Each issue of the magazine
contains five or more features, roughly balanced
between Asia, Australia and foreign subjects.
Generally, we are interested in places accessible
to most divers, not just the intrepid or wealthy.
The types of topics we cover vary widely, from
mainstream to specialty diving.
Scuba Diver features are
usually narrow in scope; we do not cover
whole states or countries. Subjects of particular
interest to us, apart from general dive sites,
are national and state marine parks, marine
animals, and research and exploration projects.
Where a destination is concerned, service
information is generally given separately
at the end of each feature in a section that
includes how to get to the destination, things
to see and do there, and where to obtain
more information. The writer is expected
to send along as much service information
as possible with the manuscript to help us
prepare this section.
We also publish several regular service-oriented departments, with the
emphasis on meaty, practical information. Subjects include photography,
dive medicine, technical diving, terrestrial destinations, dive equipment,
and environmental perspectives. Essays offering reflections on the personal
experience round out the department mix.
What Kinds Of Proposals
Is Scuba Diver Looking For?
We accept freelance queries
for most of our departments. Ideas for features
are generated both by Scuba Diver staff
and by freelance contributors. We do assign features
to writers we have not used but only to those whose
published clips demonstrate the highest level of
writing skill. We do not accept phone queries from
writers, and we discourage the submission of unsolicited
manuscripts for feature articles.
How Should A Portfolio
Be Submitted?
Submissions should consist
of a carefully selected sample of not more than
a hundred images that were done on assignment
and demonstrate your ability to meet our requirements.
Thoughtful study of one or more issues of Scuba
Diver is the best guide to putting together such
a portfolio, which should be submitted
for review to Scuba Diver’s editor.
Please
mail with SASE to:
Asian Geographic Magazines Pte Ltd
No. 1 Syed Alwi Road,
#06-01 Song Lin Building,
Singapore 207628
Tel:+(65) 6298 3241 Fax: +(65) 6291 2068
Other Requirements Are:
1.
Scuba Diver stories
usually include photographs of people involved
in and enjoying the activities of the place being
featured. This doesn't mean tourist pictures in
the pejorative sense. Generally speaking, we are
trying to show a destination from a number of different
points of view: overviews from a distance, medium-length
views, close-ups of interesting details, intriguing
people, curious animals and unusual behaviour,
street scenes (where relevant), interiors, cultural
sites, scenics, and anything else that helps give
readers a sense of what a place is like.
2.
Marine park personnel occasionally
object to activities being shown in photographs
because they violate park rules or constitute a
hazard to the visitor, the environment, or the
wildlife. Please check with park officials and
advise the editor for illustrations if a potential
problem exists.
3.
Photographers must furnish
complete caption information, including who, what,
when, and where. Failure to comply will result
in payment being withheld. Please jot down any
quotes that could be used in captions to illuminate
the photographs, and obtain telephone numbers of
any persons prominently featured in case the caption
writer wants to interview them.
4.
Offset
printing generally reproduces a slightly lighter
exposure better than a dark, highly saturated one.
The "right" exposure is difficult to
define and varies greatly due to many factors,
so subjective judgment is required. Flash may help
fill in dense shadows.
Material (Artwork)
Specifications: Tiff format: Photoshop CMYK or RGB tiff,
300 dpi resolution
