A shoot made for publication in a magazine: stories about clothes, people and events, produced by the editorial team.
How it differs from advertising
By who sets the task. In an editorial the editor and stylist decide, not the brand: garments are chosen to serve an idea rather than a sales plan. Hence the freedom in the frame, and the strange looks nobody wears — those are the point of the work.
An advertising shoot is commissioned by a brand, and the objective is the reverse: the product has to be shown clearly and flatteringly. The difference shows up in the money as well.
Why it pays almost nothing
An editorial budget covers the team and the production, not model fees: a magazine does not sell the clothes and does not earn from the frame directly. The rate is symbolic, and sometimes the payment is the publication and the images for your book.
The value is elsewhere. An editorial shows that a professional team worked with you and that you were taken somewhere decided by editorial taste rather than a client’s budget. Those frames are what raise the rate of the commercial jobs that follow.
What to establish beforehand
Whether the story will run and when — shoots are regularly shelved. Whether you get frames for your book, in what form and from what date: before publication they normally cannot be used. And who is on the team: the photographer’s name matters more here than the magazine’s.
How it goes on a résumé
Magazine, country, month and year, photographer. A spread inside the issue and a cover are two different lines and should not be conflated.
