DO I Dare critique the POPULAR Editor?

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Hey friends. I have recently been published in the latest Popular Photography book, "Take Your Best Shot" By Miriam Leuchter. As much as I am excited and grateful for the publication I am also very dissapointed because they CUT THE FEET OFF MY EGRET! Now we all as photographers no not to do that and now the book editors have done it for me.. AUGHHH! My question is... Do I dare write her and let her know of my dissapointment? I feel the need to do so ever so graciously and I wonder what you would do if it were you?

[James Shadle]

Did you get paid?
Do you want to jeopardize future opportunities?

Your situation is not unique. Photo editors will crop your image and the printing process will eat up some of your image if it is a tight crop.
I tend to send in compositions that are "looser" than I would print them myself.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Hi James and Thank you for the reply. Yes I got paid (sort of) . The image took first place in there contest two years back and was contracted to share the image with their sister company Weldon Owen. They provided me a smaller fee on top of the first as well as a free copy of the book. No I do not want to jeopardize future publications which is why I question the whole thing and I am truely honored and thankful to be in the book so of course I would be very respectful and polite in my commentsi if I did, but still wonder if it would have a consequence like that and that is why I hesitate. I don't think I would be as bummed about it if it weren't one of my very best images and it is a full frame image.

[James Shadle]

Tell them you noticed the feet were cropped out and simply ask if you should submit images with more "room" around the subject.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Tell them you noticed the feet were cropped out and simply ask if you should submit images with more "room" around the subject.

Sounds like a plan Thanks :)

[Daniel Cadieux]

Keep in mind too that most photographers will know by experience that the image is likely cropped by the editor, whereas most readers and subscribers to the magazine will ooh and aah at the photos regardless

[Jay Gould]

Before super gentle when you contact them; the future will occur and the past is but a fleeting moment.

Really there is only NOW, and everything pertaining to what they did was yesterday.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

[QUOTE=Daniel Cadieux;745331]Keep in mind too that most photographers will know by experience that the image is likely cropped by the editor, whereas most readers and subscribers to the magazine will ooh and aah at the photos regardless[/QUOTE

Lets hope so... Thanks for the input Daniel.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Before super gentle when you contact them; the future will occur and the past is but a fleeting moment.

Really there is only NOW, and everything pertaining to what they did was yesterday.

So well put. I think I shall leave it be and remain grateful. Thanks

[Roger Clark]

Cheryl,
I try and work with a publisher and get a specification on the size of the image that will be printed and I deliver a custom file, usually at 300 ppi) in the dimensions they want. That way I do the crop. I have dozens of images published per year and do not recall a crop of any important part of any image. I have been disappointed in the reproduction quality though.

I would write to the publisher and express concern and ask if it would be possible that next time I provide the cropped image.

Roger

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Hi Roger,
I was actually kind of surprised as they had published it before and didn't crop for another vertical layout. Granted, they did give me a full page vertical so they really had no choice. I was just surprised they had done that. Thanks for the input.