JPG Magazine: Free PDF Issues, the 2009 Shutdown and What Happened Next

JPG Magazine was a popular community photography magazine, published six times a year, where readers voted on which photos made it into print. When it announced its closure in January 2009, it let everyone download free PDF archives of its back issues. This article covers what JPG Magazine was, what happened to it, and where photographers share and get published today.

Quick answer: JPG Magazine was a reader-made photography magazine founded in 2004 by Derek Powazek and Heather Powazek Champ. Its publisher announced a shutdown on 2 January 2009 and offered free PDF downloads of back issues. New investors revived it later that year, but the print magazine never returned in the same form, and the brand has since changed hands.

What was JPG Magazine?

JPG started in 2004 as a self-published magazine and relaunched in 2006 as a printed magazine sold in stores, published by 8020 Media in San Francisco. Its strength was its community: nearly 200,000 photographers shared photos and stories online, reviewed each other’s work and voted for their favourite photos.

It was a proud moment when your photograph was picked for publication. Published photographers received a free one-year subscription and a cash payment, and a print subscription was sold to readers in the US.

The JPG Magazine shutdown and free PDF issues

Hit by the economic recession, JPG announced on 2 January 2009 that the website would shut down on 5 January 2009. Before it closed, the magazine offered free PDF downloads of its back issues, outtakes and photo challenge selections. I downloaded some JPG Mag issues and the photo collections were truly amazing.

With free photo sharing services like Flickr growing fast, a paid print magazine built on community photos had a hard business model, and the recession made it worse. Members were advised to note the names and links of photographers they wanted to keep in touch with, and many moved to an unofficial JPG Magazine group on Flickr.

What happened to JPG Magazine after 2009

• February 2009: new investors bought JPG and announced a relaunch, after a fan campaign to save it.
• Later years: the website kept running photo themes for years, but the regular print magazine did not return.
• 2019-2020: the JPG brand was acquired by a new owner with plans for a fresh magazine, then passed to the photo community ViewBug in 2020.

The free 2009 PDF download links no longer work, so the original issues are mostly found secondhand or in personal collections.

Where to share photos and get published today

• Flickr: still a home for photography groups, and the place many JPG members moved to.
• 500px: a photo community for sharing work and getting feedback.
• ViewBug: a community built around photo contests, which now owns the JPG brand.
• Photo contests and zines: magazines and local clubs still run open calls, a close match to JPG’s reader-voted themes.

For more photography history, read what happened to Kodachrome film, and for practical help, see our tips to take better pictures.

FAQ

Can I still download JPG Magazine PDF issues?

Not from the original site. The free PDF archives were offered during the January 2009 shutdown, and those download links no longer work.

Who founded JPG Magazine?

Derek Powazek and Heather Powazek Champ founded JPG in 2004.

Why did JPG Magazine close?

Its publisher ran into cash-flow problems during the 2008-2009 recession and announced the shutdown on 2 January 2009.

Who owns JPG Magazine now?

The JPG brand was acquired by ViewBug in 2020.