The magazine industry is by far the largest market for a freelance photographer. Millions and millions of photos are published every month. Assuming that you have some photography skills, there should be nothing to stop you from sending your photos to magazine photo editors right now.
High End Photographs
Magazines generally pay different fees for photographs according to the size of the photo that is published and where it appears in the magazine. Typically, a cover photo is valued at anywhere from $200 to $700.
A full size photo that covers a page inside the magazine usually pays from $75 to $300. The highest quality commercial originals at 2000 x 3000 to 2900 x 4300 pixels (varies from 6 to 13 Mpix) are in high demand among publishers for books, car magazines, fashion magazines, music magazines, art magazines and sports magazines. These publications require maximum resolution and detail for graphics processing. The common price range for these photographs is around $200 to $300.
The cheaper alternative is commercial Hi-Res of about 1600 x 2400 pixels (around 4 Mpix) which is more for newsletters, brochures, product packaging, computer magazines, trade magazines and business magazines. Magazines would purchase them at $100 to $200.
Lower End Photographs
The fees get smaller as the photo size gets smaller. Each individual magazine sets their own price for purchasing photos from freelance photographers. Commercial Low-res photographs at around 800 x 1200 pixels (1 Mpix) are used for low end publishing. At $45 to $90, these photos are good for newspaper, commercial web sites, presentations and marketing blogs.
Personal Low Resolution photos at 800 x 1200 pixels are most common for online magazines, personal blogs, websites and presentations. These photos are not easy to sell as they can easily be found free of charge in internet by doing image search. However, if you believe that you photos are unique, the price tag of $25 to $40 per photos is reasonable.
Included In The Purchase
Many magazines will require exclusivity for any of your photos that you submit; others only ask that you do not submit the same photo to other publications for a certain period. Be sure to check the guidelines for the particular magazine to which you are submitting.