We Are Looking for Photo Essays—Submit Now
With the rise of smartphones, photography has become much more accessible and frequent in most people’s lives. Whereas the anticipation of seeing a film photo would fill an entire month with frenzy, we now hoard shots of any menial moment of our life in a camera roll we treat with no more regard than the bin icon on our laptops. It’s true that smartphones have bridged the gap to amateur photography, but how often do you find people who use their latest iPhone to its full potential?
The constant taking and sharing of photographs has not only depreciated what once was a powerful tool for documenting memory but it has even led to getting so distracted by the shot that we barely take in the landscapes we hike to through our own eyes, let alone remember later. Even more, as with every art medium in the age of technology and social media, photography is grappling with the consequences of short-form content overload and artificial intelligence. Yet, we are reminded time and again that meaningful and intentional photography must persist whether it manifests as Gen-Z’s seemingly trivial trend back to film photography or protecting photojournalists who capture resistance, social movements and so-called “politics” so courageously like Amber Bracken, The Narwhal’s photojournalist who was arrested and detained by the RCMP in 2021 while reporting on the Wet’suwet’en pipeline standoff.
To create a space for photography that is empowered by a purpose, message or simply a narrative, I have decided to focus my project as Explore’s Editorial Intern on curating a series of photo essays. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
What we’re looking for:
- Photo essays for our online magazine, explore-mag.com
- The topic and theme of the photo essay are at the discretion of the artist. However, your work must touch on at least one of the following:
- An environmental/social justice focus relating to the outdoors or the adventure scene
- Personal relationship with nature
- Portraits of a specific outdoors-y object, phenomenon or community
- Only work that has a clear visual identity will be selected. No stock photography, please!
Submissions are open to:
- Students, emerging photographers and photo-journalists in the early stages of their careers are welcome to submit.
- We kindly ask that all photographers who have been published in five or more publications sit this one out. There will be future opportunities for you to shine as well!
Compensation:
- All selected works will receive a modest honorarium, starting at $100 per essay.
Image requirements:
- Up to a maximum of 10 image files per essay (minimum five)
- Accepted file types: JPEG, PNG or pdf
- Maximum three submissions per person
- Submit all files in the highest resolution possible.
- File names must be formatted as follows: name-lastname-photo1.file
- Only submissions that have never been published in other publications will be accepted.
- Include a short description/caption to accompany every photograph.
We will contact you directly if your submission is successful for more details.
How to submit:
- Email [email protected] with the following subject line: Explore Photo Submission – *the title of your essay*
- Briefly introduce yourself, include a short photographer bio, and share any context that explains your photography, style and approach.
- Include a description (250 words MAX) of your essay topic/theme.
- Add all relevant supplementary links or attachments that will contextualize or help me better understand your work.
- Please include your contact information in the email as well as the best method for reaching you.
Submissions to Explore Magazine do not transfer any rights of ownership—you will retain full rights to your work. By submitting, the photographer acknowledges that they have full rights to the images and has obtained proper releases where needed. Nevertheless, we ask that you please submit work that has never been published in other publications.
Note:
Photography and outdoor adventure have long been white and male-dominated industries. We strongly encourage Indigenous photographers, Black photographers, photographers of colour, women and non-binary photographers, as well as other members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community to make a submission. We are committed to fostering a space that celebrates and reflects the diverse communities we serve.
This is indeed exciting to contemplate writing for!