JB's 2 CENTS

I’ve finally made the switch to a digital camera, so I’m dangerous now. The photo galleries are reaching capacity. I’d like to take this opportunity to explain the purpose of the photo galleries to those who are unappreciative. Every month there’s inevitably someone who’s really bored and looking for something to criticize, so you’ll come across an anonymous message board post scoffing at OZONE as a "picture magazine." And a few months ago, there was the publicist who condescendingly snorted, "Is there anything you can do besides take photos?" Actually, bitch, it does take a considerable amount of multi-tasking to come out with a monthly magazine. But I’ll leave that one alone for now.

First of all, laugh at the photographer if you wish, but freelance photography actually pays pretty well if you’re good at it. Plus, it’s fun. Those of you who scoff at the photo galleries clearly don’t see the benefits. It’s called "word of mouth," fools. Let’s do a simple equation, shall we?

(8 pages of photo galleries) x (average 20 photos per page) x (average 3 people per photo) = approximately 480 people featured in OZONE photo galleries every month.

Benefit #1 - Most rappers and DJs are extremely egotistical, so they love looking at pictures of themselves. 480 is a lot of people! Chances are that any artist I come across this month will be in the magazine. They love that shit. It never hurts to have celeb supporters.

Benefit #2 - Out of those 480 people, at least half of them are fairly well-known within their own communities. That means, even if they don’t see their picture, someone who knows them is going to see it and hit ‘em up on the 2way or cell to say, "Hey, did you see your picture in OZONE?" Then, they might grab a copy themselves, or pull it up on the web and email it to a few of their friends. See? That’s called "free promotion."

Benefit #3 - The true power of the photo galleries has always, always amazed me. It didn’t totally click until a few weeks ago, when I had a conversation with an unsigned artist who wanted to buy an ad. He commented, "That’s part of the dream, you know? To be in a magazine." As compared to magazines like The Source or XXL, we have the advantage of being underground enough to print whatever and whoever we want. There are a ton of people (DJs, artists, entrepreneurs, club owners, drug dealers, whatever) that are well-respected within their own communities, but they aren’t at that "celebrity" level where a magazine like The Source would run a picture of them (unless, of course, they’re from New York - but that’s a different topic).

Now that I’ve listed the benefits of the photo galleries, here are the things that piss me off:

Pet Peeve #1 - Remember, stupid questions will always get stupid answers. Whenever I am walking through a club or event carrying a large camera bag with a camera hanging from around my neck, someone will inevitably bump into me and ask, "Hey, are you a photographer?" My reply will typically be a sarcastic, "No, I’m just carrying this for fun."

Pet Peeve #2 - Drunk-ass people who see me take a picture of someone important in the club and grab me saying, "Take our picture!" Now that I’m digital, it’s cool. I just take the picture and then delete it. But as I just explained, the whole purpose of the photo galleries is to get people talking. An artist might have a buzz of a song bubbling underground, but no one knows what they look like. That’s where we come in - the Mike Joneses, the Rick Rosses, the Tom Gs, for example. People who have a regional buzz. People who are actually DOING THINGS. Just because you happen to be at the club, or you know the DJ, or you come to a record pool meeting every three months, does not qualify you.

Pet Peeve #3 - People who get mad if their name isn’t listed under the picture. The section of my brain that’s reserved for remembering people’s names has been full for several years now, so I have to write them down.

I love pictures! - Julia Beverly, jb@ozonemag.com