JPG Magazine

I got my first free issue of JPG Magazine (issue 7, the first in the “big” 8 1/2 x 11 format) over the weekend. It looks and feels great and is an awesome testimony to the powers of community, self publishing, democratization of tools and people having fun and experimenting.

The first six issues were published via LuLu (where I’d like to one day publish my novel(s) should I bother to write them). This new format and model allows for larger photos and a more regular publishing schedule. Since I only recently signed up for the service and just got the free issue, I’m at the beginning of my relationship with JPG, but it’s been around for over 2 years.

The photos and articles are so cool and down-to-earth; I really get the sense of the people behind the magazine, in the photos and crafting the articles, interviews and pictures. This is a labor of collective love and it really shows. Good on ya, Derek and Heather!

I would really like to contribute some of my own photos, but I’m in a bit of a rut photographically speaking. Jenn stores and organizes all of our digital photos on her PC, but the advent of the digital SLR (Nikon D80) and my new PC awakened my desire to strike out on my own. My heart desires it, the shutter obeys me and my Flickr account is getting lonely for new pictures to share, comments to accrue and friends to make.

So I think I’ve talked myself into making the (small) leap into becoming a JPG contributor and the (large) leap into putting “my” photos under my control. I think.

You see, I would really like to share this photo of Dippin’ Dots, but it isn’t large enough for print. Oh well. More where that come from, I suppose.

I’m also bummed I missed out on some previous “themes” especially “hometown” as sponsored by Metroblogging (of which I’m a blogger). This month, however, there are 3 themes:

Honestly, part of the reason I want to participate is to be one of the web 2.0 cool kids. I already blog in no less than 4 places (one of which is a Metroblog), I have accounts on Flickr, Digg, and del.icio.us, and I’m trying to start a video podcast/video blog at work. Add that to my semi-participation in NaNoWriMo and my LuLu dreams and I’m already almost “published”.

What I’m saying is this: I’m a joiner and I’m joiner yet another project. Be prepared to vote for my photos when I beg/plead/cajole.

3 thoughts on “JPG Magazine

  1. Seth, love this post. Very open and revealing about you and your desires. I think the Dippin dots pic is great – go for it! (Says the also unpublished writer wanna-be.)

    I also love to join things like this (they are so anonymous, and yet not anonymous at the same time) and wonder what would have happened if all of this technology showed up before I had kids. Anyway, enjoyed this one. I will be voting for your stuff!

  2. JPG Magazine Redux…

    A while back I blogged about getting my free issue of JPG Magazine in the mail and I’ve mentioned trying to gain inclusion for my works in said tome as well.
    Now, after a week off of work and hundreds of spectacular photos taken, I found out that…

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