Time for something new
Even Substacks need to develop and move on
A few weeks ago, when I wrote my first anniversary newsletter on Substack, I said it was time for something new.
Don't worry, I'm not going to abandon Darkrooms. In fact, Darkrooms has gained a lot more eyeballs and subscribers thanks to recommendations like
or . Speaking of which, if you enjoy reading Darkrooms and have friends who might like it, please share this newsletter with them.Time for something new. I mean a new feature. I've always been curious about a photographer's process. That's why I write these articles and interview photographers. A next iteration of this is to show the work of photographers. And what better way to do that than through an online magazine?
I've enjoyed online magazines for as long as the internet has been around. It is a calming way in these volatile online times. A way where you can take your time and flick through the pages instead of scrolling through a feed filled with ads.
Ever since I started Darkrooms in my native language Dutch, I have been thinking about creating an online magazine. The idea was always in my head. A few months ago, Dutch street photographer Dennis Sewberath - I interviewed him in December for Un/Taken - started DutchStreetMagazine. An online magazine focusing on street photography from the Netherlands. The first issue (June) already had 237 photos from 80 photographers.
This project awakened my idea to do something similar. Similar in that it is an online magazine, not a copy of this initiative. So here's my plan for a new magazine:
Completely in the style of Darkrooms, be it the technical or the mental darkroom, I not only want to see the images come to life, I also want to read about how this process came about.
The plan is to publish a quarterly magazine where photographers can show their work, accompanied by a written essay. It is aimed at photographers who are working on (personal) projects, rather than those who shoot single images. Anyone can submit 5 to 10 photos and a written essay on their project of about 500 words or less.
Here's the first call for submissions.
Have you recently finished a project? Been working on a subject for a long time? (Self)published a photo book? Then I need you. Take the opportunity to show your work to a new audience. My goal is to publish the first issue of the new online magazine on the first day of the new quarter; 1 October.
Have a look at the rules, submit your work & get featured in issue #1
That’s it for this week.
Till next time,
DARKROOMS is a weekly photography newsletter, published on Tuesdays. See the archive for more posts & interviews. If this newsletter was shared with you, consider subscribing, or forward to a friend. Please whitelist the newsletter to ensure you never miss it.
I love that you are doing this! I’ve been wanting to put together a quarterly print magazine that features photographers in and around Oklahoma City. This inspires me to really work on fleshing out that plan.