Paying Market for Bird Photographers

Bird Watcher's Digest
Attn: Editorial Department
PO Box 110 (UPS/FedEx use 149 Acme Street)
Marietta, Ohio 45750

Photographers' Guidelines
Bird Watcher's Digest (BWD) magazine has been publishing beautiful bird photography for nearly 30 years. Of course in 1978, when we started publishing, we only published black-and-white images. Thankfully all that has now changed! We use images to augment our magazine's content, so we often look for non-traditional shots of birds, including images capturing unusual behavior or settings. For our species profiles of birds we look for more traditional images: sharp, well-composed portraits of wild birds in their natural habitat.
We encourage bird photographers to behave ethically both in the field and at the light table.
We rarely publish images of captive or restrained birds, or images that have been digitally or physically manipulated to create a stunning, but unreal, final product.
We appreciate the hard work and love that bird photographers put into their craft. And we realize that bird and nature photography is a highly competitive field. Therefore we strive to treat the photographers with whom we do business with respect.
Submitting Your Images to Us
If this is your first submission to BWD, please understand that more is not necessarily better. We suggest an initial submission of 20 or fewer images so that we can judge the quality of your work. If our reviewers feel that you work warrants inclusion on our photo want list (see BWD Photo Want List below), we will notify you of this and will add your name at the next want list update. Unfortunately we are not able to add every submitting photographer to our want list.
Images for specific features will be requested via our want list, which is e-mailed to select photographers. Ongoing image needs include remarkable portrait images of birds, bird watchers using binoculars or scopes, groups of birders, and birds at feeders, nest boxes, and birdbaths. We are less likely to use images of the oft-photographed species such as great blue heron, Canada goose, common duck species at a park pond, pelicans or egrets at fishing piers, etc. We do not use images of birds that are pets, captives, or of injured/rehab birds, stuffed mounts, or birds that are otherwise restrained.
Image Quality
Images should be in sharp focus, color should be accurate, exposure should be perfect or nearly so, and the subject should be large in the image frame. When selecting images for submission, it's to your advantage to be extra selective.
Here are some specifics for your submission:
Image Format
We prefer these formats, in order of preference:
• Digital images (please see digital image guidelines below)
• Original color transparencies, 35mm slides or larger format
• Publication-quality dupes, particularly 70mm size
Please do not send negatives, glass-mounted slides, or unmounted transparencies.
Image Identification & Labeling
The photographer's name, image number, and image description must be on each slide. Unlabeled slides can be misplaced or filed incorrectly. Please include credit and caption data for each image on an accompanying page. It is also helpful to have your contact information on each image.
Handling of Images
Bird Watcher's Digest takes extreme care when handling images. To help us keep your images safe, please make sure that all images are free of dust, fingerprints, scratches, water spots, creases, and other blemishes before you send them. Send slides in flat plastic protectors (top-loading plastic slide holders with 20 slide slots per sheet). Please do not send slides in stacks, in slide boxes, or loose inside an envelope or plastic enclosure. For maximum safety, we recommend the use of individual plastic slide protectors on each slide or image. Enclose your submission in cardboard and/or plastic, and place inside a strong, padded or stiff cardboard envelope. We recommend packages of slides should be shipped via carriers such as UPS or FedEx, which provide package tracking.
The BWD Photo Want List
Bird Watcher's Digest relies on bird photographers with large, active image libraries to supply the bulk of each issue's photographs. We solicit slides from a select group of these photographers through our bimonthly photo want list. To be considered for the BWD Photo Want List, please follow the guidelines above and submit a small sample of images (20 or fewer) to the editorial department (address below). Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we ask that you allow 10 to 12 weeks for a response.
We do not pay research or holding fees for want list photo submissions. We ask that photographers notify us when there is an image in their submission that is being simultaneously submitted to another wild bird publication.
Unsolicited Images
Bird Watcher's Digest is not responsible for unsolicited photos in any format. When we receive unsolicited photos that we would like to add to our inventory, we send an acknowledgement letter. This acknowledgement letter is not a contract or a guarantee of publication. Images are filed for future consideration. Whether you send images for inspection only or if you want rejected images returned, please include a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) with enough postage for the return of all materials..
Liability for Solicited Images
All image submissions that have not been requested by Bird Watcher's Digest are considered unsolicited. We accept responsibility for solicited transparencies while they are in our possession. However we have absolutely no control over images or shipments after they have been received by the post office or another carrier. Consequently, our liability during return shipment must be limited. Your best protection is to send high-quality duplicates (dupes). We will return solicited slides at our expense by courier, usually FedEx.
If you prefer that your image submission be returned via another method or carrier, please provide a SASE of adequate size with appropriate postage. Be sure to include your street address; couriers cannot deliver to Post Office box numbers. If you do not have a physical street address, slide returns will be via USPS mail with delivery confirmation.
Holding/Reviewing Images
Because BWD is a bimonthly magazine (publishing every other month) we generally hold want-list images for approximately two months. Occasionally an article is postponed, and images being considered are held longer. Images are returned after the issue is in print. We make every effort to expedite the review and processing of all submissions. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we ask that you allow 10 to 12 weeks for a response to an unsolicited submission.
Submitting Your Digital Images
Digital photography is rapidly becoming a standard with professional/freelance bird and nature photographers. Bird Watcher's Digest is receiving an increasing number of digital images submitted by bird photographers. If you choose to send digital photos, please follow our regular guidelines for photographers as stated above, in addition to these specific Digital Image Guidelines:
Digital Image Guidelines
• Our preferred format for digital images is TIFF. Images taken with digital cameras should be created using the highest-quality JPEG setting (usually marked "fine" or "high") on your camera. TIFF images should be saved with LZW compression. Please make all images Mac compatible.
• DO name your image files. Please name your images with the subject, your name (or initials) and the suffix indicating the files' format.
• Separate the subject from your name by an underscore dash: ( _ ) (Create this by using the SHIFT key and hitting the underline button on the right side of the numbers row (top) of your computer keyboard).
• For example: a northern cardinal image taken by Jane Smith and saved as a TIFF would be named Cardinal_Jsmith.TIF. Please do not send raw image files with the default file names generated by the camera (such as D000336.JPG). It is acceptable to use standard bird name abbreviations (NOCA = northern cardinal).
• DO submit image files on CD. Please do not submit digital image files via e-mail, unless requested by the editor. Images submitted via e-mail are subject to being fragmented, distorted, corrupted, or deleted by our servers as spam.
• DO send a color printout of each digital image with its file name or code number. To save time, paper, and ink group your images as small thumbnails on one sheet.
• DO include a cover letter. Include the origin of the electronic images: (eg: they were downloaded from digital camera or they were slides scanned on professional scanner).
• DO send image captions on a printed sheet or in a MS Word or RichText Format (RTF) file labeled Image Captions. You must include species name and, if known, other pertinent information such as location, date/season, etc.
• DO NOT crop your images. Leave the cropping to us.

