be at a good price...

sg mags like hwz/pcworld(sg) seems kinda dead.. maybe cos due to the high price and avaliablity of information on the net..

its hard to fight

 

[Larry]

ah, thanks all for the comments and voting. interesting feedback... i was of the opinion that most people would like a reasonally priced, locally produced mag with content and info catered for the Asian markets, but seems like the demand wasn't as overwhelming as i thought it'll be.

actually, i'm interested to hear from those who think there isn't a need for such a mag - even if you're not the buying type and prefer to browse in the libraries and bookstores, wouldn't you prefer to browse thru a magazine more related to you as an audience?

thanks again all, keep those feedback coming! :thumbsup:

 

[jeff chen]

Ok Larry, here's what I think.

Regarding cost and price of the local photo mag, I think it will depend very much on what the local population is willing to pay. I mean there will always be pple who want to browse for free, but what if included in the mag are some interesting photoediting software or photo-technics that are only available in the attached CD ROM?

Sure, pple may want to even rip off those attached CD ROM, but Singaporeans must soon learn that all good things comes with a price. It's akin to music piracy, it needs education! Afterall, w/o this local mag, a few more talented pple wld simply be "unemployed".

Who says the local magazine cannot be circulated in say ASEAN and Asia-Pacific? If the magazine produced is good quality, we can always compete in the AP circuit. Afterall, who would have thought Channel News Asia had a chance when it first started out?

Having said all these, if there are indeed plans to set up a local photo mag,there will be a lot of issue to look at. What is the focus? Is it gonna be digital or film? Is it gonna be more for the pros or amatuers? What kinda of editorial team and what's their background? Do we have pple with solid credentials to start with? The most impt thing is what is the selling point of this local photo mag? Why wld someone in Singapore or even Asia-Pacific want to buy this particular mag and not those already established in the market? What is the strategy we need to take in order to compete with the big boys?

Other things like advertising revenue can be sorted out, but it must not be overlooked. Are the likes of Canon, Nikon, Epson etc willing to advertise in the local magazine so as to defray production cost. If not, it is hard to run it w/o sustaining huge losses in the initial months. We are talking abt how deep is the "pocket" to begin with.

These are just some initial thoughts. Feel free to discuss further.

 

[eug]

Maybe a quaterly mag ... can be feasable ... but got to keep the price down ...

 

[MoriMori]

I find photo mags tend to be more about equipment than photography techniques. NEW! WE REVIEW THE LATEST DIGITAL CAMERAS etc. The last thing we need is more measurbation porn.

Nowadays I prefer to read View Camera Magazine and b&w photo magazines.

 

[Knighthunter]

Can't blame the equipment reviews those photography mag life lines are on the camera shops and OEM advertisement.
IMHO, why we not start something like Wheels? But for photography.

 

[Larry]

thanks again all for the comments, suggestions & feedback. currently there's no concrete plans (or $$$... magazines are a very expensive business) but it's just something i've been thinking about for a long long time.

i was thinking of something with more photo techniques, "how-to" type of articles as well as photo displays and critiques to inspire readers to take more. mabbe a travel section to highlight the different places you can go to in Asia for photo opps. the equipment updates and reviews will be there of course, but it definitely won't turn into another hardware review mag of course.

pls continue to throw in more ideas and opinions about what you'd like to see in such a mag! TIA!

 

[yanfengl]

Hi larry,

you have a very interesting thread here. I myself have been pondering a readership and community for a zine for the longest time. (not very long considering my age).

I have taken certain steps in sharing my ideas, gathering interested participants as well as measuring viability and feasibility of the magazine. If you are interested in sharing with me your ideas, i'll be glad to hear them and share.

my number is 90260916. we can talk more outside of this forum if you'd like. If you're interested in writing for a asian photography magazine i also have a contact that would be very welcoming.

best regards
yanfeng

 

[jeff chen]

Larry, don't get me wrong, it is good to dream and try. By all means get it started, even if it does not take off. The impt thing is to try and try, until u finally succeed. Even if it means many attempts and failures along the way.

 

[Larry]

Originally posted by yanfengl
I have taken certain steps in sharing my ideas, gathering interested participants as well as measuring viability and feasibility of the magazine. If you are interested in sharing with me your ideas, i'll be glad to hear them and share.

wah, good good, always welcome a different viewpoint. mabbe we should meet up sometime and have a nice discussion. i'll sms you and arrange...

Originally posted by jeff chen
Larry, don't get me wrong, it is good to dream and try. By all means get it started, even if it does not take off. The impt thing is to try and try, until u finally succeed. Even if it means many attempts and failures along the way.

thanks for the vote of confidence and encouragement, jeff. oh definitely it's something worth exploring, but as with any biz plan, i need to do groundwork and research first to see if it's viable (which is what this is all about). this is something close to my heart cos of my editorial backgrd and my own budding enterprise.

 

[aosis]

Originally posted by Larry
i was thinking of something with more photo techniques, "how-to" type of articles as well as photo displays and critiques to inspire readers to take more. mabbe a travel section to highlight the different places you can go to in Asia for photo opps.

A section to learn different techniques and to highlight good photographing locations is what i'm looking for around the region.

Pay me i also don't want to read about equipment reviews.

 

[jeff chen]

Hey Larry, I am also keen abt this actually. If u don't mind, I wld like to be part of this venture regardless if it succeeds or not!

Sometime ago I enquired whether anyone wld like to see a Singapore website that sells photographic gear. I got overwhelming response and many ideas. When I called for a meeting to actually discuss business plan, only 1 fella showed up!

So, if this happens to you, don't be discouraged!

 

[jasphotography]

I used to be a fan of various photography magazines which I have accumulated copies in terms of hundreds. I read them from page one to last, in and out, more than twice at times.

You want some great ideas? look for me!!!

For a start, sections that intrigued me most were

[1] Member's Portfolio with a short write up, technical or non, preferably with exposure details, films used or techniques tagged with each photo.

Can also include the photographer profile (Photo, Name, Age, First camera, Photography experience in months/years, Occupation, Home page, current equipments etc)

[2] Monthly competition (got to look for sponsor though)

[3] Advertisement from shops like Cathay, Alan Photo, The Camera Workshop etc etc (with quoted price for new and 2nd hand items) as well as personal classified, all at a premium to cover cost of printing/publication.

[4] Advertisement for printing or developing of films, scanning, repairing or other photography related services.

[5] Photography viewpoints (with some write-up) in Singapore or overseas detailing specific photography tips, exact location and modes of transport.

[6] For newbie, photography critique and FAQ should be useful.

[7] Products review but don't restrict this section all to new arrivals. Could do abit of reviewing/revamping on some classic cameras/lenses. How about a Nikon F, F2, Nikon S2, Leica M series, Hasselblad 500 series, Leica Minilux, Ricoh GR1 series, TLR, bellowed rangefinder cameras and stuffs...

See, now I can't stop...