Shutterbug magazine has long been a stalwart of the camera community. But like everything else in this industry, it’s changing at a pace that is almost too quick, it may seem. And the latest change is a sad one — Shutterbug magazine is no longer going to be a print magazine. They are closing the print magazine and will continue, like so many other publications, as a web-only presence.
In a release published on May 22nd, Dan Havlik, Shutterbug’s editor-in-chief is quoted as saying, “Shutterbug magazine had a great run, but the media landscape has changed dramatically in the last 4+ decades, and we felt now was the time for Shutterbug to become a dynamic, web-only publication.”
According to Shutterbug’s Facebook page, their June 2018 issue will be the last print issue. It’s billed as “The How-To Issue” and its cover features a beautiful photo of a yellow Lamborghini Aventador by photographer Pepper Yandell. It also, among other things, reviews the Sony A7III, and includes tips for amazing mountain landscape photos.
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Shutterbug is one of the older photography magazines, having been in publication for 45 years. It is also a member of the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA). According to Shutterbug’s own statistics, its average reader read the magazine for 3.5 years, with a total monthly circulation in print is 93,000.
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This is a reminder of how difficult it is for print media to compete with online content, and more’s the pity. A photography magazine, in particular, seems it does best printed on paper with real ink. Some readers might remember that not that long ago — in March of 2017 — Popular Photography closed completely. Shutterbug, which for now is continuing as a web magazine, is still staying open. But is there a future for print photography magazines?
