Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Noice?
Noice is a community / brand / magazine that I started about a year ago now with the intent of creating a community based on the kind of photography I did myself.
I was tired of submitting my work to magazines and not getting a response or just not getting approval for publishing, so I just sort of said fuck it and started my own.
I wanted to also make a physical zines/books because I think it’s rather important for photographers to have something tangible to hold. It’s a lot better than just viewing your work on a screen. Kind of comparative to holding a vinyl record vs just a mp3.
The response thus far has been honestly overwhelming. Not too sure if I really expected it to be what it is now, but it’s inspiring and also challenging to keep it going just because I also play in 2 bands, work part time and also want some of my own free time to work on my personal artistic endeavors. Ultimately, it’s the community of photographers and artists that continually support Noice, and there’s a ton of really talented artists out there. If it wasn’t for them (or you), I’m not sure I would be doing this. Very humbling to get emails that say that it’s inspired them on some level and that they view the world just a bit differently. That’s been my secret goal all along – to change the minds of many and to enable them to view the world more beautifully and humorous. After all, life is play.
Editorial wise…
I look for a few elements, I suppose, in photographs that we post and include in each issue. Firstly, focus your image. Please, please have your photograph in focus. The next couple is just composition and quality of light on the subject. Actually, now that I’m typing this and thinking at the same time, the quality of light is the biggest thing I look for. You can have any object as your subject, but if the light on it isn’t interesting, then I pass it off as just “mehhh”. It’s the ability to have a meticulous vision for arrangements, pattern, color, and light. But, these are just things I look for. You can shoot any way you like.
Print: Why choose print? What kind of paper you use and why? Typography?
Why print? Just goes to what I was saying before – having your work in a physical form (zine, book, print, whatever) is important because it enables you to fully appreciate the time you put into your art. Holding it is much more personal than viewing it on a computer screen. It makes it real by being able to hold it. Plus, wouldn’t you want to have your work that way anyways?
As for paper, I typically like the semi-matte type finish. It kinda depends on what I’m printing, though.
How’s the public response?
The public response has been great. Really cool to see so many people enjoying what I enjoy because that’s essentially what is going on. The artists that Noice features just work that I really dig. Another really weird thing to me still, is that there are like 180,000 hashtags for #noicemag. That’s just a bit crazy to me. People are having Noice in mind when they take a photograph and want to share it. Insane.
Upcoming projects
Future projects include designing more t-shirts and new merch items such as limited prints/posters, pins, etc.. I also want to break into the skateboarding scene since that’s where I did a lot of my photography growing up. We’ll see what the future brings. Noice is always evolving as my mind evolves.
