I hope you guys will consider me for an upcoming publication.

Nice work on the first issue, except for the typo on page 28 (Interview with Emilie Valentine) "Looking at the word through a lens..." should read "looking at the world through a lens...."

I do however think the layout was beautifully simple and uncluttered. The editing was well done and the quality of the printing is fantastic, not bad for laser....

I order both issues at the same time and just received them yesterday. Nice work Derek and Heather, although what possessed you to use a PC and Quark. Long live In-Design and the Mac OS!

at this price i think you'll probably find that you won't sell very many. Expensive price!

I like the size, and I love the content. Great job!

I'm just sorry to say it's too expensive for the guy like me (I live in Poland) - together with shipment it was 88,00 PLN - which is more than avarage one day sallary (around 80,00 PLN).

If you have more customers in Europe I can offer my help to find a smart solution for POD printing and distribution here on the Old Continent.

regards - Miras

My overall impression of the first issue was good: interesting, artsy, the kind of thing you want to flip through now and again for days. Color tones were good. I love the concept, and look forward to the evolution of the mag.

On the critical side, I have to agree with some previous reviewers:

1) the price is too high. I bought it to support an emerging creative magazine, but I think a fair price would be $10.
2) layout: many photos run together in the seam, making them hard to see
3) packaging: (this is, I think, a LuLu thing) - isn't there a way to just use paper and cardboard, no foam panels?
4) too many pregnant bellies - I'd rather see what some other notions of "origin" are than the same thing again

I also thought the image quality was iffy on a few of the photos, namely the cover photo (old woman with tiara). I don't know if that's a jpeg format problem, if the image wasn't submitted at the proper resolution, or was scanned poorly, but the dark tones, in the deepest shadows can run together forming a sort of inky blot.

Looking forward to seeing "Lost."

Although it's a commendable first effort, I agree with the criticism on the format/design which I think is a deservice to the photography. But more importantly I was unhappy with the editing of the material. In order to have a selection of good images you need to weed out many simply decent ones.
Maybe next issue?

I know it's not really fair but even Blid Spot will give you some of the best photography in the world, extremely well printed, for only $14

While I get why the cost is the way it is, it is still twenty bucks for a tiny magazine, with tiny pictures.

Yes the photos are nicely done and the mag is quality and kudos to you guys for the idea and the guts and love for getting it out there....but as time moves along, I wont be buying such a tiny mag for such a big price.

Also, waaaaaayyyy too many pregnant bellies for me. Origin of life yes, but there are many other origins of many other things.

Otherwise, it was a commendable beginning.

After all the excitement and after waiting what seems like an age, my copy of JPG landed yesterday.

I was not disappointed - the magazine looks gorgeous, and is nicely bound, with a high quality paper.

And then there's the photographs. All of them amazing, albeit a little abstract in a contextual sense in some cases. But it's all good, and for a labour of love, as opposed to a commercial endeavour, Derek and Heather have done a helluva job!

As with other reviewers, I was expecting a larger format, though I do think the smaller size works fine. Overall quality is excellent - nicely bound, printing is vivid and clear. I think it would be a mistake to go with a lower print quality. The whole point is to show of the photos. I was also pleasantly surprised by the "interview" and "spotlight". I had expected it to be straight-up imagery. The interesting read was a bonus.

My one complaint would be the packaging from LuLu - a large cardboard mailer with 4 sheets of "foam". I appreciate the effort to protect the contents, but it seemed a little excessive.

Finally, in regards to the cost, I think the price is reasonable considering the on-demand printing. If jpgmag wanted to drop the price to $10, they could print thousands, sell some of them, and enjoy a closet full of leftovers (and lose money!) They need to make some money, and LuLu needs to make some money. Such is life...

I was pleased to receive my copy in the mail today. I was actually happily surprised at the size as I felt it made JPG Magazine more intimate, like a literary journal, rather than a run-of-the-mill "magazine". The photos are lovely and the concept brilliant. And I, for one, am happy to pay 20 bucks for a labor of love such as this. Great job!

I was definitely intrigued by the project and I admire Noah Grey and the other contributors enough to drop $20+ bucks on it, but I was unimpressed when I recieved it.

For the price, I was expecting something the physical size of Aperature magazine (not neccesarily pages). This was a dissapointment not only in picture size, but also because the book is tightly bound and the pictures run into the center. My fault perhaps, but that's what I was expecting. I also found the print quality unimpressive although acceptable.

Origin, JPG Magazine's first issue, is a wonderful collection of images. The high quality of photographic work is matched by a beautifully printed magazine. Well worth the asking price. The cost of submitting to each new issue/theme is zero. Now that's cool.

JPG is a great idea - capturing what are often too ephemeral digital photos in a beautiful keepsake. And having themed "issues" rather than a one-time book makes it possible for more people to participate, which is lovely. Great work!