No local talent ?????

[Alchemy]

Having purchased the local Astro mag today, the first thing i usually go to is the astrophotos by our readers section ....... gone, its now Astrophotos from around the world, seems theres no local talent. Which kind of suprises me given the quality of images i see here at the AUSTRALIAN amatuer astronomers website.

I am happy to read articles from a diverse variety of contributors. But it would be nice to see more of a focus on local talent.

Hopefully the discovery of Jupiters impact, the Malin awards and maybee some other items will give the next months issue more of an Aussie flavour.

Clive

[TrevorW]

Are you refering to Australian Sky and Telescope as gernally they;ve always been Australian contributers

[renormalised]

Noticed that myself as well....maybe no one has submitted pics for inclusion lately??

[Greg Bryant]

Clive,

Yes, AS&T's Aug/Sep Gallery is a selection of global shots. Gallery depends on reader submissions, and Autumn's contributions were too similar to pics published in recent issues - maybe the weather is to blame.

So, for those who are reading this, if you're an astrophotographer with images you think are worthy of being published, e-mail 'em in!

We offer a 3-issue subscription in return for those that are published, and your images are seen by a wide Australian/NZ audience.

October's Gallery is 4 pages of local shots.

Greg

[Alchemy]

yes, and not this time apparently




i did not specifically name the Mag... i did not want it to be a totally negative thing against it, just a little reminder that its an AUSSIE mag not just a rebranded USA one.

Having said that there are a number of Australian contributors in other sections and some good articles, its just my main interest is the imaging and i would prefer to see local pictures, rather than selected ones from elsewhere.

[sjastro]

I don't submit images for publication in the local mags unless they request images for a specific article.

Unfortunately I have had a couple of images pinched by one of the local productions in the past. Not only did they to fail acknowledge the author, they refused to privately or publicly apologize.

Steven

[renormalised]

Should have sued them for breach of copyright.

[sjastro]

Not worth the hassle over a couple of images.

Steven

[renormalised]

Even so, I'd have made it known everywhere I could that you couldn't trust them and that they'd likely steal your work. That'd probably hurt them more than getting sued!!.

[avandonk]

I must admit I have not submitted anything for quite some time. We are always chasing the 'better' image. Melbourne weather has been lousy for quite some time. Have sent something today Greg.

Bert

[jjjnettie]

There'll be a mad rush of submissions now.:lol:
:whistle:

[Alchemy]

it seems there has not been enough submissions...... will post a link in the deep sky section, that should create some interest.

[Omaroo]

I usually don't complain about these things, but I sent a low-resolution version of my moon shot ( http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment_browse.php?a=59905 ) that several people told me was very good in to AS&T, along with a brief on it several weeks ago.

I never heard back a single thing by email. I guess I kind of expected a "thanks but no thanks" if it didn't make the grade.... but nothing? A little discouraging.

[erick]

OK, what are you looking for, Greg? Drop some hints.

[stephenb]

I also noticed this interesting observation in this month's issue. There are obviously a lot of top notch imagers in this country, which could fill a hundred magazines, but in my opinion a magazine like this perhaps should drop the bar a little bit and dedicated a couple of pages each month to beginners and those who are not of the highest of high quality.

[TrevorW]

I'm not complaining one of my images has been selected for the October edition so I've been advised

[Omaroo]

What was it of Trevor - maybe it hadn't been done in a while?

[Greg Bryant]

Yes indeed. Thanks Jeanette and Bert for your submissions. I'll get back to you.



Chris, could you please resend that image. I don't think it's come through to me.



That is something under consideration.



It's a subject that was imaged in our May/June issue, but this one has a slightly different look to it.

In general, though, if you've just seen an object showcased in our Gallery, it might be best to wait a little while before submitting your own version. Instead, see what else you have in your album that you're proud of - and let me know!

Regards,
Greg

[TrevorW]

Thanks Greg for the feedback

:thumbsup:

[Omaroo]

Done Greg - I've just re-mailed it to you. "editor@austskyandtel.com.au" - correct? That's the address I used on July2nd.

Email is so unreliable. With the amount of spam knocking around, no wonder half the stuff you actually want is at risk of being trashed before you ever see it.

Thanks anyway
Chris

[multiweb]

Yeah, I had the same experience with AS & T - Emailed this shot [ http://www.multiweb.com.au/astro/M42_ssft.jpg ] about a year and a half ago and never heard anything - Must have been crap :lol: Oh well... back to the drawing board :whistle:

[TheDecepticon]

That's a great idea! Galleries could be arranged according to a budget/equipment type scenario, from the humble mount and cam up to the big guys with PME's and RCOS's etc.:D
Where do you draw the line though, and say amateur, semi pro and then pro. There are plenty of great imagers that do it for a hobby and have a day job but have a spare squillion for equipment.....:rolleyes:

[TrevorW]

Not quite I've only been imaging seriously for the last 12 months and already had 2 images accepted by various magazines and I do have a day job and not a squillon to spend on equipment.

Remember these magazines are in business to make $$$ and probably post images which they believe will make the mag more appealing to their readers.

Over the years I've had letters to the editors and a couple of afocal moon images taken with a point and shoot camera published in AST and I believe they have always fairly represented Australian contributors.

Also we must remember they are probably inundated with photo's from various sources not just Australia. As you know a number of our members have had images posted in overseas mag's.

