Horse Illustrated Photographers' Guidelines
Welcome to Horse Illustrated, one of the nation’s largest equine publications. We pride ourselves on providing quality illustrative photos to our readership. We are pleased to offer our photographers some of the most competitive rates in the equine industry. Horse Illustrated strives to have images that are unique to its pages.
HORSE ILLUSTRATED is a magazine directed toward adult horse owners. Please study a copy of the magazine before making your submission. That way you won’t be sending us photos that are inappropriate for our content.
Safety and responsible care are the keynotes of our editorial content. Therefore, photos must depict healthy horses (unless submitting photos for a particular article on unhealthy horses), well-appointed riders (no tank tops, shorts, bare feet or other inappropriate riding attire) and horses, and handlers using safe practices.
Hunt-seat riders, show jumpers and dressage riders schooling should be wearing up-to-date safety helmets. We prefer lower-level dressage riders in the show-ring to be wearing approved helmets as well. Please learn the difference between an ASTM/SEI approved helmet and a “for apparel only” riding hat. We will not be accepting any photos of riding hats. There are minor exceptions: 1) Dressage riders who are showing above Fourth Level normally wear top hats, so this is acceptable while showing; 2) international riders of all disciplines who may choose not to wear a helmet; 3) western riders of any discipline. Western riders must be wearing western hats. NO BARE-HEADED shots or photos of riders wearing BASEBALL CAPS will be accepted. (NOTE: If setting up your own shoots, it's a good idea to invest in an up-to-date, low-cost schooling helmet to put on your subject.)
YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC SUBJECTS: Select individuals who are attractive, with well-groomed, fit horses wearing clean, up-to-date tack and equipment. We know that in the real world, a lot of riders grab their grubbiest clothes, whisk a little dirt off their pasture-kept horses, saddle up and go. Magazines, however, are not reality TV. We want to show our readership how to put their best foot forward. We are reporting on trends. We do not want to show dated apparel, worn out tack and sloppy appearances.
For your location, select an attractive, uncluttered background. Move the collection of broken jump standards out of your shot. Tidy up the barn aisle before shooting. Grab a pitchfork and get the manure out of your frame. These little details don’t go unnoticed by the reader. Ask yourself if the horse, rider and background are worthy enough to be in your shot.
STOCK: We are always on the lookout to update our files with digital stock. We draw from these files for every issue. (We will assume CDs of digital images need not be returned, unless otherwise indicated.)
Stock needs include: general and seasonal horse care; grooming, equine nutrition and feeding; horse health, veterinary and farrier care; trail riding, English and western show and schooling shots; as well as photos that illustrate the horse/human bond.
We are constantly in need of quality photos of horses demonstrating problem behaviors for our training columns, and medical ailments for our veterinary column. If you are shooting “naughty horses,” you must submit a model release with any photos taken on private property (i.e. not a show).
RATES:
$250 – cover photo (poster)
$250 – centerspread; two-page spread
$150 – partial-page spread (a photo that is larger than a full page and goes across the gutter of the magazine but is less than a two-page bleed)
$ 100 – full-page color
$ 65 – partial-page color
$ 25 – if a photo used in a feature is also included in the Table of Contents
A specific photo needs list is available upon request. When photos are submitted for a particular use or article, they are reviewed during the production schedule for that issue. Contracts are written for the photos selected and need to be signed and returned to our office.
Payment is made upon publication. We buy non-exclusive rights for one North American edition of the magazine and one of each foreign language edition of the magazine.
What to Send
High-resolution digital images are our preferred format. Please submit digital images on a CD according to the instructions below. We are unable to accept e-mail submissions for review, even low-resolution images.
- CDs have only ONE subject per CD on them. If you are shooting a couple of different topics, send one CD per topic.
- Label each CD with your name, and the topic of each.
- Each CD must be accompanied by a color thumbnail printout (digital contact sheet). No CDs will be reviewed without them.
- Each CD must be accompanied by a caption list or other identifying information.
Professional-grade equipment is a must to achieve the size and quality image we require. The highest setting on the camera should be used for maximum resolution and file size. Only tack-sharp images will be considered.
Please do not send scans of slides for breeds or general stock—the color and quality are generally not up to par compared with digital images or slides scanned by our imaging department. We will consider exceptions for photos that can’t be easily found, such as older Olympics, famous horses and riders of the past, rare breeds and other very specific photo needs.
We rarely use slides anymore and prefer not to receive submissions of slides due to the time and liability involved in handling them.
How and Where to Send It
With each submission, please include correspondence that details what article your work should be considered for. Please include your social security number (or taxpayer ID) on your correspondence to expedite payment. Each image or CD should be labeled with your name, address and phone number. Information about the subject (breed, event) should also be included.
Please mail submissions to us at:
HORSE ILLUSTRATED
P.O. Box 12106
Lexington, KY 40580-2106
Attn: Elizabeth Moyer, Editor
Returns
We will assume CDs of digital images need not be returned, unless otherwise indicated. If you would like your digital submission returned, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with enough postage to return your photos. We cannot be responsible for lost or misdirected mail.
Rev. November 2012
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Horse Illustrated Photographers' Guidelines