Has shooting for magazines helped my career?

I got asked the other day whether I'd noticed that getting published by magazines had had a positive impact on my career or not? So I wanted to chat about that today.

The reason that I love fashion photography so much, has its roots in my love of magazines. I grew up leafing through the pages of all my mum’s magazines growing up, and I was forever tearing out the pages and sticking them up to my walls. It was because of my love of magazines that I wanted to be a fashion photographer. I love the ads in them. I love the images that illustrate articles. I love the editorials. I love literally everything about magazines.

So it makes total sense that, for me, shooting for magazines is important for a personal sense of achievement.

But that isn't the only reason.

I'm always looking for ways that I can get my name out there more, and get in front of my dream clients. Shooting editorials for magazines has 100% given me the biggest boost.

When your work is associated with names like ELLE, Grazia, Marie Claire, and L'Officiel, they bring with them a certain “kudos.” Brands see those names, and it's as though you've been given a big stamp of approval by the top players in the industry.

Magazines have also given me an opportunity to get creative, and to create the kind of work that I have always wanted to create. I love commercial shoots, but there is something amazing about being able to tell a proper story through images.

Almost every single inquiry that I get from a client will inevitably link to a shoot that I did for a magazine. They will use the shoots I've done for ELLE or Grazia as the inspiration for their own campaigns.

The images also get heavily shared on social media - not just by myself, the teams, and the magazines, but also often by the brands that feature within the images. And guess what? That can often lead to being hired by those very brands (it's happened to me), or getting more eyeballs on your work through bigger channels.

Does that mean to say that I think every photographer should shoot for magazines? Not necessarily. It's something that you should do if you really want to. I'll be honest, the money in magazines isn't great. Budgets are often very small, if not none existent, and I've been known to put a lot of my own money into shoots to elevate them.

You can 100% build an incredible career as a fashion photographer without ever really shooting for magazines. As long as you're shooting work that you love, sharing it, and getting a good response, you'll do fine.

So, what do you think? Do you want to shoot for magazines? Are you currently? Or are they not for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts!