‘Outdoor Photographer’ Is Back After Its Chaotic Collapse in 2023

After a tumultuous few years marked by financial mismanagement, unfulfilled promises, and legal disputes, Outdoor Photographer, a beloved name in nature photography, has returned under new (and familiar) management. But the road to recovery has been far from simple, and the scars left by the magazine’s previous ownership still linger within the photography community.

For those who may need a refresher on the events of the past couple of years, Outdoor Photographer fell into financial turmoil under its previous ownership, resulting in unpaid work, broken contracts, and a tarnished reputation. After legal disputes and closures, the magazine has returned under new management. To shed light on the magazine’s road to recovery, PetaPixel spoke with Dan Havlik, Outdoor Photographer’s Editor-in-Chief, to hear how Havlik and the team plan to rebuild trust and restore the publication to its former glory.

The Rise and Fall of Outdoor Photographer

Founded in 1985, Outdoor Photographer quickly became a staple in the photography world, known for its stunning visuals, expert advice, and in-depth gear reviews. It catered to both amateur photographers and seasoned professionals, offering a platform for outdoor photographers to explore and share their work.

However, the magazine’s stable existence took a drastic turn in 2023 when its parent company, Madavor Media, was acquired by BeBop Channel Corporation, a media group known for its ventures into the photography world. Under BeBop’s stewardship, Outdoor Photographer as well as the other titles that they had acquired such as Imaging Resource, Digital Photo Pro and more, quickly became embroiled in financial turmoil, and the situation worsened rapidly.

By late 2023, Outdoor Photographer’s financial woes came to a head. Photographers and contributors began to speak out about the unpaid work they had submitted, with some claiming to be owed thousands of dollars. The company, under BeBop, failed to respond to many inquiries and emails, leaving contributors with no recourse for the work they had done.

A photographer who had submitted a cover photo and article said, “Outdoor Photographer owes me $1,500 for work that ran last year. The way they handled cash flow issues has been appalling. I’d personally never work with them again.” This sentiment was echoed by others, who felt their contributions had been exploited.

But the financial mismanagement wasn’t the only issue. The situation soon escalated to a legal battle between BeBop and Zilpin Group, the former owner of Madavor Media, the parent company that had previously owned Outdoor Photographer and several other major photography publications. By the end of 2023, BeBop had completely closed down several iconic titles, including Outdoor Photographer, and the future of the magazine seemed uncertain.

Following a series of lawsuits and countersuits, a settlement was reached, with PetaPixel reporting on this news in March 2024, “The Madavor and BeBop saga has seemingly ended, thanks to a new settlement between Madavor’s prior owner, Zilpin Group LLC, and the BeBop Channel Corporation. The settlement returns all BeBop-owned properties to Zilpin Group, LLC and cancels outstanding liabilities.”

A Change in Management

Fast-forward to early 2024, and Outdoor Photographer and Imaging Resource were transferred to new ownership, with UK-based publisher BGFG taking over the reins, promising a revitalized vision for the iconic photo media brands. The return of Outdoor Photographer was just heralded with an optimistic email this morning, July 17, to past subscribers, noting that the magazine would be returning in an upgraded format, boasting better print quality and larger size, to ensure that photography, the essence of the publication, takes center stage once again.

BGFG promised not only a return, but an upgrade, with higher standards of not only the print magazine’s physical quality but also of engaging photography content, including expert tips, in-depth gear reviews, and breathtaking imagery. A competition with a $1,000 prize was announced to engage the photography community and reignite excitement about the magazine’s return.

A Rebuilding Process

While BGFG’s commitment to restoring Outdoor Photographer to its former glory is welcome news for many, the question remains: Can the magazine rebuild its credibility?

Current Temperature Online

Outdoor Photographer’s Facebook page recently posted the announcement of its return, and the comment section is full of opinions on both ends of the spectrum.

For those who had their work published but never received payment, the scars are deep. One contributor, who had been promised compensation within weeks of their submission, says that despite the new management, they have “no desire” to return to Outdoor Photographer. Another contributor, who is still owed money, expressed frustration at the magazine’s inability to honor contracts under its previous ownership.

“It’s hard to trust any publication that doesn’t stand by its commitments,” they said.

When asked about possible payments for contributors that are still owed money, Outdoor Photographer replied, “as unfortunate as this is, sadly the answer is no. There is too much to go into but the short explanation is the previous owner who destroyed the business still holds all those liabilities.”

“We’re very sorry to everyone who was burned (customers, staff, businesses OP worked with). We know it will take time to win back the readers, we completely understand that and we can’t wait until we begin receiving feedback for the first issue, as we honestly think people will be incredibly happy with what we’ve produced. Not only that, but we will constantly be looking to improve through feedback, it is as much the readers magazine as it is ours.”

When one commenter on Facebook asked, “OP has a lot of atoning and trust-building to do. Who are the new owners? How are you going to treat contributors better? What’s going to be different?”

Outdoor Photographer replied, “Indeed it does. The new owners are a UK based media publisher, who have been running a similar albeit digital media business for many years. With regards to contributors, it’s quite easy, we pay them, on a set time, as agreed with each contributor. We’ve also rehired a lot of the old team because they are the best and were treated very poorly by the previous owner. We have a lot of work to do, however we are very excited for what we can all build together.”

Wary Readers

For previous subscribers, when the original magazine went out of business, the subscription money was lost with no recourse for refunds, causing hesitation for some to resubscribe, having already been burned. Others, however, are cautiously optimistic, expressing excitement and sharing that they have already resubscribed.

With such polarizing comments from past staff, contributors, and subscribers, the magazine has a long road ahead. For its part, Outdoor Photographer’s response to subscriber hesitation reaffirmed its commitment to moving forward and rebuilding the reader’s trust.

“We are a completely different company and whilst we are aware many previous subscribers won’t feel completely comfortable, and its understandable we hope over time, once you maybe see it in the newsstand and hear some of the feedback from other subscribers you will jump back on board,” Outdoor Photographer says.

BGFG’s rebranding efforts will likely need to be consistent and transparent to win back the lost faith of contributors and readers alike. The company has made an effort to acknowledge the past by admitting that Outdoor Photographer’s previous management was flawed, but actions will ultimately speak louder than words. The photography community has demonstrated that they expect more than just beautiful imagery; they also expect reliability and integrity from the publications they support.

The Outdoor Photographer of Today and Tomorrow

To get a better understanding, PetaPixel spoke to Outdoor Photographer‘s Editor-in-Chief, Dan Havlik, who was leading Outdoor Photographer when BeBop purchased Madavor and thrust all its publications into near-instant chaos.

Havlik started by reiterating the magazine’s stance and intention to rebuild trust through transparency, not afraid to put in the hard work while learning from past mistakes.

“We’re trying to be as transparent with contributors, readers, and advertisers as we can be. But the only way we can rebuild the trust is to deliver on what we say, which for current contributors means paying them in full in a timely fashion. For readers, this means delivering an incredible outdoor photography magazine that will inform and inspire them. And for advertisers, it means putting their products in front of a passionate audience with real buying power,” Havlik says.

“The biggest change from OP’s recent past is having a new ownership with a track record of launching successful media brands. I know from experience that you won’t be successful in media for very long if you shortchange the people who actually provide the content to your audience. Although I’m OP’s Editor in Chief, I’m, technically, a freelance contributor myself, and I’ve found BGFG’s payment process to be clear, consistent, and timely. I think other contributors will feel the same way.”

For those who remain skeptical, Havlik states that Outdoor Photographer aims to earn back that trust by striving for excellence through higher print quality, increased content, and a quarterly structure.

“I’d say watch what we do. It’s a whole new group that owns OP now and they’re committed to returning the magazine to its glory days. When the first print issue of OP comes out in August, I think everyone is going to be blown away. Not only will readers be impressed with the photos and articles, the paper stock is thicker and of higher quality. And while we’re now a quarterly publication, each issue will be double in size from OP’s recent past, featuring 96 pages of content and fewer intrusive advertisements,” Havlik reiterates.

To that end, Havlik shared with PetaPixel a sneak peek of himself holding the test proof of the first print issue, which is set to be released in August.

For now, OP is using a mock cover to advertise its return, which Havlik notes features an image shot by Darren White.