Just plug away don't give up you might be surprised one day like I was and a lot of our other members have been.

[Octane]

Chris and Marc,

I had exactly the same experience. Posted a couple of images over a year ago and never heard a thing back.

I edited my post before posting in the other thread because I didn't want to sound too negative, but, I basically said that it would have been nice to have had the email acknowledged or told simply, "sorry, this didn't make the cut, better luck next time."

Having said that, I'll try again. :)

Regards,
Humayun

[Alchemy]

its probably duplicating , but i did put a similar thing in the deep sky section just in case like me thats where you hang out most.

one common theme.... and it happened to me too, no reply when something is sent in. i might suggest the editors just acknowledge images when they are recieved, at least then you know they have it. A lack of feedback does leave you feeling why bother. It could even be a simple "thanks for sending us your images". It would help to give some recognition, particularly when imagers may have spent hours imaging, hours processing etc, its good for the magazine to adopt that approach too just in case that oh so wonderful image slips through their fingers because of a telco stuff up.

while we are on the subject, the issue of quality comes to mind, different mags have different attitudes to images. the American astronomy mag seems to require RC scopes and all the gear, the sky at night has a more open attitude with the hotshots being very diverse, im sure the not so experienced get a thrill to see their images in print. whilst i consider myself no longer to be a begginner, i think the approach by the UK mag to be a better one.

hopefully Greg can keep the IISers informed of their likes and requirements as no doubt most imagers will be happy to oblige, communication seems to be the key to all these things.

Clive

[Inmykombi]

I better throw in my pennies worth as well.

Even though my Moon images arent of the same class as other very talented imagers here in OZ, I thought I would send in some of my images to the local mag for consideration.

All I wanted to do was show to others what can be achieved with cheap telescope ( 4.5 inch Mead Newt. and a compact digital camera) and a lot of enthusiasm.

I also incuded a bit of a story which could either be used or not, it didnt fuss me.
But like others on this thread, I had no reply at all even after sending it and re-sending it after thinking it may not have been recieved.
I followed the instructions from the magazine on " how to submit images " correctly as well.
I personally would have liked to have had a reply of some kind, just to aknowledge the receipt of my emails, but none were received.

Anyway, heres hoping that the local talent ( and there is plenty around on IIS ) gets a look in more frequently.

Cheers to all.:)

[matt]

Guys.

In defence of Greg and editors of magazines everywhere, especially those where one man is pretty much the entire production team, can I say how much of a task it would be to reply to each and every email received.

There simply aren't enough hours in the day to do that...and to put out a magazine every month or bi-monthly, which (and let's be honest) is the main aim of the game.

Sure, you could receive some form of auto-generated reply....but how happy would you be with that? Judging by the amount of negative comment I've seen in other threads here and on other websites (astro and non-astro) about auto-generated replies....I would say not too happy.

I'm not sure if you've sent images or stories for publication into other mags astro or non-astro...but it's quite commonplace not to receive a reply unless the publisher/editor intends putting said articles in print.

I don't think it' a case of being rude or uncaring. Just time management.

I understand there's an emotive component to contributing any material. It's your 'baby' and you'd love to see it out in the world. You'd like some acknowledgment or feedback on your achievement.

However, try and see it from the eyes of the fella at the other end, who is pushed for time and just trying to put out the best product he/she possibly can.

This is not a criticism...just an observation from someone who's worked in the industry (newspapers, magazines, radio) for 20 years.

It doesn't mean your work is rubbish or of no value. You know that's not true, since after all you were content enough to submit it.

It just means they might be looking for something 'else'.

Just my 2c worth:)

[Omaroo]

While what you say is absolutely true Matt, a magazine like this (small and dedicated circulation base) I'm sure wouldn't be getting contributions numbering in their hundreds every week. Every email that might contain contributed material would have to be opened anyway, and it's a 5-second job to respond either way. It really is.

[matt]

Also true, Chris.

I guess it all comes down to what expectations you have when it comes to these things.

Greg...looks like you'll have to get your quill out!!!!:lol:

[bird]

Greg, not sure if you're on my mailing list for images or not, but you're always welcome to use any of the images I send out.

cheers, Bird

[astroron]

A few years ago I sent an article and photo's to a magazine now in abeyance, I was informed after many phone calls and emails that they would not be publishing it:( fair enough, but they asked you if you wanted your images back to include a stamped addressed envelope, which I did:)
After three years of badgering I eventualy got my images and story back:)
That was in the days of film:rolleyes:

[hotspur]

Thats disappointing that no feed back on your submissions,i dont know

why magazines (regardless of subjects) do not send people,a "thanks,

but no thanks" or may be give a pointer.Its rather rude of them.

My son has an interest in airplanes and doing a bit of photography,and

has submitted some photos to "airliners.com" he has not had too many

published on their site,but after seven days he gets a reply,as to all the

reasons why his pic didnt make the "cut",i think he learns a bit,and i

think its good for him to get feedback.There are plenty of other subjects

that would have similar forum set ups,i think this would be a good avenue, for people to have go at getting more idea etc,and hopefully

sucsess in having photos and articles published.

Allways remember:"if at first you don't succeed,try,try and try again.

and if that does'nt work,......well,you may as well give up!because

its no use becoming an extremist!":)