How do you Get in a Magazine

On Friday, I had the amazing opportunity to have my home shot for a magazine. I spent two weeks prepping my house and countless hours cleaning, but when everything was finally ready, what a pinch me moment! A photographer, stylist, and photography assistant flew into Utah to take pictures of my house. I still can’t believe it!

The number one question I got was “how did this happen? How do you get in a magazine?” I thought I would answer that with lots of behind the scenes information!

how do you get in a magazine?

the flowers for our shoot!

1. Creating interesting, original, exclusive, and compelling content. Think outside the box and do things that are unique. Find your personal stamp and put it on your projects. I know that’s easier said than done, but once you’re making things and have a “look,” you might start getting magazine queries.
2. Share those items online. Promote you work and try to get it seen as widely as possible. Self promoting is hard, but if you don’t believe in your work and try to get it out there, no one else will do that for you.
3. Get good photographs of your projects so you can share the very best version of it as possible. This is the first year I’ve hired a professional photographer on a regular basis and I’ll have my home in 4 magazine this year. Before that, my work has never been in a magazine. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
4. Just know that editors might be following you on social media. DIY magazine (who shot at my house) has an editor who is following me- and I guess has been for awhile. I’ve gotten emails from other editors who are also following me and are waiting for the right time to feature one of my rooms or projects. I was shocked when I found that out!
5. Use social media tags to get seen. Tag a magazine where your aesthetic fits in with their vibe. Use the magazine’s hashtag when posting rooms or projects that fit. Doing these two things means your work is at least glanced at by the magazine’s employees. 

my experience

For me, here’s what happened- an editor was following me on Instagram and seeing that my DIY projects fit the magazine. In March of this year, they reached out via email about an August photo shoot. I said yes immediately! Over email I sent a bunch of pictures of my house so they could decide for sure they’d shoot my house.

Personally, I have never reached out to the magazines that have featured my work. Though it’s not that I’m above that (lol), I just haven’t taken the time.

Below are a few other FAQ I got on Instagram this weekend. I thought I’d answer those and below I’ll go into the changes the editors wanted with my house.

did you get paid?

No, I didn’t get paid for this feature. But it is SUCH a good experience and a wonderful way to get exposure and find new readers. I figure, I love talking about DIY and their magazine shares DIYs- we MUST have overlapping audience members. I hope to find more of my people by being in the magazine (specifically pink/ pastel rainbow fans) 😉 . 

Side note, I have been paid $150 for a magazine to use one of my photos in a magazine. Don’t be afraid to ask, just be prepared to probably not get paid.

who owns the rights to the images?

The magazine owns the rights to the images. I had to sign 2 releases- 1 for a “location consent and release” so they could photograph my home/property and 1 for “family authorization and full release photography” so they could could photograph myself, Don, and my dogs. My husband, Preston, had to sign a release too- we talked him into being in a family portrait!

After the magazine is out, I can request images to use.

what issue will you be in?

I’ll be in Do It Yourself Magazine. Right now my issue isn’t scheduled. The guess is that I’ll be in spring of 2020 (since my house is pastel, it’s perfect for April or March)!

FIY, DIY Magazine has 4 issues a year and it costs $5 to get all 4. I just bought a year of issues here so I’ll have a copy of my issue. Usually subscribers get the magazines before they’re out in stores! So if you want to easily and quickly see my issue, $5 is such a great deal for an inspiring magazine!

who was at your house for the shoot?

There were three people on the team. Lacey was the stylist and I worked with her closely to prep for the shoot. Adam Albright was the photographer (he’s amazing! He’s shot Joanna Gaines for The Maganolia Journal)! And Jason, the photographer assistant. 

They were all a joy to have in my home. Especially since they made my dogs and Don feel so comfortable. They were especially great at getting Don to smile and pose for photos.

what types of props did they use?

Lacey (the stylist) brought in a ton of props! She ordered a bunch of flowers (which I loved). She brought in pillow options, vases, new plants, pots for the plants, food (muffins, strawberries, croissants, brown eggs) and a few rugs. It was also fun because she found items in my house and moved them around in new places. Really, it was great to see my stuff in a new light!

