If you’re picking up PhotoMedia for the first time, we hope this issue will strike you as visually powerful and editorially impressive. If you’re a longtime reader, on the other hand, you may be surprised by the dramatic evolution since our last issue (Fall 2007, on photojournalism).

Change is almost always a challenge and even a little scary, but in this case we think you’ll appreciate the results of our efforts. A sizeable rise in mailing costs and other expenses for the last issue prompted us to consider reinventing PhotoMedia with a new, slightly smaller and more convenient format — our first revision in more than 11 years — and a complete redesign, from front to back. This allowed us to incorporate many improvements that we had long contemplated. Every square inch of every page has been scrutinized and, when necessary, reconceived to present our content with the highest impact and elegance. (Much of the credit for our new look goes to our creative director, Rich Huston.)

It’s been an exciting process that has made the publishing experience all the more gratifying for us. As we go forward, we’ll continue to push the envelope, keeping PhotoMedia as contemporary and vital to the industry as possible.

This issue is devoted to “People and Places,” which includes portrait, wedding and destination photography. Our cover story on Frank Ockenfels profiles one of the more original celebrity portraitists in the business, while our feature on Joe Buissink focuses on one of the top wedding photographers in the world.

Rounding out the coverage, Lindsay Hebberd (featured twice before in PhotoMedia) shares her impressions of Las Vegas and the challenges she overcame in self-publishing a comprehensive photo book on the subject; John Lund (also previously featured in PhotoMedia) provides some insight into staging stock photo productions abroad; and five successful businessmen in non-photographic careers reveal how their passion for photography has been a source of fulfillment.

We also continue to make updates and improvements to the PhotoMedia website (PhotoMediaOnline.com), where you can read most of our feature stories from 2004 to the present.

Now, more than ever, please let our advertisers know that you noticed their ads in PhotoMedia — our future depends on it. They deserve the utmost appreciation for supporting this publication throughout our history and helping us pay the bills, enabling us to continue bringing you in-depth coverage of the world of photography for free. We welcome your opinions on our coverage and encourage you to share PhotoMedia with others who love photography.

Here’s to even better issues ahead, filled with inspirational photography and writing.

Sincerely,

Gary Halpern, Publisher