With its clean design showcasing gorgeous images that run large, Audubon magazine has won numerous awards for its use of photography. Honored by Communication Arts, PDN's Photo Annual and other publications, photographs from Audubon have been included in the American Photography annual every year since 1999. That's also the year that Kim Hubbard joined the magazine as its photo editor.

In our Client Meeting this month, PDN profiled Audubon's creatives and looked at some of its recent photo assignments. Here, we talk to Kim Hubbard and find out how photographers can contact her, where she finds the photographers she hires, and what kinds of photography inspires her.

PDN: What kind of photography does your magazine publish?
Hubbard: Audubon publishes a wide variety of photography, and that's one of the things I'm most proud of. We're not just a bird magazine like some people think, although when we do show birds, I think we do it in an unexpected way, like having [photojournalist] Eugene Richards shoot a raptor rehabilitation clinic. (His portrait of a one-eyed owl there won an American Photo award a few years ago.) We also shoot quite a bit of travel and portraiture. Ewan Burns and Per Breiehagen both shot gorgeous travel stories for the issue we're working on now (Jan/Feb 09).

PDN: Tell us a little bit about your professional background.
Hubbard: I've been the photo editor for Audubon since 1999. Before that I was the photo editor at Discover magazine for nearly five years. I got my master's degree in journalism at the University of Missouri and took a job as a photo editor at the online site for the Atlanta Journal Constitution before moving to New York.

PDN: Can you describe your typical working day?
Hubbard: No two days are alike. I am generally managing a shoot in some way, or editing stuff for an upcoming issue. Today I'm looking at photos of icebergs and the creatures who live under them.

PDN: How do you like to receive promotional material from photographers?
Hubbard: I like to get promos in the mail. If it's something that captures my attention, I'll go to the photographer's web site and take a look. I don't like to get cold calls from photographers who aren't familiar with Audubon. It shows a lack of preparation and that's just a waste of time.

PDN: So you don't like email promos?
Hubbard: We get so much spam here that it's hard to tell what's real and what's not so we often err on the side of caution and don't open things that are probably legitimate. Also, it's nice to have something to tack on the wall (which I do!)

PDN: What's the best promo that you have ever received?
Hubbard: I can't think of the best promo I've received. I'm just looking for something that fits in with our aesthetic. The good ones pretty much just jump out of the pile on their own.

PDN: Do you think photographers are good at marketing their work? Do you look at photographer's portfolios?
Hubbard: Some are, some aren't. It's always a shame when I get a portfolio in and the case is better than the portfolio. It doesn't matter if the work comes in a cardboard box, as long as the work is good. I don't look at as many portfolios as I used to because websites are so much easier. I will say, however, that if you do send a portfolio, make sure it's well put together, and that means technically good prints.

PDN: Apart from photographers contacting you, how do you find photographers?
Hubbard: I find photographers everywhere. I look at magazines, I go to photo parties, I've been to Perpignan a few times, I have friends who are photo editors. I also get cards in the mail from people who are completely unknown to me. Just last week, after the PDN October issue came out, I got a card from a photographer in Vermont who said she'd seen the article about Audubon and thought we might be interested in her work even though she's not a nature photographer. She sent me a disk with pictures of tadpoles in a bucket--the photos were this perfect mix of nature and fine art. They're beautiful, so we're going to run one as our "One Picture" for the Jan/Feb issue. You just never know where the good work will show up.

PDN: Are there any trends that you've noticed in the work that you are seeing?
Hubbard: I'm noticing that a lot more photographers are paying attention to nature and the environment these days. That's a great sign for everyone.

PDN: What other magazines do you look at for good photography?
Hubbard: I look at W, New York, Dwell, Gourmet, Wired, Martha Stewart Living. My taste is all over the place. [Design director] Kevin [Fisher] also brings in these great design magazines and we look at those too.

PDN: What would be your dream assignment and who would you hire to shoot it?
Hubbard: We've kidded around about having David LaChapelle shoot eco-porn-that would be the best!

PDN: What's the best shoot you've been involved in?
Hubbard: I'm not really sure I have a favorite shoot. I always enjoy watching Craig Cutler shoot still life for us, because I love watching him fuss over the details like where a piece of sawdust or a twig should be placed. Susie Cushner shot John James Audubon's home in Pennsylvania a few years ago, and that was pretty amazing. She took a house full of stuffy artifacts and turned them into beautiful photos. And Dan Winters did an awesome shoot of gorillas at the Bronx Zoo, during normal zoo hours, no less. We were able to use visiting children as the subjects of some of the photos and that worked out really well.

Kim Hubbard, photo editor
Audubon
225 Varick Street, 7th floor
New York, NY 10014
www.audubonmagazine.com