First published in July 2012, doc! photo magazine is a Warsaw(Poland) based online monthly focusing on contemporary documentary photography with a special stress on photo stories. Each month the magazine presents the work of eight photographers – some well known, others just starting their photographic adventure.
doc! is created by those with a passion for contemporary documentary photography. The editors, formerly associated with one of the Poland’s largest press photography contests, are trying to document the world we live in. Many of the photographs published deal with current global issues but also with everyday life.
The English-Polish magazine is open to emerging photographers around the world who can submit their stories to the editors. If lucky, they will be published and then seen by thousands of readers. The editors are proud that just after six issues , Doc! photo magazine is read by people speaking over 50 languages, and living in almost 95 countries. This shows that the magazine’s format is a success.
“As we communicate with our readers through photographs, written material is limited,” says Grzegorz Kosmala, founder and editor-in-chief of the magazine. “We believe that photography is a universal language used by people regardless of their background, gender, beliefs or religion.”
Such result was possible thanks to choosing the internet as the medium to reach readers. But not only this. Open the magazine and you see carefully selected photographic materials presented in a very elegant format. The layout of this online monthly does not dominate the photographs but makes them the most important element of the publication. The pictures take the leading role.
The list of the magazine contributors includes winners of many international and national awards for press photography, from contests and festivals. The majority of them come from Poland but the number of foreign photographers is increasing. The editors’ goal is to present Polish and foreign photographers in equal numbers.
The doc! photo magazine is active in promoting contemporary photography. It has been the patron of several photography events, including the 2nd Opole Photography Festival OFF2012 (Poland), and an exhibition of Polish street photography collective Un-posed, shown at the 5th European Photography Month in Berlin (Germany). It also collaborates with the Leica Gallery Warsaw on a regular basis.
“The list of our initiatives also includes monthly meetings with photo-journalists which are open for public of course” – adds Grzegorz Kosmala.
As the magazine readership consists of photographers, curators, contemporary photography fans and photography as well as graphic design students, along with the photo stories, each issue of the monthly also includes information on photography related events such as exhibitions, competitions, workshops and books.
