Joining the team: How to become a Macfilos author

Want to become a Macfilos author? Macfilos is an entirely voluntary organisation, and we rely on an enthusiastic team of authors from around the world. Many of them started writing first for Macfilos and have since developed to the extent that their articles are in demand from other photographic sites. It’s a rewarding pursuit and one that clearly brings a lot of pleasure to our authors.

Would you like to join the team? To paraphrase Winston, we can offer nothing but blood, sweat and tears, although all are metaphorical. It’s actually a very congenial process with absolutely no tears, and we are here to help.

Getting started as a Macfilos author

There is no big trick to becoming a Macfilos author. All you need are a few ideas, a potential theme and a few photographs to illustrate what you have to say. The main requirement is that there should be a story — perhaps a review of a camera or lens, a travel memoir, or a photographic project. We are not looking for exhibition-type photography if that’s a worry. Our photographs are mainly illustrations for a story rather than exhibits in their own right. There are other photographic sites for showing off your pictures.

Nor do you need to be a good writer. Ideas, bullet points and opinions are the important criteria. Our team can assist with the writing (or rewriting if necessary) provided we have a good theme and some passable illustrations. Ideally, an article could be about 1,000 words in length and set out logically. We will help with the all-important introduction and conclusion; we’ll add subheadings and generally make things presentable.

Gear reviews

Opinion on cameras, lenses, and accessories is always a good theme for Macfilos. Gear reviews tend to be the most-read articles on the site, and always attract more and more readers over weeks and months after publication. We are interested in opinions on all Leica equipment, from 1920s models through to the latest digitals. Film-camera stories are always a hot topic. But we take an interest in other brands of equipment, including Panasonic, Sigma and OM Systems. Stories featuring fixed lens compact cameras such as the Ricoh GRIII or the Fujifilm X100 series are sure to get the readers rolling in. They are currently a hot property and there is great interest in selecting, buying and using any of these popular shooters.

Who are our Macfilos authors?

Believe it or not, we have over 100 authors on our books. Many no longer write, but a significant number are regulars and continue to keep our readers entertained. By far the most prolific contributor is John Shingleton who lives in Australia. John has written over 100 articles, and you can read them all here. William Fagan, a renowned expert on vintage Leica cameras and lenses, has written nearly sixty articles, and along the way has become an honorary Macfilos staff member. We turn to William whenever we need coverage of an auction or background information on vintage equipment. William was also responsible for the Swiss Roll series of articles, which brought in more readers than any other feature in the blog’s history.

Some contributors have websites of their own and allow us to adapt their articles to suit our audience. In so doing, they add readers to their site and enjoy greater exposure. Included in this category are Claus Sassenberg of Messsucherwelt in Germany and Erwin Hartenberg from the Netherlands.

If you run a successful photographic website, why not get in touch? We can adapt your articles and enjoy reciprocity.

Where in the world are you?

Macfilos has a world-wide readership. While most of our readers tend to come from English-speaking countries such as the USA, Canada, and Australasia, we have a keen following in Europe (especially Germany because of our Leica content and association with the German site, Messsucherwelt). But many readers come from the Far East, especially Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan.

We would love to have more contributors from the Far East, where interest in photography runs high, and from where many of our most popular products emanate. Perspectives on the photographic market from Japan, China, or Korea would be of great interest to other Macfilos readers. If you have something to say, but are not fluent in English, write in your language and, between us, we can translate and add an impressive touch of colloquial style.

Building up Macfilos author portfolio

Several of our regular contributors have been with us for up to ten years and have contributed many articles to build up a portfolio of reference material that is useful for both readers and the authors themselves. The first article is always the most difficult, but from then on (as our contributors will tell you) it becomes easier every time. You will also build up a reputation among readers and become a familiar voice on Macfilos. Above all, contributing to Macfilos will give you a new purpose, and an outlet for your photography and your ideas on photography, as well as the all-important gear that goes with it.

How to contact us

The “Write for us” button below takes you to a detailed page of hints and tips for contributing. We will guide you through the process, and you will receive pre-publication proofs until you are entirely happy with the outcome.

What’s your view on becoming a photography journalist? Are you interested but have reservations about your writing or images, and what people might think? If so, contact us, and we will talk it through. The Macfilos crowd are very even-handed and we get no nasty comments. So the audience is receptive and will love your work.

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Want to contribute an article to Macfilos? It’s easy. Just click the “Write for Us” button. We’ll help with the writing and guide you through the process.

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