How Do We Choose the Monthly Latitude 38 Sailing Magazine Cover Photo?
We’re getting ready to send the February issue off to the printer and trying to decide on the cover photo. Since we can pick only 12 issues a year, when we look back we want to think we’ve found some fun, inspiring photos that make us want to both sail more and read more of the adventures of West Coast sailors. Of course, no two issues should be the same, and we want to cover all the many ways West Coast sailors love sailing.
When we go to the magazine page on our website, we scroll down to have a look at the past years and see how we did. What do you think? Looking at 2024 we have a fantastic shot from James Frederick in the South Pacific, a great shot from MEXORC on Banderas Bay, and shots from San Francisco and San Diego bays.
Looking at 2025, we have some great people shots, with our December issue featuring a farewell photo of Richard Spindler on his last Baja Ha-Ha as Poobah, taken by Mitch Perkins. The November photo has a great shot of Mikayla Scot on the boom of the Corsair 880 Tri Jolie. Mikayla later sent us a letter about the photo, which we’ve published in our current January issue. The March issue included our first shot of wing foiling: Bryan McDonald’s awesome photo of Jacob Rosenberg catching a wave under the Golden Gate Bridge on Christmas Eve 2024.
However, looking back at 2024 and 2025, we noted we were missing shots of dinghy sailing. Was it prejudice? Oversight? Lack of good shots? When it comes right down to decision day (coming shortly for February), it’s often just the shot that captivates us in the moment. Luckily, photographer John Liebenberg helped us correct the lack of dinghy shots with a great photo of the International 14 A Bumblebee Named Kate, sailing in the Richmond Small Boat Midwinters, which landed on our January cover.
Since every modern sailor generally has a camera close at hand, we encourage you to send a photo our way. We select 12 magazine cover photos a year. Who knows? Maybe yours will be one that makes it. The odds are better than winning $1.6 billion on Powerball.
What makes a good cover shot? It needs to be high-resolution — generally we like files 3 MB or larger. It needs to be capable of running in a vertical format. Horizontal photos work if they are large enough files and we can crop them to be vertical. Then, a photo that is close to the subject with fun, action and smiling people, not far-away white triangles. But there are exceptions to every rule. So it could be a boat at anchor with no people, like James Frederick’s in the South Pacific.
We don’t want to distract you from sailing, but if you pull out your camera, think about sending your best shots to [email protected].
The February 2026 cover will be revealed on delivery day, Friday, January 30.