• DO NOT alter photos. Images should not be corrected for color, sharpness, size, or color mode. Again, it's best if you leave this work to us.
• DO NOT send digital images of slides that have been scanned in on consumer scanners. These images do not reproduce well for publication.
• DO NOT send digital images for submission previewing as e-mail attachments (please!).

Please note:

• We print images at 300 dots per inch (dpi/resolution) and larger.
• Our page size is 5.25" x 8."
• Due to differences in color printers, proofs may not reflect colors in the final image.
• Color and density of the final printed image may differ from the digital original due to a variety of factors, including scanner settings, monitor calibration, paper quality, press settings, etc.
• Digital photography and the processing, handling, and storage of digital images is evolving at an incredible pace. It's useful to consult digital photography publications, web sites, and resources to help you to stay current on the digital photography revolution.
Payment
Our payment schedule is $75 per image used regardless of size. Images re-used on our table of contents page or on our web site will be paid an additional $25. Payment is made upon publication. There is no payment or contract for photos used in "My Way," or for photos that have been loaned for courtesy use.
Additional Information
Please enclose a photocopy or delivery memo listing photos submitted. Include your daytime phone number, as well as fax number, and e-mail address. If you are submitting slides on speculation for the first time, please send no more than 20 images.

Send photos to:

Bird Watcher's Digest
Attn: Editorial Department
PO Box 110 (UPS/FedEx use 149 Acme Street)
Marietta, Ohio 45750
Thank you for your interest in Bird Watcher's Digest magazine. We look forward to reviewing your images, and we wish you great success in your bird photography endeavors.
Sincerely,
Bill Thompson, III
Editor