Write for LightRocket: Our Photography Blog is Open to External Writers

We're excited to announce that our blog is now open to external contributors.

Are you passionate about photography and want to share some of your opinions, experiences, or expertise? You're invited to write for LightRocket and be a featured contributor to our photography blog.

What you need to know:

If you're keen to share your writing, send us your work, we'll review it, if it meets all our guidelines, and we feel it will be of interest to our readers, we'll publish it on our blog site, credit you with a by-line, and share your blog post on our social media platforms. Once your piece is published, please feel free to share it across your own social media accounts, website etc.

Guidelines:

1. Content

You must be the author and owner of each piece of writing you submit. As long as you still retain the legal right to your writing, the same piece can be published on other websites, in other publications, etc.

If your post is published at www.lightrocket.com/blog, you will retain control and ownership of your writing, and we will be happy to remove it upon your request. All submissions will be verified for originality using a tool such as Copyscape.com or Plagium.com.

Please note that by submitting your piece to LightRocket Photography Blog you acknowledge that you accept our terms and that for SEO purposes and in keeping in line with our brand, small edits may be made to your work. We won't alter the content, but we may select a different cover image, make small grammatical edits, and/or tweak the title and add subheadings throughout the piece.

2. Word Count

LightRocket photography blog posts are usually between 500 - 1000 words. Please stay under the 1000-word limit.

3. Bio and website

You will be featured along with your bio (max 100 words) and any links to your website, and social media accounts, to help you gain credibility, exposure and increase traffic on your website. We do not compensate writers for their submissions.

4. What we're looking for

We recommend that you read a few of our blog posts to familiarise yourself with the general themes or topics that we're interested in publishing. To give you an idea we're looking for writers who can share their expertise or experiences in photography. This can be in terms of more technical photography elements, opinion pieces, experiences on assignment, that piece of gear you just can't do without, changes in photography, etc.

We love sharing personal stories and insights with our community so don't be afraid to add your take on something. Our aim is to inspire, share knowledge and engage with the photography community.

5. Quality writing

All writing needs to be high-quality and well-written. We only accept original articles. No self-promotion or advertising will be accepted. Your writing should aim to inspire, motivate, share knowledge or experiences, and be relevant and engaging to fellow photographers.

6. High quality photos

Please submit at least a high-quality image for the cover of your blog post, with a photographer credit and link to their work. Please note that if the image is inappropriate or does not meet our branding standards, we retain the right to change the image. If you would like to include images in your blog post, you can use up to 3 images. All images can be your own or you can use stock images from Pexels, Unsplash, iStock etc. these must also include a link and credit to the photographer.

• The cover image needs to be at least 1500px (w) by 1200px (h)

• Internal images need to be at least 1200px (w) by 900px (h)

Why write for the LightRocket Photography Blog?

• You'll contribute to the photography community by sharing your insights, experiences, or sharing your knowledge (you never know who your writing influences).

• Engage with our photographers around the globe by sharing who you are and what you do.

• You'll get more online exposure for yourself as a writer and a photographer.

10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Submitting

1. Does my article have a strong and catchy title?

2. Am I submitting a cover photo that is eye-catching and directly related to my article?

3. Do I have a strong bio that includes links to my website or social media?

4. Does my article meet all of the guidelines outlined above: original content, word count, photo size, etc.?

5. Does my article aim to inspire, motivate, share knowledge or experiences, and be relevant and engaging to fellow photographers?

6. Have I read other LightRocket Photography Blog articles to make sure my writing is similar in style, tone, and format?

7. Is my article neat, straight to the point, easy to follow, and interesting to read?

8. Have I given proper attribution for photos used, quotations, data, and other third-party sources referenced?

9. Is my article formatted exactly as I want it to appear (bold headings, italics, numbering, paragraph breaks, etc.)?

10. Has my article been carefully edited (by at least 2 people) for grammatical errors and improvements?

Ready to write for LightRocket?

If you're ready to submit your blog article, please email us the following:

1. Your full blog post and title. Please send this as a word document attached in your email.

2. Image(s) for your post. Please send these as separate files, not pasted within the document. Ensure your images meet the photo size specifications stated in the guidelines above.

3. Your bio (max 100 words) with links to your website and social media platforms.

Email all of the above to katya@lightrocket.com. Please note that when you submit your piece to the LightRocket Photography Blog you are acknowledging that you accept our terms and that small edits may be made to your work by our editorial team.

Good luck to you and we can't wait to see more of your written work!