Gary Halpern
Gary Halpern is the owner of the PhotoMedia Group, which publishes a 3x/yr photography trade magazine serving the western U.S., now in its 23rd year and winner of 6 Maggie Awards in 23 nominations in the last 11 years, and 9 APEX Grand Awards plus 12 APEX Awards of Excellence in the last 10 years (both the Maggies and APEX's are prestigious awards for publishing excellence).
Along with the magazine, he also publishes PhotoMediaOnline.com.
He also provide consulting and prepress services for coffee table photo book projects. Please visit PhotoMediaGroup.com for more information.
Website URL: http://www.photomediagroup.com E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
PhotoMedia Wins 10th Consecutive APEX Grand Award! Unpublished
For the tenth year in a row, Communications Concepts, Inc. has honored PhotoMedia with its APEX Grand Award, this time in the Best Overall Magazine or Journal, print, over 32-pages (for profit, small office) category. The 2012 APEX Grand Award was for the entire Fall 2011 issue, which featured photojournalism as a theme.“Remember people saying they get Playboy for the stories? Well, PhotoMedia is one magazine that you're not embarrassed to get for the photos, because the photos and photo layouts are a visual feast — a treat for the senses. And, the feature..
PhotoMedia Wins Another Maggie Award! Unpublished
PhotoMedia has won one of three prestigious 2012 Maggie Award nominations. The win was for Best Single Editorial Photograph/Trade for the opening photo spread in our Summer 2011 issue story on Charles "Flip" Nicklin. The other two nominations were for Best Interview or Profile/Trade and Best Editorial Layout/Trade, both for...
Survival of the Fittest Unpublished
While preparing for this, our 25th Anniversary issue, we were faced with a daunting challenge. After our previous issue featured Steve McCurry as our cover story, how could we make this one as special, or more so, than that? After all, surviving the last 25 years in the magazine publishing business is a miracle in itself. (And Lord knows there were plenty of opportunities along the way to perish.) We knew our cover profile had to be exceptional, so after much consideration, we made an appeal to New York's...
Living the Dream Unpublished
It seems appropriate that this issue of PhotoMedia is focused on the subject of photojournalism, considering all the recent attention given to the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks — perhaps the single most photographed event in history. Since our last issue in June, several other major international news stories have continued to unfold, including the riots in London, the overthrow of Gaddafi's 40-year regime in Libya and a major hurricane wreaking havoc in the northeastern United States — all amid continuing economic stagnation worldwide...
Life After the Quake Unpublished
It's hard to believe, but this issue marks the start of our 24th year of publishing PhotoMedia. In all that time, we thought we'd seen everything, newswise. Then, shortly after our Spring issue was distributed, Japan endured one of the worst disasters in history: the earthquake, tsunami and resulting malfunction of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Our hearts go out to the Japanese as they recover from the challenges they face.
Of course, Japan is the heart of the photo industry's manufacturing sector, so the impact of that event on photographers also has been profound, on top of the effect of an already struggling economy on businesses. This issue of...
The Age of Reinvention Unpublished
The more I speak with photographers, my clients, and other colleagues and friends, the more one thing becomes increasingly clear: Careers aren't what they used to be.
Not long ago, you could get educated, choose a field and expect to work in that field until you retired. Now, as business models change much more rapidly due to technological advancements, you're lucky if a career lasts 10 years. Remember back in the '70s, when cameras would effectively last for 30+ years? Today, in the digital age, you're compelled to replace them every five years or less. As a result, reinvention has become the key to one's survival and success. And as many have experienced, it's tough to make it in the photo business...
A Time for Honors Unpublished
On April 20, I had the opportunity to put PhotoMedia's 13 years and my publishing career in perspective when I attended the 50th annual Maggie Awards for publishing excellence in Los Angeles. Last year, PhotoMedia won one of these prestigious statues in the Best Interview or Profile in a Trade Publication category, but I was unable to attend and receive the award in person, as the event's schedule conflicted with production deadlines on our Spring 2000 issue. This year, when we got the word that we had been named a finalist in two categories - including the same category as last year and also Best Overall Design in a Trade Publication...
A Whole New Beginning Unpublished
For one day last September, it seemed as if the world stopped. And in the subsequent days and weeks, we were all awakened to the realization that every moment of every day is precious, since, as we saw, our own security is but an illusion.
The world will never be the same as a result of those fateful events. Global economics and politics have shifted dramatically, while a country (Afghanistan) has been decimated in order to overthrow a corrupt government and eliminate a terrorist network. These efforts have collectively tapped our courage as a society while...
Feeding Frenzy: An Appetite for News Photos Unpublished
Since our spring issue, several events have drawn my attention to a phenomenon that has been intensifying dramatically for the last five years or so: the news media's tendency to sensationalize stories. Whether it be the downfall of a celebrity, a senseless shooting, or a natural disaster, all segments of the news industry seem to be embracing these stories with zeal.
We are living in the age of the big story, and each new story seems to get bigger than the last. Witness the Oklahoma City bombing, the O.J. Simpson murder trials, Princess Diana's passing, President Clinton's sexual transgressions and subsequent impeachment, the war in Kosovo, the Columbine shootings, JFK Jr.'s passing, and the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd. The subjects are put under a microscope while the public lives vicariously...
This Century: Brownies to Digital What comes next? Unpublished
As we exit the 20th century, computers have become integral for processing virtually all aspects of human intellectual activity, from transacting business to conducting scientific research to facilitating communications and the arts. Little remains untouched by the computer's impact.
It has been intriguing to monitor the evolution of digital technologies within the photography industry, starting with the prototype systems for image capture and output to the current, fully conceived products. The move to digital has given us plenty to write about as photographers and photo users discover new opportunities...