Print a Jeep Shots/Sideways submission form so you can get into Jp Magazine:
Look, Ma! No Photoshop!
Click HERE to download your photo submission form in Microsoft Word format.
Click HERE to download your photo submission form in Adobe PDF format.
Yes, for real: The following space is being wasted on something that's not Jeep tech or even a buildup, a feature, an event or a product test. So it's understandable if you're thinking, Jp is being filled with worthless information about how to take a photo? What, is Jp on vacation? Oh, grasshopper, if only.
Month after every other month, and sometimes only months that end in "-s," Jp coughs up a publication full of words and pictures celebrating the Jeep lifestyle. The question we're asked probably more than questions about swaps or modifications is "How do I get my Jeep in the magazine?" Truth is, covers, features, events ... those photos are usually handled by Editor Cappa and his insignificant other, Tech Editor Hazel, captured when they hit the trail.
However, Jeep Shots and Sideways are departments run primarily by the readership, also known as you, so they're your best bet for appearing in Jp. But folks, just because the editors have perfected snapping a Jeep in mid flip for the cover while simultaneously working on their bikini lines doesn't mean it's all that easy to do and be newsstand-worthy. And folks, just because you don't know how to do it right and make it newsstand-worthy but have simply mailed it in to the magazine doesn't mean it'll make the cut. Even Jp has standards. Stop laughing.
Now you might have figured out the waste of this space: We want to give you a quickie lesson on how to improve your chances of getting your Jeep into Jp. Therefore, here are some tips to improve your photography skills and increase your chances of making it in. Hey, and if nothing else, you'll have better photos to show your buddies.
Tip #1:
And... Action!
You dig photos of Jeeps rockcrawling, getting air and at full droop. Us too. As Hazel pleads, he's partial to your photos that "convey a certain sense of impending doom, action frozen in time just before things are going to get really bad." Don't be afraid to have a buddy snap your Jeep as it's posed in a particularly gnarly situation. However, don't get into that situation on account of us. And certainly don't stay in an uncomfortable or precarious spot just to pop a shot. We hate running obituaries. Sometimes you can just tilt the camera a little bit to fool us into thinking the situation is much more cool or deadly than it really is. Just remember, tire-up action is simply so much more riveting than when...
Would it have killed you to take the photo on the Rubicon?
Tip #2:
You're in the Driveway?
We get letters from readers all the time telling us what an awesome ride they have, how it's built to tackle all terrain put in front of it, but then the photo is of it parked in the driveway. Why, people, why? If you don't want to go full action like Tip #1, at least find some dirt to park it on. But if you are forced to shoot it at home, at least try to make it look a little dramatic. Drama is not defined as a Jeep parked at the curb. Drama isn't posing it on the trailer. Parking your Jeep in a boring and dull place means a photo of a Jeep parked in a boring and dull place. And if you do have to use the driveway or your house as a backdrop, ask yourself...
Back up 5 feet. Trees!
Tip #3:
Is That a Pole or is My Jeep Just Happy to See You?
As you're framing your Jeep through the peephole of your camera, eyeball the surrounding area for distractions. Are there telephone poles, wires or other such things appearing as an appendage? All you probably have to do is move the Jeep forward or backward, not to an entirely new location. And spy the foreground too. Shoes, garbage... they all make for careless photography. Also bad in the foreground are...
Two heads aren't always better than one.
Tip #4:
You and Your Shadow
It might seem very artsy to shoot a photo of your Jeep with you shooting a photo of your Jeep (trust us, that makes sense if you read it enough times, then bang your head on the wall), but really, not so much. Shadows are determined by scientists to be pretty much the sun's fault more than yours, but think about changing the time you shoot to earlier in the day when shadows aren't so long. Also, a vehicle in shadows isn't very flattering. Walk to the other side of the Jeep; if the sun is shining on that side, shoot that side. But if you do snap it earlier in the day, watch out, because...