One of the perks of the shoot is that I got to keep a few of the props! I fell in love with a set of canisters she brought. I also got to keep a few other cute accessories. 

how long did they shoot for? What rooms did they photograph?

It was a full one day shoot. They started at 8:30 and ended around 6pm. They shot my living room, kitchen, my husband’s bathroom, the stairs, playroom, master bedroom, and she shed. When they shot the kitchen, they specifically got shots that’d work for the cover. It was really amazing to see it mocked up! Fingers crossed that it actually ends up on the cover!

this is the angle that might be the magazine cover 🤞🏻

Side note, they didn’t photograph the office, my bathroom, or Don’s room. I am taking it as a personal challenge to upgrade and make those rooms even better. They specially wanted my husband’s bathroom because of the brass backsplash. And they only wanted one bathroom (so that’s why my bathroom wasn’t shot). I love having room for growth and this was inspiring!

a few of the props that were brought for the shoot

what was it like on set?

They set-up in the office and then worked through one room at a time. They tethered their camera to a laptop so we could see the shots nice and big

I tried to be out of their way (except to peep at shots and styling), but Don LOVED chatting to everyone (and giving lots of hugs). Lucy made herself at home in a few photos and was the super star model that she is! 🙂

They did their best to shoot with natural light. Above is a shim over my laundry room door to filter in the light. Because they used little lighting, they moved through shots pretty quickly.

My house was left as it was found with a few props left behind (that I loved). The crew was absolutely wonderful and so respectful. I really appreciated it!

did you get your hair and makeup done?

this is the outfit I wore for the shoot. With a different hat. And I steamed my skirt- lol!

No- maybe I should have though! I’ve lived in this town for a year and don’t have a trusted place to go, so I didn’t bother. I was in 2 shots so it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t even get a new dress! My home got all the prep.

Side note, they suggested wearing a plain color without any pattern. No black or white for photography reasons. I love patterns so this was hard! 

what did the editors suggest?

Before the shoot, I knew that the editors requested to switch out the pillows on my sofa to tone down the pink. Of course, I love pink, but they wanted to minimize that to appeal to as many people as possible. I maximize the pink (lol) so it was a little weird to see navy, black, and neutral accents!

I figured, I had two choices- I could be offended by the recommendations or learn as much as possible from them. Of course, I choose to be open to the ideas. Here’s what I think about this situation- professionals are looking at the best images of my house and giving suggestions. That’s priceless information to improve!

After the team left, I went through each room and took pictures with the leftover flowers (that I got to keep!) and take pictures incorporating some of their suggestions. Their pictures will be MUCH better, but consider this a sneak peek!

living room suggestions

• replace pink pillows with neutrals that match with the rug
• remove some of the records so they’re less cluttered
• bring in fuller plants for next to the window

kitchen suggestions

• declutter shelves in the kitchen so it’s less crammed
• go for neutral pillows on the banquette
• photograph the banquette to minimize the gap between the wall (I should use trim to fill that!)

playroom suggestions

• take pictures with the coffee table pulled out so it doesn’t look so cluttered
• remove any seating next to the white table on the tiger wallpaper wall

laundry room suggestions

• replace the blue rug with something more plain (but doesn’t cover up too much of the floor)

master bedroom suggestions

• take out the chair at the desk and replace for something that is less visually heavy to show off the shelves 
• remove the dog bed for photos

husband’s bathroom suggestions

• declutter shelves a bit
• bring in pretty vanity items
• different plant options or cut flowers

she shed suggestions

• fuller florals on the table
• Add some gardening books and cute gloves on the shelves to emphasize that it’s a potting shed
• Take out the table for the shot

So that’s a long list! I know some of that is just so they can get the pictures they need. But a LOT of it is good feedback for me. There’s always room for improvement and I feel so inspired to keep making my house better!

Do you have any other questions about the magazine shoot for me? Let me know in the comments!

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