Don't start with Elska Lviv
For some unknown reason we've sold three copies of our first issue, Elska Lviv, this week. We've certainly not been promoting it, there's no sale on, and I haven't heard any news of why Ukraine might be particularly on people's minds, so I'm not sure what's happening. But it worries me.
Like the first issues of many publications, there were a good deal of problems with Elska's first issue. Add to this the fact that I'm the sort of person who leaps before I look and hopes to learn more by doing (and failing) than by studying, and you have a first edition of Elska that is, to be diplomatic, messy.
It's also unlike issues to follow. The biggest difference is that at first the story component was suggested, not required, resulting in only two full-length stories and two mini stories. Then, the issue itself is smaller than any other, with less boys, less variety, and less diversity. Finally the photographic quality is simply lower, with a lot of artificial light and repetition of settings.
That's why long ago I put a disclaimer on our website asking people not to order Elska Lviv if they've never read Elska before. It's simply not a good example of Elska as a whole and it makes me fear that based on it, they wouldn't come back to order more issues. Nevertheless, I still actually like Elska Lviv. There's some good stuff in there (particularly Marko K's outdoor shoot, Taras D’s story, and Semen M's indoor shoot) and I think it's fun to see where Elska started. I think of it like looking at a painting by an competent artist, but not a renowned piece but rather one drawn when he was four years old! In any case, I've decided to add another "do not buy first" disclaimer right at the top of the Elska Lviv page.
So what would I recommend? Well, there's various reasons to favour one issue or another, but in general I'd start with Elska 22 or beyond (that's Stockholm, Dhaka, or Guadalajara). That's because this marked the start of our redesign, with a bigger size and a better printing quality. Get a few of these, then go back to order something from the middle, and only much later try Lviv.
Liam Campbell is editor and chief photographer of Elska Magazine. He's not afraid to admit to making mistakes and isn't ashamed to reveal them.