The Importance of Community

One way Outdoor Photographer consistently excelled was through its community, an important aspect, especially under the current circumstances. With the relaunch, one of the first tasks was to announce a photography competition, which would engage readers while also giving back.

“OP’s photo contests have always been quite popular and ‘The American Landscape’ is, typically, the one readers responded most strongly to, which is why decided to go with this theme for our first one back. While the prizes, including the prize money, are what get people excited, I think a lot of readers get jazzed that the winning photos will also appear in the print magazine. So, photo contests will continue to be a big part of our strategy for not only engaging the Outdoor Photographer community but for getting their work showcased in the magazine and on our website,” Havlik explains.

There is a real intention to reconnect with the reader, not just through the production of high-quality content, contests, and social media, but also by building a space for photographers to learn with an emphasis on respecting nature through conservation and protecting the environment. With a name like “Outdoor Photographer” that goal is of particular relevance, with an audience that is almost as passionate about the outdoors as they are about photography.

“One thing I wanted to mention is that we’ve changed OP’s tagline to: Explore. Capture. Inspire,” Havlik says.

“The idea behind this motto is that we don’t want reading Outdoor Photographer to be just a passive experience — we want our audience to be motivated to go out and explore the world themselves while capturing stunning images and inspiring others with their work. I think if we can grow OP audience into an active community that not only supports itself but shows others the importance of documenting and preserving nature’s wonders, it will not only be a success for us, it could have bigger implications on issues like conservation and environmental protection. That is something we’re aiming for with the future of OP.”

Additionally, Havlik opened up and shared his goals for Outdoor Photographer.

“Things ended so abruptly with Outdoor Photographer under the previous ownership, I feel like I have a lot of unfinished business with this magazine while returning as Editor in Chief. For one, a lot of things we’re implementing now, like producing a magazine with higher quality paper in a larger and thicker format, and potentially expanding OP’s brand to real-world photography events such as photo workshops and safaris, were ideas we discussed before the rug was pulled out from under us. So, I’m really pleased we’re pursuing them now,” he says.

“Conservation has always been a core value of Outdoor Photographer and along with contributors addressing the topic throughout our pages, we have a brand new department in the magazine that’s actually titled Passion Projects. This section will feature a project a photographer is working on not, necessarily, for the money but to help improve the world. We think readers will love it and, hopefully, inspire them to pursue their own passion projects.”

Big Plans

With U.K.-based BGFG now in charge, and Havlik at the helm, Havlik says that not only is the magazine coming back in full force, but there are also talks of expanding the Outdoor Photographer brand, with a true roadmap hopeful for a bright future.

“I think the change in ownership will be positive for Outdoor Photographer’s direction and growth in the coming years. They’ve already shown a commitment to producing a high-quality print publication, and if the subscriptions and revenue continue to rise as we’re expecting, expansion into more photography-related offerings, whether it’s OP-sponsored digital workshops or OP-branded photography tours and safaris, are real possibilities we’ve already discussed. Despite a tough couple of years, we feel the OP brand is still quite strong so why not expand our reach?” Havlik says.

Moving Forward: Cautious Optimism for the Return of a Great Photography Magazine

While the return of Outdoor Photographer is a positive development, it is still early days. The magazine’s past problems have left many contributors feeling betrayed and frustrated, and it will take time for the new management to prove that it can live up to the promises made in its latest announcements. However, many are rooting for the once exalted magazine’s return to success.

The photography community at large will be watching closely to see whether BGFG can successfully navigate the complexities of rebuilding a legacy publication that has been hit by both financial instability and loss of trust. Only time will tell if the magazine can reclaim its place as a trusted resource for outdoor photographers or if it will be another casualty of mismanagement and missed opportunities.

In the meantime, BGFG’s promise to restore the magazine’s former glory is a risky endeavor, but one that has the potential to bring back what many once loved about Outdoor Photographer, authentic, high-quality content for photographers who are passionate about the outdoors. Whether it will succeed largely depends on its ability to engage its community, keep its promises, and deliver the kind of content that has earned it a place in the hearts of photographers for nearly four decades.

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Image credits: Outdoor Photographer