JMPNY: Guest Blogger: Lara White

Id like to first, personally thank Lara White for doing this blog post for me. I am a HUGE fan of her work and what she does to help those of us in the photographic community. If you're not a fan of her Facebook page PLEASE do so now HERE. The inspiration is so great I thought I just had to share it with you all!

How to Stay Organized with Wedding Editorial Submissions

Have you tried to submit your wedding images to a magazine a few times, only to be extremely frustrated by the process? It can be daunting to put together a submission packet, especially if you havent done it before.

When it comes to the process of getting your wedding images published in wedding magazines and blogs, you'll need to keep yourself organized in a couple of ways. This will be a huge timesaver for you, and by having a process in place, it helps ensure you'll actually submit more frequently.

Start with a Spreadsheet

First, you'll want a spreadsheet that contains all the contact information, submission guidlines and deadlines so you have all the details you need organized into one place. This takes time to pull together, but once you have this list, you'll find it much, much easier to submit regularly. Bonus timesaver tip, if you set the spreadsheet up correctly, you can also print the address labels right from the list, saving yourself time.

Document Your Editorial Coverage

The second document you'll want to create is a list of everything you've been published in, or are expecting (an editor has told you they are strongly considering a particular wedding).

You also need to keep track of where a wedding has been published so you can be sure to remove it from consideration from other magazines. However, if one magazine is featuring only the cake, it's usually fine to allow another magazine to use an image of the ceremony details. It's mainly the real weddings features that require exclusivity. Keeping track of requests will help you manage this side of the process.

Sometimes you'll get an email from a magazine that they are going to publish something, and then you don't hear anything else from them for 8 months. You might miss the feature if you don't remember to pick up that issue when it comes out almost a year later, and look through it cover to cover. Some magazines will send you a copy of the issue, others don't.

I keep a list of "expected editorial" in my purse so when I'm at a bookstore, I comb through magazines for a particular feature. Often I will find images published in places that I was never told about or confirmed with; always a nice surprise. The point is, it's up to you to track your own press, as frequently magazine editors are working under tight deadlines, and they need an image to introduce a certain story or trend alert.

The other benefit to having this list of everything you've ever been published in, over time the list begins to add up, and it's wonderful to be able to put your hands on a list of everything you've ever been published in if you need to.

Once you start submitting regularly...you'll get published. And then you'll get published more frequently. One of the biggest secrets to getting your work published regularly is to submit regularly. Sounds simple, and it actually is.

Do you want to learn more about getting published?I've written a 55 page ebook that goes into great detail, including how to create images magazines will love. It's completely free and available for you to download, so grab your copy now. Get Published: A Guide for Wedding Photographers will guide you step-by-step through the process of submitting your work and getting it published.