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Jon Levy
EI8HT is photojournalism. Challenging and enlightening photography and commentary. See the world through fresh eyes.
London, UK
1 Honduras Street, EC1Y 0TH
Email: info@foto8.com
- Category: Photography
- Periodicity: Bi-Annual
- Language: English
- Format: 210 x 270 mm
- Circulation: 5,000
- Price: £ 14
- Web: http://www.foto8.com
Founded in 1998
Foto8 was established in 1998 as an online web journal featuring quality photojournalism by professionals worldwide. Today it continues to produce innovative online presentations of photojournalism as well as publish the physical quarterly magazine EI8HT.
Over the years we have become known for our award winning documentary photography presented in an exciting online format. From classical photo-stories to contemporary multi-media shows we have aimed to stimulate and innovate. Stories may be the product of a paid assignment or be part of a personal project, self-funded by the photographer.
By showcasing this work we hope to inform and involve the viewer whilst pioneering new ways to tell stories. Foto8 believes that photojournalism performs an essential role in modern society. It is a valuable tool of communication as well as a vital part of educating ourselves about the lives of others which are often distant from our own. Photography allows us to look into, as well as at, lives of other people, to learn about their world, and in the process to define the issues that are important to us.
Exclusive Interview
The key ingredient is obviously showcasing the best photography in the world today
What is your magazine about?
EI8HT is first and foremost a publication showcasing the best photojournalism in the world today. EI8HT approaches the subject by publishing photography that can speak for itself, tell its own story solely through the images. Along with regular columnists and insightful writing, EI8HT tells the stories of those who are widely overlooked by mainstream media.
Who’s behind the project? Tell us about the founders, their backgrounds and their motivations!
Jon Levy, founder of EI8HT, was a photojournalist himself working out of New York. On his return back to England he began an online journal of photography (foto8.com) as an attempt to bring photo-stories to a wider audience. After noticing the success of this endeavor and the response within the wider photography community, he decided to extend it into print format.
How do you produce one issue? How much time do you spend on it? How big is your team?
Answer:
As EI8HT is a quarterly publication, much time goes into perfecting each issue, which usually follows a sort of timeline of events. After going through all new submissions from that quarter, a selection of features for the issue are made and any subjects to then research are brought up. After editing down the stories we maintain a dialogue with our designers and figure out the best way in which to represent the specific features. At present, there are only three full-time employees working at EI8HT, with a team of freelance contributors that also make each issue possible.
What have been the important steps in the life of your magazine?
Probably the biggest changes in the last four years of the magazine\\\'s life, has been both the re-design, increase in pagination and the hard binding, which all took place about two years ago. In terms of content, the quality of photography has always been the foremost concern and has therefore always been to the highest standards. As to the physical object of the magazine, a re-design was necessary to guarantee its appeal on the bookshelves and to integrate design with photography. As we continue to grow, we include well-known writers and contributors.
Which are the key ingredients for the success of your magazine?
The key ingredient is obviously showcasing the best photography in the world today. In doing so we attempt to possibly bring light to a subject or area of the world that is mostly overlooked by mainstream media and to generate awareness of the world around us. People look at EI8HT for the amazing pictures and also learn something new about the world through the photography.
What are the difficulties you are confronted with? What would be “the” thing to help the magazine to improve?
It is always difficult to dislodge the magazine from the genre of an industry magazine. Most people will notice a photojournalism magazine and mistake it for being only for photographers. Bringing EI8HT to a wider audience has always been a difficult thing to do. The thing to help it improve would be to gain more funding in order for us to focus on getting more media attention for the magazine.
Where do you want the magazine to be in five years?
We would like the magazine to be taken on by publishers around Europe to produce the magazine in other languages to increase our reach throughout Europe. Also, being able to pay photographers more and also the ability to commission photographers to complete stories funded directly by EI8HT is something that we have always wished to do.
Tell us about your audience! Who are the readers of your magazine?
The majority of our subscribers are photographers and those studying photojournalism. Apart from that, anyone who enjoys looking at photography and also reading about issues happening around the world are also definitely interested in EI8HT.
Is remaining independent important to you? Is it part of the strategy?
Remaining independent has always been the both a financial burden and also allowed creative freedom. The strategy would be to be bought and published by a publishing company but also to retain complete editorial control over the content. In this way we could focus solely on the content and not have to worry about the marketing strategies as well.
What’s your relationship with advertisement? Does it influence your content? Do you care about advertising-driven-editorials?
Advertisement has never influenced our content and we have always prided ourselves on that. Our main advertisers are photographic agencies, with whom we have a close relationship with.
Do you think that magazine readers still need to watch TV?
Which is your relationship with your printer? Does he play a main role in your development?
EI8HT does maintain quite an important relationship with the printers every quarter. The quality of print that we require does mean more work for the printers and this is something that they enjoy being apart of.
Which magazines did influence you most? What are you looking for in other magazines?
As EI8HT was developed to address a gap in the market, there were little influences from other competitors that shaped what we are today. In terms of writing content, Adbusters magazine was quite an influence.
What do you think of your issue 01, when you look back at it?
Apart from the obvious physical differences and out-dated design, the quality of photography from the first issue of EI8HT still holds up against the issues from the last year. We do look much more professional today, but the first issue will always be a collectors item.
How many magazines do you buy / get / read each month? Do you qualify yourself a maniac?
We get about 15 different magazines sent to us each month through our reciprocal subscriptions. Looking at everything that is out in the publishing world is very important to keep up with trends in the industry, even if the magazine is not similar to your own.
E-mail interview from “02.10.2006”. © Colophon2007.com – Mike Koedinger Editions SA (Luxembourg)
Publisher
Jon Levy
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