Photos for our publications

We welcome photographic contributions to our guidebooks and to the SMC Journal.

Photos are best submitted as digital images but slides/transparencies are also welcome. Please do not scan slides. All slides will be looked after and returned in due course. We pay for photographs used in our guides and each provider of a published photograph will also receive a free guide/journal. Photographers always retain the copyright of their photographs.

Please read our technical guidance, below, carefully before submitting digital photographs.

SMC Guidebook Photo Remuneration 2020

Photo Submissions

Submissions for Guidebooks

We are currently working on a number of guidebooks, all of which all need good action photos to illustrate them -

Scottish Rock Climbs is a selected summer rock guide. Here is the provisional list of routes downloadable as a pdf. The deadline for submissions is likely to be around mid autumn 2020.

Ben Nevis Winter Climbs is a comprehensive guide to the winter routes of The Ben. The deadline for submissions is likely to be around late summer 2021.

Lowland Outcrops is a new edition of the current guide covering roughly the same area. The deadline for submissions is likely to be around spring 2021.

Scottish Winter Climbs West is a new selected guide to winter routes in the west of Scotland (east and north will follow later). Here is the provisional list of crags. The deadline for submissions is likely to be around autumn 2021.

Highland Scrambles North is a new edition of this guide. It will cover a slightly bigger area than the current guide, see map. We would particularly like action photos from the far north (Foinaven etc), Suilven, Carnmore and the Affric to Carron area. We could also do with more photos of Liathach and An Teallach, but photos from any areas will be considered. The deadline for submissions is December 2020.

/ If you have any good photos then we would be keen to see them.

However please don't delay, we need to work out where the gaps are in our coverage, we're happy to recieve photos at any time.
There is a small payment and free copy of the guide for contributors.

Portrait (vertical) format or landscape (horizontal) format are equally acceptable. Historical photos (first ascents, aided ascents, etc.) are also useful. Please send photographs to:

Grahame Nicoll
Cranstackie
St. Mary's Road
Birnam
DUNKELD
PH8 0BJ

photos@smc.org.uk

Submissions for SMC Journal

Photos for the annual SMC Journal should be submitted by the end of January to be accepted for the next issue.

If you have any suitable photos which you would like to see in the SMC Journal then please send them to the Journal Photo Editor.

Photos submitted in connection with an article should be sent alongside the relevant article to the Journal Editor.

Guidance for contributing digital photos

  1. Photos from most modern digital cameras (5 megapixels and above) are acceptable. Photos from modern smart phones may now be of acceptable quality. Always shoot on the highest quality and the largest image size.
  2. We require the original files exactly as downloaded from the camera. Please do not reformat, sharpen, colour or contrast adjust your photos. If you wish to do this to a copy to show us you have a picture with potential, fine, but it is not essential. We want the unadjusted photo taken in highest quality JPEG format. TIFF or RAW formats are also acceptable.
  3. Please be selective with the photos you send. Weed out the poor ones, we only want to see the best. And please do not send more than 2 or 3 almost identical shots.
  4. You must include name of route, grade, names of climbers (if known) and name of person to be credited with the photo. We also require your address and phone no. or email address. These details are essential, we cannot use your photo without them.
  5. We prefer digital photos to be submitted on a CD as some email providers may reduce the file size of your image. However we will accept emailed images if necessary.

Digital photos burned onto a disc and posted.

  1. If at all possible please include a printout (any size/any quality/several on a sheet) of your photos. This makes our work a lot easier.
  2. Please include the name of the route, names of climbers and name of person to be credited with the photo in the photo file name.
  3. Unfortunately CDs and printouts are not normally returned.

Digital photos emailed.

  1. It is important that you email the original unadjusted files exactly as downloaded from the camera. These will normally be between 2MB and about 6MB each. If it is less than 1MB it will not be usable.
  2. Please do not email too many photos at once. Your email must not exceed 10MB.
  3. Please include the name of the route, names of climbers and name of person to be credited with the photo in the photo file name.