As a Street Photographer I was very keen to see the first edition of ‘I ♥ Magazine’ , the web site declared it to be ‘The Worlds Premier Street Photography Magazine’ which had to bode well….until I remembered that it is also the worlds only Street Photography Magazine. When I arrived back in London this week the magazine was waiting for me.
I ♥ Magazine
‘I ♥ Magazine’ is an A4 format, black and white publication that contains only images, there are no articles, essays, interviews or discussions. It is produced out of New York by Addam Winsenberg and the first edition contains black and white images by thirty one photographers including Addam himself. The photography is displayed either full bleed or two images to a page with no layout or design to speak of. Each Photographer is credited in white text over each image.
Spread from I ♥ Magazine
On the whole I am a pretty positive and forgiving sort of character, I would rather talk about the good aspects of a book or magazine than dwell on its short comings but this is not going to be possible with ‘I ♥ Magazine’ I’m afraid. The Magazine is about as uninspiring as it is possible for a publication to be, both in terms of design and content. There is no indication that a designer was actually involved at any stage of the production process and the photography ranges from bland to embarrassing. If you ordered ‘I ♥ Magazine’ because you loved and were inspired by Street Photography you would be enormously disappointed. If, like me, you expect Street Photography to stimulate the mind as well as the eye, to be witty, intelligent, beautiful or well observed then the work contained in ‘I ♥ Magazine’ does not fall into the category that I understand to be Street Photography. At a time when the majority of the most interesting contemporary Street Photography is being shot in color, it seems a strange choice to produce a magazine that features only black and white work. My words here may seem harsh but they are deliberately so because of the claims made for this magazine, apparently ‘88 mind blowing photos made the cut’, this is the ‘Limited Edition Epic first issue’ that is ‘Extremely high quality’. I will agree, however that it ‘Stands apart from anything else out there’.
A spread from 'I ♥ Magazine'
Following my encounter with ‘I ♥ Magazine’ I became so concerned about the damage a magazine like this could do to the delicate notion of Street Photography as a specific and unique approach to documentary photographic practice that I decided, virtually overnight, that the balance needed to be re addressed, the honor of Street Photography needed to be saved……Watch This Space!
April 19th, 2009 - 5:10 pm
You’re absolutely right – unfortunately the magazine’s a flop. It features a lot of pictures being fully irrelevant to the matter of street photography (or what does an unmistakably staged photograph of a bikini model at a picturesque riverside posing with a USA-dildo in her hands have to do with street photography?)….
and let’s better not talk about the layout and the quality of the prints…..the whole publication is colourless – literally and figuratively. I ordered it from Germany and was quite eager to get hold of it – the disillusionment couldn’t have been much bigger, I must admit.
Of course it’s honourable to support and promote street photography wherever possible but it shouldn’t prevent one from stating one’s honest opinion. Thanks for doing so. Greetings.
April 19th, 2009 - 11:08 pm
Looking forward to Publication, Nick!
There is at least one other magazine devoted to street photography. Hamburger Eyes out of San Francisco features a lot of street stuff, although like I heart Magazine it’s not very refined. It’s more of an underground/punk outlet than serious art journal.
I think all the current magazines have left their street flank wide open to leapfrogging if it’s done well and with style. Good luck.