As you may have read last week, I was recently invited to speak on behalf of The Learned Bride at the Two Bright Lights Philadelphia Bootcamp. The event was co-hosted by Two Bright Lights and Tiffany Chalk from Tiffany Chalk Events and it was so much fun to be a part of! In addition to learning about how to use this one-of-a-kind software platform, the attendees learned how to get published during a Q&A session with an editors panel. During the last couple of years I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about how to get published using Two Bright Lights, so today I thought I’d share some useful advice that I have picked up by becoming the editor for The Learned Bride, getting our own photography work published over 40 times since we began submitting our work two years ago, and being a part of the Two Bright Lights bootcamp with Bridget Clegg from The Knot and Jacqueline Nwobu from Munaluchi Bride. Let’s get started!
1. Do your research.
There are over 400 editors on Two Bright Lights and they are each looking for different types of images. Be sure to visit the blog or check out the magazine you are considering submitting to in order to determine if your images are a good fit. Over on The Learned Bride, I publish weddings, engagements, and love shoots that showcase the beauty of a college campus or museum while bringing attention to love stories that have a connection with an educational experience. That’s a pretty specific niche, yet I receive countless submissions that do not fit this description. Take the time to learn what kind of images each editor is looking for and create a solid submission with images that are a proper fit for their specific blog or magazine.
2. Curate your work.
It’s important to choose your images wisely, especially when it comes to the cover photo of your submission. Make sure that the cover photo is eye-catching and that it’s representative of the entire shoot. The rest of the images you choose should tell the story of the day and include plenty of images that will inspire brides during their wedding planning. Don’t forget a photo of the dress, shoes, invitation, florals, unique details, and reception decor. Be sure to include images that show the love and joy between the couple and make it a point to include a variety of portrait and landscape images.
3. Prepare your submission carefully.
Two Bright Lights makes this part so easy! When creating your submission, include as many details as possible. This includes the couple’s information, a description of the wedding or engagement as the album story, descriptive tags, and a complete vendor list. It’s so important to take the time to include everyone on the wedding team and it’s a great way to start doing a little vendor networking once the wedding is published =)
4. Follow guidelines.
Wedding blogs and magazines always provide guidelines on how to submit your work to them, so take the time to read through this essential information. An important detail to look for is whether or not the wedding blog you are submitting to is exclusive or non-exclusive. Only submit to one exclusive blog or magazine at a time and, when submitting to non-exclusive publications, limit the number you submit to.
5. Be patient.
It may take a while for you to find the proper fit for your shoot, and photographers will often be rejected many times before their work is accepted for a feature. Don’t be discouraged and submit, submit, submit!
I hope this post was helpful to you and that you feel encouraged to submit your work, especially if you’ve never been published! While I obviously can’t guarantee that following these tips will get you published, it’s certainly worth a try! Our brides love when they find out that their wedding has been accepted for a feature and I’m sure yours would, too! Good luck with your submission and feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions about the process.
Do you have other tips on how to get published? Leave them in the comments below! Looking for more posts like this one? Check out our page FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS.
