Photograph Submission Guidelines

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Imagery is an important part of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø print and web content. 51³Ô¹ÏÍø invites authors to submitÌýhigh-quality photos and video that give meaning to their specific submission. Please use the guidelines below to ensure that the photos and videoÌýyou submit are contextually and technically high-quality.
Photos that don’t meet both the content and technical guidelines below will not be used.
Photo or video content
- Practices or concepts described in the text
- Examples of work samples described in the text when appropriate
We are also looking for:
- Diversity (in terms of staff, children, settings)
- Action (children doing something, not posed)
- Examples of developmentally appropriate practices
- Captions describing each photo
Submitting Photos and Video
Format
51³Ô¹ÏÍø accepts high-resolution photos in JPEG, TIF, or EPS formats. Video should be submitted in .MOV, .MP4, or .M4V formats. If you have not submitted media to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø before, please keep your submission to fewer than 100 photos or 10 videos.Ìý
Model releases
AuthorsÌýmust have and keep model releases for all recognizable people in each photo or video (signed by all the adults who appear in the photo and by the parents or legal guardians of all the children photographed). Please provide a sample copy of your model release with your media submissionÌýor use the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø model release.
Media license
Please include a signed copy of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's MediaÌýLicense Agreement with your media submission. This agreement verifies that you own the photos and/or video, allows 51³Ô¹ÏÍø to use your photos or video in print and digital formats, and confirms you have the proper model releases. An new agreement must be completed and submitted with each batch of photos or video you submit to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø.
Sending photos
Send photos toÌý[email protected]. If you are submitting several photos or video, we suggest using a file sharing service, such as Dropbox, or send a CD, DVD or flash drive to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's Washington, DC office. Disks or drives mailed to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø will not be returned.
Technical Guidelines
Please send the highest quality/largest size media possible.
​If you use a camera phone, please change theÌýsettings to the highest possible quality setting and export the media off your phone at the largestÌýsize.
- Please do not distort the image by applying photo filters or effects.
- When taking video, hold the camera as still as possible. Using your phone? Hold the phone horizontally, and keep your hands as still as possible.
- Do not attempt to increase the size of an existing image using filters or software.ÌýThis will not improve the quality or make it appropriate for printing.
Getting the perfect shot—do’s and don’ts
To avoid common practices that reduceÌýquality:
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Check the focus! Is your camera focusing on the main subject of your image or somewhere else.ÌýLow light or wiggly children can make photos blurry. Moving the camera when taking video can create unwanted motion blurs in video. |
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Avoid taking photos or video with clothing or objects that haveÌývisible logos, cartoonÌýor video characters, or inappropriate sayings on them. |
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AvoidÌýusing your camera's built in flash; it washes out the image and creates dark outlines and cast shadows. If your photo or video is too dark, try adding more light by opening blinds or moving closer to a window. |
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Make sure your photos and video aren't too dark. When taking pictures inside, raise shades or open curtains add bright, natural light to your images. |
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Consider your composition.
 Faces and images taken straight on (not above, looking down) are the most engaging. Avoid zooming in too closely or standing too far back. |
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Avoid distracting or cluttered backgrounds.
ÌýMake sure the action is the focus of the image. |
Use of Published Photos and Video
Credit
Photographers are credited for each photo published. Although photographers retain copyright, by submitting photos to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, photographers are assigning 51³Ô¹ÏÍø the right to use the photos in current and subsequent printings of the publication in which they appear, whether in print or digital format.
Published work
When photos are published inÌýYoung ChildrenÌýorÌýTeaching Young Children, photographers receive a copy of the issue featuring their work. For other publications, photographers receive tearsheets of the pages on which their photos appear. 51³Ô¹ÏÍø will forward to photographers requests from other publications to use their photos. Submitting copyrighted images to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø does not preclude photographers from publishing the same images elsewhere.
Please email 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s editorial office for further information atÌý[email protected].
Get paid for your photos and video!
Are you interested in submitting photos or video to support 51³Ô¹ÏÍø content in general? Consider submitting your media to our Rights-Managed media library.