The Makings of a Cover Shot

Selecting covers shots for Get Out There Magazine is never an easy task. In fact, it's a lot harder than you might think. It's not simply a matter of finding a great photo (although that's certainly the first criteria). The photo has got to be vertical in configuration, taken at a high enough resolution to reproduce well on a magazine cover and accommodate cover lines.

In the seven years since I started Get Out There, I think the May/June 2011 issues and our new Women's Annual might be my favourite covers to-date. Here's the quick story on our latest cover selections.

East Edition
I absolutely love this shot of up-and-coming mountain biker Emily Batty. We profiled her in the magazine back in 2009 (you can read the article at: http://bit.ly.hvvak6/) and were thrilled to come across this shot taken by her brother Eric Batty. The shot really captures both her strength and ease on the bike - and the colours really make the shot a stand-out.

West Edition
BC Bike Race (http://www.bcbikerace.com/) is one of Canada's most successful mountain biking events and certainly stands out in terms of being an epic "bucket list" race for many riders. This shot was taken in the 2010 race by photographer Dave Silver (http://www.davesilverphotography.com/). We've used Dave's shots in previous issues and he always seems to have exactly what we're looking for. This shot captures the very distinct and recognizable BC riding scene. You can almost feel what it's like to be there!

Women's Annual
The cover of our first Women's Annual was an important one and we elected to go with this shot of a woman trail runner ascending a mountain pass in Kananaskis country in the Canadian Rockies outside of Canmore. I love how this shot captures the ruggedness of the Canadian landscape and the strength of this runner. She looks focused and strong.

Look for these issues starting May 1st.