Photography magazines have always had a special place in the publishing world. Well-edited print publications allow photographers to properly showcase their best work while helping readers appreciate the art, craft. and visual communications power of great photography. Now, the venerated British Journal of Photography (BJP), which was established in 1854, has become a leader in publishing an increasingly popular digital version of a photography magazine.
Launched in September 2011, the BJP app has generated over 160,000 downloads, a figure that dwarfs the 8,000 readers of its niche print edition.
The newest edition (Issue 4) is now available for download to the iPad from the Apple Newsstand. Optimized for the Retina display of Apple’s latest iPad, Issue 4 features the work of Thomas Ruff, Peter Fraser, Simon Roberts, Olivia Arthur, Maria Gruzdeva, and Julían Barón and others. Photographers profiled in the issue include four who have made the move from still imagery to the world of music video: Owen Silverwood, Josh Cole, Seamus Murphy and Timothy Saccenti. Also included are reviews of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and Nikon D4. Magnum photographer David Hurn reviews Fujifilm’s X-Pro 1 compact interchangeable lens camera.
The BJP app is much more than just a PDF version of the print magazine. It is tailor-made to make full use of the iPad’s navigational tools and spectacular display. Along with high-impact imagery, the BJP app incorporates multimedia features, and in-depth coverage of the emerging HD-DSLR video market. In the app, you can view the best from still photography as well as motion technology shot on HD digital cameras.
Award-winning App
In April, the BJP app won the “Best Use of Mobile” award at the inaugural British Media Awards, in April.
“I am delighted that the British Journal of Photography app has been recognized at the British Media Awards, and especially when up against such stiff competition as The Economist and Citywire,” says Marc Hartog, group publishing director. “The team has worked hard to bring a completely new version of BJP to the tablet and we have stuck to our guns in terms of making it a completely immersive and interactive experience, worthy of a premium price. With downloads now topping 160,000 and paid subscribers getting close to the number of print subscribers, we are excited about the future and it is great that the British Media Awards judges agreed”.
You can download a 50-page preview of Issue 4 from the App Store for free. The full version sells for £6.99/€7.99/$9.99. A six-month subscription is available at the special price of £9.99/€10.99/$13.99.
Created on Mag+ Platform
The BJP app is created using the Mag+ platform. Mag+ is a flexible, efficient platform for publishing creative content on touchscreen tablets. Mag+ premiered on the first iPads in April 2010 with Popular Science.
It supports dozens of titles in the Apple Newsstand and also has titles on the Android platforms. Mag+ is designed for magazine and book publishers, catalog marketers, and design agencies who want to bring beautiful, immersive content to the millions of people using this new generation of digital devices. Mag+ was developed by the research and development task force of the Bonnier Magazine Group and was spun out into its own company, Moving Media+ in 2011.
The team responsible for the design and production of the BJP app is now available for full service digital-contract publishing, using the Mag+ platform.
LINKS
App: British Journal of Photography