Welcome to Horse Illustrated! Horse Illustrated is one of the nation’s largest equine publications, and 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 shorts, bare feet or other inappropriate riding attire) and horses, and handlers using safe practices.
Hunt-seat, show jumping riders and dressage riders schooling should be wearing safety helmets. 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 4th level normally wear top hats, so this is acceptable while showing; 2) international riders of all disciplines who may not choose to wear a helmet. 3) Western riders of any disciplines. 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, why not 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.
Ditto 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 sharp 4/C slides. We draw from this file for every issue. If you do not have anything to submit for a specific article or issue, you may still submit for our stock files. If you do so, please include a letter stating this purpose. If the photos meet our standards, you will be sent a contract detailing which shots we are holding. Stock photos are held for an indefinite period of time, and are usually not returned until after they are used or until you request their return, which you can do so at any time. Photos not selected for the stock photography are returned.
We are constantly in need of quality photos of problem behaviors of horses for our training columns, and medical ailments for our veterinary column. If you are shooting “naughty horses” you must submit a model release with the photos for any taken on private property (i.e. not a show).
RATES:
$200 – cover photo
$200 -- centerspread; two-page spread
$150 – partial page spread (photo that is larger than a full page and goes across gutter of magazine but is less than a two page bleed)
$ 90 – Full page color
$ 60 – Partial page color
$ 25 – if a photo used in a feature is also included on 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 are usually sent to the photographer along with those photos not selected. Photos used in the magazine are returned during the month that the magazine appears in print.
Payment is made upon publication. Our rates are paid according to the format that the photo appears in the magazine, not the format in which the photo was submitted. For example, a 35mm color photo on the cover is paid $200, while a 35mm color photo used in a smaller format is paid $60. We buy first North American serial rights on an exclusive basis; the non-exclusive right to use the photos in electronic media; and the non-exclusive right to use the photos, as well as your name, image and biographical data in advertising and promotion.
What to Send
Color transparencies are our preferred format. We cannot accept duplicate slides, since we cannot reproduce a quality image from them. Even when photographers want to send dupes in “just to review the work” they are often doing themselves a disservice, because the images are so poor.
We rarely use prints or black and white images. Our magazine is produced “direct to plate,” and all images are electronically drum scanned. Therefore, it is extremely important that all photos be sharp, with well-balanced contrast.
Transparencies should be rich in color. No whites that are blown out, and no blacks that are muddy. Always review your film with a loupe. Only tack-sharp images will be considered. Horses in motion should have crisp hooves and detail in the mane.
FILM OR DIGITAL?: Digital photography is a Pandora’s Box for us editors! The pros: Instantaneous results; no color separation necessary; affordable alternative to buying/storing film.
The cons: Difficult to review, difficult to catalog, equipment quality varies, digital image quality varies, color is difficult to predict.
You can see why we do still prefer color transparencies over digital—hands down, the digital is going to appear slightly softer than the slide when it is color separated and printed. But there is an increasing desire for photographers to use digital, so we will accept them under these conditions:
1. CDs have only ONE subject per CD on them. If you are shooting a couple different topics, send one CD per topic.
2. Label each CD with your name, and the topic of each
3. Each CD must be accompanied by a color thumbnail printout (digital contact sheet). No CDs will be reviewed without them.
4. Each CD must be accompanied by a caption list
Digital images tend to go GREEN as well as have that softer focus. Know your white balance!!! And although your image looks color correct on your monitor or on a printout, it still has to be converted from an RGB file to CMYK. And then it needs to be calibrated to our printing press profile. So whatever you can do on your end (while setting your camera) to make it easier on our pre-press, so much the better.
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), and the less the digital file is manipulated, the better. As much as possible, the images should be submitted direct from the camera. We have such a tight color model in our pre-press department that any photo manipulation/adjustment is best done here.
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 shot 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 8237
Lexington, KY 40533
Attn: Elizabeth Moyer, Editor
Always include a self-addressed stamped envelope with enough postage for return of your photos. We cannot be responsible for lost or misdirected mail.
Download the Photo Submissions Guidelines >>