Submitting photography to a magazine is not simply a matter of sending your strongest images. Editors are looking for a complete visual story that fits the publication, follows the current submission rules and can be produced without missing rights, credits or files.
A professional submission makes the editor's decision easier. It shows a clear idea, a deliberate sequence and respect for every person who helped create the work.
This guide explains the process from the first edit to the final upload.
1. Choose a publication that fits the work
Start with editorial fit, not prestige.
Look at several recent issues, not only the publication's most popular social posts. Ask:
- Does the magazine publish your genre?
- Is its visual language compatible with your series?
- Does it favour minimal, documentary, commercial or experimental work?
- Does it accept completed stories, pitches or both?
- Is the current call intended for print, digital, web or social publication?
A strong beauty story can still be wrong for a call focused on documentary photography. A technically perfect portrait series can feel out of place in a fashion issue built around movement and styling.
Artells publishes work across Fashion, Beauty, Portrait, Fine Art, Men, Kids, Nature and other visual categories. Reviewing published work will help you decide where your series belongs.
2. Read the current call before editing
Submission requirements can change between calls. Read the current listing before exporting your files.
Confirm:
- accepted categories;
- minimum and maximum number of images;
- dimensions, colour profile and file format;
- whether the work must be unpublished or exclusive;
- deadline and expected issue;
- required team and wardrobe credits;
- release requirements;
- available submission or publication options;
- whether a digital or print copy is included.
Do not rely on a screenshot of an old call or a previous contributor's experience. The listing visible when you submit should control the current requirements.
For Artells, start on Submit Your Work and choose one of the two official routes: Kavyar or Artells Media. Artellsmagazine.com itself does not process submission payments.
3. Build a series, not a folder of favourites
Editors normally review the submission as one story.
Your images do not need to look identical, but they should feel as if they belong to the same world. A cohesive series usually has:
- a recognisable concept or emotional direction;
- consistent casting, styling or subject matter;
- controlled changes in framing and pace;
- colour and retouching that work together;
- a beginning, development and ending;
- enough variety to create a magazine layout.
Choose images because of the role they play in the sequence—not only because each one is individually impressive.
A useful first edit is generous. A useful final edit is disciplined. Remove repeated poses, near-duplicate frames and images that introduce a second visual idea without developing it.
4. Sequence the story
Image order affects how the work is understood.
Begin with a frame that establishes the visual language. Alternate wide, medium and close views where the work allows it. Avoid placing several nearly identical compositions together. Finish with an image that feels intentional rather than merely being the last file exported.
Editors may change the order for layout, but a considered sequence proves that you understand the story as a whole.
Name files clearly and keep the numbering simple:
story-title_01_photographer-name.jpg
Avoid filenames such as final-final-3.jpg, camera-generated strings or unexplained internal codes.
5. Prepare publication-ready files
Use the exact technical requirements in the current call.
The general Artells website guideline is a cohesive series of 4–12 fully retouched JPG images in the sRGB colour profile. Recommended publication sizes are:
- portrait: 2550 × 3300 px;
- landscape spread: 5100 × 3300 px;
- resolution: 300 dpi.
A specific Kavyar or Artells Media listing may request a different range or additional material, so check it before uploading.
Before submission:
- view every image at 100%;
- check skin, fabric and edge retouching;
- remove dust and accidental distractions;
- confirm that colour does not shift between frames;
- check for compression damage or sharpening halos;
- export in the requested colour space;
- never upscale a small file simply to reach a stated pixel size.
Do not send RAW files unless the publication expressly requests them.
6. Prepare complete and accurate credits
Credits are part of the editorial, not an administrative afterthought.
Prepare the exact names and preferred public handles of:
- photographer;
- model or subject;
- stylist;
- makeup artist;
- hair stylist;
- creative director;
- retoucher;
- assistants;
- designers and wardrobe brands;
- agency, where applicable;
- any other contributor whose work appears in the story.
Ask every contributor to confirm how their name should appear. A corrected list sent before publication is easier to handle than a collection of urgent messages after an issue has been released.
For fashion stories, organise wardrobe credits by look or image. Do not guess a designer or brand. If an item cannot be credited, describe it truthfully and follow the requirements of the current call.
7. Confirm copyright and model permissions
The submitter must own the work or have written authority to submit it.
Keep:
- permission from every relevant copyright holder;
- a written model release for every identifiable person;
- any required property or location permission;
- a separate written release from a parent or official legal guardian for every identifiable person under 18.
The signed originals should be stored securely and supplied promptly if the publication requests them.
Artells does not accept sexualised, nude, partially nude, sexually suggestive or sexually provocative content involving anyone under 18. There are no editorial exceptions to this rule.
For the full licence, credit and release provisions, read the Submission Terms and Privacy Policy.
8. Write a concise submission note
The images should carry the story, but context helps.
Your note should contain:
- the editorial title;
- a two- or three-sentence concept;
- the category;
- confirmation that the files and credits are complete;
- relevant publication status or exclusivity information;
- your name and contact details.
Avoid writing a long biography before explaining what you are submitting. Do not promise audience results or describe the work as “guaranteed to go viral.” Give the editor the information needed to evaluate the series.
9. Use the correct submission route
Do not send a submission through several channels unless the publication asks you to.
For Artells Magazine, the two official routes are:
- Artells Media;
- Kavyar.
Start on Submit Your Work to choose the route that fits the current call. Keep platform messages, the listing and the order or submission reference together.
Submission does not itself guarantee acceptance, a cover, a particular position, an exact publication date or a career result. Editorial fit remains part of the decision.
10. Understand what happens after acceptance
An acceptance message should identify the selected option, current expected issue or publication window and any material still required.
Respond quickly if the team requests:
- a corrected credit;
- a replacement file;
- confirmation of publication status;
- a release;
- a different crop or orientation;
- clarification of a contributor's role.
For Artells, the core publication service begins when the application is accepted and an acceptance confirmation is sent. It is completed when the relevant issue is released and appears on the issue page. Any additional deliverables depend on the option expressly accepted.
Recently released editions appear on New Issue. Process, rights and cancellation answers are collected in the Submission FAQ.
Final photography submission checklist
Before pressing Submit, confirm:
- The series fits the publication and current call.
- The image count and file specifications are correct.
- The sequence tells one coherent story.
- Files are fully retouched and exported in the requested colour profile.
- Filenames are clear and numbered.
- The editorial title and short concept are ready.
- Every contributor and wardrobe item is credited accurately.
- Copyright permissions and model releases are complete.
- Parent or official-guardian releases are complete for anyone under 18.
- You understand what is included—and what is not guaranteed.
- You are submitting through the correct official route.
Ready to submit?
Review the current calls and choose between Kavyar and Artells Media on the official Artells Magazine submission page.