Two copies of Outdoor Photography Magazine are sitting on the floor next to my desk as I write this. I’ve just finished reading them, and before they even made it back to the shelf, I found myself wondering something simple:

***Are photography magazines actually worth buying anymore?***

But as I glanced at those magazines, I thought about the other photography magazines that are available in newsagents and on the shelves in supermarkets and it got me wandering “are they worth it?” and then thinking again about the wider offering there is out there. Should you buy them or are they just something else that is all too soon going to be consigned to the annals of media history.
A quick look on the shelves in your local newsagents or in the supermarket will tell you that there are a number of photography magazines which are available. A quick look in any UK newsagent shows there’s still a strong market—titles like Amateur Photographer, Digital Camera World, and Outdoor Photography Magazine are still prominently displayed.

As a working landscape photographer, I still regularly buy and read print magazines. I get one of these every month, and it’s a copy of Outdoor Photography. I get this because it’s photography I enjoy looking at and it’s the photography I do, so for me it’s very relatable. I can take something away from every issue and there is always something new I am eager to go away and try.

You get to hear the stories behind the images told by the photographers that are captured and not explained to you third hand by someone else. I like that. There’s also the chance to contribute and to have images featured alongside competitions where you can win something that’s worth having.

I also like the reviews in here as I know that they’re genuine and honest and not all five stars because whatever they were reviewing was given to them for free. There’s real integrity here.

There is a lot to like about these magazines (apart from the price, you’re looking at anything from about £6 upwards) - the photography is usually of a high standard, there are knowledgable contributors, reliable reviews and often a host of tutorials inside them. One of them, I don’t remember which, gives away wallet sized cards with helpful information about various types of photography.

British Journal of Photography – A Different Kind of Magazine

The other magazines that I get is the quarterly publication from the British Journal of Photography. This one is £20 and worth every penny. It’s full of the contemporary photography and if you’re a professional it’s something you should be getting as it’s great for identifying styles and trends. I feel like this is worth every penny. The paper is selected to suit the images and you can get to see them as the artist intended.

Photography Magazines Versus the Internet

This is all about intention. It’s the same with photobooks. In my opinion, when you open a magazine or a book, you consume the images much more intentionally than you do online.

For me, when you consume images online be that on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or wherever else you look at images online you see them. But you don’t look at them. Often when you’re scrolling, you look at image, you decide whether or not you like it and depending on how much you like it, you will either like it or share it with someone and then you scroll some more. I can’t remember the last time I saw an image on social media that I really hit home with me in any sort of meaningful way that I could describe to you today.

It’s very different when you’re looking at photos through any kind of physical medium, be that in a book, magazine, zine or in a gallery. You slow down, you see them and then you look at them. You spend time with them, and because of that, they become much more memorable and that’s something I love about them - both books and magazines.

These are two very different ways of enjoying photography and each has there place, but if you want to spend time with the images and really enjoy them, get a book or get a magazine!

Should You Buy Photography Magazines?

Yes. But which one you should buy is going to depend on what you’re looking for a what you’re into. If you want something that’s going to have a lot of variety then go for something more generic like Amateur Photographer or Digital Photography Magazine - they have a wider selection of styles and wide ranging, in depth reviews of some of the latest kit.

If you already specialise in one particular area then look for something which is in your niche; I like Outdoor Photography as its a publication that really speaks to what I do and can be a good source of inspiration for my own image making.

Put quite simply:

If you want to scroll, go online.

If you want to see, buy the magazine. Buy the book.

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