Esther Chilton

In my blog I’ve covered the topic of readers’ letters on a couple of occasions. A lot of readers’ letters are about articles featured in previous issues or about readers’ lives and experiences but readers’ letters can be more than just text. A lot of magazines offer an opportunity for the photographers amongst you. Even if you’re not too handy with a camera, the letters pages of the women’s weeklies, in particular, are full of funny signs, cute pets, cheeky children, special occasions and much more.

Some magazines like to use photos of a by-gone era so if you have any of your grandparents, parents, or even yourself as a child, these really stand out. 

With all of these, a simple caption to go with the photo, is all that’s required. 

Another example of the readers’ letters pages using photos is to enhance the text. Many magazines feature heart-warming stories about a family member or the letter writer overcoming some form of adversity, together with a photo of the family member or letter writer.

So what are you waiting for? Get snapping and start digging out those old photos featuring flares, flowery frocks and frills.

Here’s an example of a photo which caught the editor of a letter page’s eye. I captured my daughter’s gerbil having his Harry Potter moment and sent it in, together with the caption:

‘Move over Harry Potter, there’s a new wizard in town’.