Five Questions for an Art Buyer—Mark Murrmann, Mother Jones

Monday August 30th, 2010

This week Mark Murrmann, Photo Editor at Mother Jones, gives us five little slices of his life.

-Asad Haider

What makes a photo great?
Technical qualities—good light, composition, all that—only take a photo so far. What makes a great photo is an image that not only conveys some kind of information, but also works on an emotional level. It can be punch-you-in-the-gut direct, it can be more subtle, something that pulls you in slowly and allows you to wander around the image, keep coming back to it even if you aren’t sure why; it can be funny, witty, wry; it can be something that elicits a feeling of remembrance, something that reminds you of your own life; it can be horrifying, or gratifying. But it has to do something; it has to connect with the viewer. Of course, this is extremely subjective… and a really hard question to answer. There are plenty of good photos out there, even a lot of really good photos. But truly great photos are rare.

A good photo can punch you in the gut, but this guy got punched in the face. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Washington DC)

How did you get to your current job?
I was freelancing (and handing out camera equipment at a local art school photo supply room) when a friend who works at Mother Jones tipped me off they were looking for an art intern. I applied and got it. There was no photo editor while I was interning, so I stepped into that role, helping the then-art director (and current creative director) Tim Luddy with photo researching, looking for photo essays, eventually assigning. When the internship ended, I got offered the job of Associate Photo Editor. I’ve been here for about three years now.

What’s the best way to get your attention?
First, simply, have great, well-edited, work that is suited for the magazine. Or more, work that fits the magazine but pushes the boundaries of what people expect to see in Mother Jones; that always catches my attention.

If you work in an area outside of New York, LA or San Francisco, I am likely to spend a little more time looking at your work. We don’t have the budget to fly photographers around, so I’m always scoping out good photographers within a day’s drive of an assignment.

Coming in to show your book helps put a face to the work, and those personal interactions are good. But I don’t often have time to meet with photographers in person, and when I do have the time, I really prefer doing it in a more informal setting—over a coffee or beer, getting to know you and your work a little better than the typical in-and-out book showing.

Beer increases productivity in meetings. (Photo by Brian Kuhlmann/Chicago)

What annoys you the most?
Oh, I guess the usual photo editor stuff annoys me. Cold calls are near the top the list. I’m not into people who email or call again and again about whether or not I’ve received their promo or pitch. If you send me a pitch and it’s something we can use, you can be assured I will get in touch with you.

Let me just say, even if it’s not something we can use, I try to reply to as many emails as I can. I’ve been on the other side as a photographer, so I know how much time goes into not just shooting the work, but in the pitch. It’s really frustrating to not hear anything back. I try to write back as often as I can, even if it’s just a sentence or two. Sometimes it takes me a long time (like months) and sometimes I just don’t have time. But I do keep pitches (and bookmark sites) I think we could possibly use down the road, or that might fit with a story, or that I just like. So, just because you might not hear from me, or if I turn down a proposal that doesn’t mean I didn’t see it or that I didn’t like it. I always tell photographers to keep in touch and I mean it.

But really, the most annoying thing is when I reject a proposal and the photographer argues with me about it. That takes even more time out of my day and it shows a real lack of professionalism. There are many reasons I might reject a photo essay, none of them should be taken personally. I get anywhere from two to ten photo essay proposals each day. We run maybe six photo essays a year. It’s just hard to get work in the magazine. And that’s really one of the worst parts of my job, seeing so much really great, truly amazing work and not being able to get it in the magazine. It can be really frustrating.

What’s the most satisfying part of your day?
It doesn’t happen every day, but I really love getting in work from a photo essay or photo shoot and going over it with the photographer, getting their feedback, then showing it to the art department and editors and seeing the layout and everything all coming together just right, with the photographer really loving it (among everyone else). That is exceptionally satisfying, especially after all the work that goes into getting a significant body of work in the magazine.

Five Questions for an Art Buyer—Amy Feitelberg, Outside Magazine

Tuesday August 17th, 2010

We’re introducing a new feature today, folks—it’s called “Five Questions for an Art Buyer.” From time to time, we’ll get in touch with an art buyer at a major client—magazines, corporations, ad agencies, and all the rest—and ask a set of five questions to get inside their heads. (Or at least close to their desks.) Readers on the creative end will have a chance to see how their colleagues work and think, and photographers can get a glimpse at the business on the other side.

This week’s subject is Amy Feitelberg, Photo Editor at Outside Magazine.

-Asad Haider

What makes a photo great?
That’s like asking what makes someone beautiful. It’s often an intangible element that elevates an image from the pack. It can be a gesture, the perfect light, an amazing composition, the right moment caught at the right time—you name it. A great photograph is one that connects with people and becomes memorable. The ones that cut through all the noise of the millions of images we’re bombarded with and manage to stay with us sometimes even for years.

