from: Clay Feeter, Standup surf & sail Journal
Subject: The 4 a.m. thoughts about our June issue now at press; our
direction, and how your input helps, huge!
Hi and thanks to all on Rec. and to those who have emailed me directly
with comments and critique; all of which is helping drive year #16 of
"Wind Tracks" in its new form: Standup surf & sail Journal.
After John Severson, Drew Kampion was my editor when I worked for Wind
Surf mag in the early 80s, and then he was my editor after I started
Wind Tracks.
-the first thing Drew said when he saw our first issue of
Standup Journal was, "why 'volume 16'?" Drew felt this March issue --
after I'd been outta the publishing scene for 7 years -- should be
volume #1.
But this first issue -- and all the rest! -- is truly the extension of
Wind Tracks... and we left off with Wind Tracks at vol. 15 #4, so vol.
16 made sense to me.
IT'S A NEW DAY, A NEW ERA FOR WINDSURFING
I have taken my core "old crew" Wind Tracks bros' and your's and
everybody's ideas about the Journal's direction to heart. Though most
have told me the mix of windsurfing and standup paddling works for
them, I know there are a few of you who want to see JUST windsurfing.
If I were not personally so jacked on standup paddling and how well it
blends with windsurfing (and also how perfectly it mixes with sailing
sups and long boards!) then I guess my focus would be more on just
windsurfing.
But it's a new era.
That brings me to the headline of this thread: "Next issue update:"
We call the June issue the Photo Annual, but I have to tell you that
EVERY issue is a "photo annual."
My strong feeling is that in this day and age (the internet) there
is still ONE thing the websites/blogs/forums cannot deliver:
-high quality images; a "gallery treatment" of works from
top photographers... and the truth is that the hardworking windsurf
and watersports photographers today are pressed almost out of business
because of the internet.
So, this -- Standup surf & sail Journal -- is THEIR canvas: The
Photographers; 90% of my editorial budget per issue is dedicated to
the imagemakers.
That said, next issue (June) addresses some of your concerns about
including standup paddling into the mix.
-I just did a quick count of images in next issue. There are
something like 120 photos; 54 are windsurfing, 44 are standup
paddling.
-I promised Dana Miller -- one of our kitchen cabinet members
and deep thinker on our journal's direction -- that I would follow his
admonition: "They (other windsurf mags) don't exist."
In other words, "When you pick a photo or a story, don't do it based
on the other mags," and you are right Dana! Photo and story selection
has to come from the heart, from the artistic integrity of an image
from the behind-the-booms feel of what that story or shot does for
you; how it effects you.
So, in following Dana's advice I will only refer to another mag to
bring to light what we offer to THE WINDSURFER:
I counted, in a recent windsurf mag, 12 editorial photos
of actual windsurfing I would consider "pretty good," and a couple/
three of those are redhot! This is in a mag that has more than 100
pages.
So, at that pace let's say that mag has 60 or so pretty good windsurf
shots in a year and maybe 18 redhot windsurf photos.
I just did a rough count so please do not hold me to the exact number
but our June issue has 54 pretty incredible windsurfing images.. in
just one edition! I will let you decide just how hot these images
are.
-I whittled them down from 850 semi final images from the
top shooters in the biz.
See ya on the water,
-Clay
Clay Feeter
Publisher, Standup surf & sail Journal
PO Box 360 (UPS/FedEx: 16 Ridge Rd.)
Center Barnstead, NH, USA 03225
(603) 209-4343; ClayFeeter@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mag side info: www.StandupJournal.com
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