Does the image make you angry, sad, envious, happy, inspired, awestruck, sentimental? Then it’s a great photo. If it’s mysterious and evocative or it’s a summation of all your preconceived notions it’s a great photo. If you want to stare at it, think about it for a while, rush to your coworker and talk about it—then it’s a great photo.

What’s the most satisfying part of your day?
When I actually get to do my job without all the cooks in the kitchen. Rare, but cherished.

Too many cooks? (Photo by Kyle Monk/San Diego)

How did you get to your current job?
I had been working in magazine publishing since I left college but on the edit side. I earned my stripes at a lot of publications including New York Magazine and Entertainment Weekly. I got my master’s in photography from NYU/ICP and started freelancing as a photographer, photo assistant, assistant photo editor—unsure if I wanted to be a shooter or work in a photo department. Then I saw the ad for Outside posted on Media Bistro. I applied and got it! And then I worked my butt off to get to the top position.

What’s the best way to get your attention?
The best way to get my attention is to make great work and get it in front of me. You can do that by postcard promos, epromos, websites, disks, portfolios etc. I really do look at all of that stuff. I look everywhere for new and interesting photographers. If you catch my attention, I’m going to want to know who you are.

Everybody loves to get emails. (Photo by Alan Matthews/Birmingham)

The hard part is, you have to be patient and persistent. I might ignore your epromo five times before I have time to look at it. Or I might have looked at it right away and loved it but don’t have a place for you yet. But if I see your work and like it, I make a note of it. When I see work I really love—I try to shoot an email to let that person know—but I don’t always. I would love to have the time to talk to everyone about their work. I would love to give a critique of every portfolio I see. It’s just impossible.

What annoys you the most?
Do not call me. If I don’t know you and you’re some photographer calling me because you’re dying to show me your work—don’t expect me to call you back. I’m not trying to be mean or power-trippy, it’s just completely unrealistic to expect me to take time out of an extremely busy day to call a random stranger, who’s work I have not seen, to chat about why they need to be shooting for me. Also, if you send me an email with your promo or website, don’t keep asking me if I’ve seen it. Like I said before, I simply don’t have the time to respond to everyone. I can get a hundred emails a day from photographers who want my attention—it’s just not feasible.

Also, if you are shooting for me, don’t send 700 images. If I’m sending you on an assignment, part of the job is editing your work. So often these days I get what looks like an animation flip book because each gesture varies slightly from the one before it. I don’t want to sit there and weed through 100 frames of some guy’s finger pointing in slightly different directions. You are the photographer. You are the one who was there. You tell me what’s important to you. I certainly don’t mind a broad edit, in fact, I prefer it, but hundreds even thousands of images handed to me like it’s a gift just isn’t cool.

There are many others, but these two are on my mind the most at the moment.

Magazine Work Sometimes Does Beget Advertising Jobs:
PDN’s Behind The Lens Features Roy Ritchie’s Ford Mustang Photography

Thursday December 3rd, 2009

A year or so back, PDN contacted us looking for stories of photographers whose editorial work landed them advertising jobs. We had a few in mind, but the connection is not always so clear because art buyers may not always be aware of the first time they see a photographer’s work.

In the case of our Detroit photographer, Roy Ritchie, he was “discovered” by agency Team Detroit after their creatives saw his work in a local magazine  (Hour Detroit):

Ford Motors was looking for a looser interpretation of their typical automotive photography and Ritchie, whose work focuses more on portraits and lifestyle, appealed to their need to create a more emotional connection between driver and car.

That’s part of the reason why PDN featured Roy in their “Behind the Lens” column in November (p. 74, if you have the print edition handy):

Roy’s been shooting the campaign worldwide over the course of the year, and it’s funny that Team Detroit’s Whitney Jenkins is quoted in PDN as saying, “My biggest frustration through the whole program is I have too much to choose from.”

“He’s told me that a few times,” according to Wonderful Machine producer, Jess Dudley, “but in a good way.” Jess has handled much of the bidding process for Ritchie, as well as on-set producing in Arizona earlier this year.

Roy’s work appears on full-page inside cover print ads in leading magazines, as well as on Ford’s website devoted to the new Mustang, whose videos and images appeal to a hipper audience than you might imagine:

Ford even had a contest, inviting people to submit their idea for a dream drive in a Mustang, and the winners were offered a ride. And yes, Queen Latifah (above) is a lifetime Mustang fan. Roy Ritchie photographed her taking the car for a spin, and the website has videos as well.

You can see more of Roy’s editorial and commercial work on his website. He’s a Detroit photographer with Wonderful Machine.

-Neil Binkley