One of the company's here in Australia who shoot cheer have started working hand in glove with the event conveners whereby the registration per contestant is increased by X dollars and every contestant gets a DVD of all routines they participated in and a DVD of all still images from their routines as well. In practice what they do is burn all routines and images for your team so its not just images of you. I suppose a guaranteed $15 - $20 per participant (allowing for some kids participate in several routines across the weekend so that is only one sale) is better than a potential larger sale. The images are full size and unedited on the DVD.
They still take viewing stations to their events but if your giving away all images and routines to all competitors....why would you bother.
I believe this devalues the images but hey...its a hard model to compete against.
No, that's not it, Adrian. I believe James in inferring that he knows who you're talking about: Hammy. However, since you said it's an Aussie company, I bet I know who you're talking about.
I'll tell you one thing: I've been trying HARD to make it so that the competitions I shoot build a CD/DVD into the admission price. Yes, the $/photo goes down quite a bit, but the number of photos is increased several orders of magnitude.
Does Hammy do that? Im not saying its a bad model, just different. Id like to sneak a look at their books to see if they make more this way with guaranteed sales than waiting to see what sales are like. Why would anyone bother to buy an individual photo when they get them all anyway. Furthermore why would you bother to upload them to the web afterwards. You might get the odd sale after the event but you would have to seriously weigh up the work required against the return. Posters might be a reason to put them up afterwards, but that isnt huge here yet either. I offered posters at and after the last Downunder Spirit Competion and only sold three.
Happy to take a pm on who you think it might be John.
Hammys probebly packing and double checking pelican cases right about now and getting them ready to ship out.
Adrian, I belive I know who John is refering to, he is a memeber here, if you look around you could probebly figure it out pretty easily.Its a good bussiness model if you can get the organizers to work with you on it.
I guess it all depends on the number of competitors.
This type of photography isn't about art, more photojournalism, so i find it hard to see how anything is devalued.
Also if the girls are participating in more than one routine , they will have registered for each routine, thus paying the registration fee .
A entire topic for a different post. I'm seeing more and more of it and unfortunately friends have turned into enemies over it and I'm more and more hesitant these days to offer advice. I have gotten burned... and I will leave it at that.
Using cheerleading dvd disks for exercise and videos could be a big help in these instances. As lengthy as there's enough space for college students to maneuver freely and enough willing and innovative PE instructors, nothing can hinder this effective possibility of purchase of health and fitness whatsoever amounts of existence.
I wasn't inferring that Adrian was talking about Hammy. I was just kind of laughing that the subject matter seemed to bash Hammy's business model a bit. A business model that helps him live pretty comfortably, provide for his wife and children, and sleep well at night.
The 'oz?' thing was just me asking if he'd like to chime in on this.
Let's assume he gets $10 per disc from the organizers. 24,000 x $10. For a weekend. Nothing to edit or upload when you get home. Yeah. Devalued or not, that's not too shabby.
When I have seen it done here in the states such as at Worlds a disk was given out. I thought it was only a disc to the gym owner/coaches but I could be mistaken.
Not sure if that is the same business model or was done simply because it was at Worlds.
I say if you can get the event folks to pay for it then more power to you.
I know it makes it harder to sell my stuff as I shoot for the gym myself. That being said, it makes me ramp my game up that much harder and produce better stuff.
redal wrote:
...This type of photography isn't about art, more photojournalism...
Photojournalism?!?! With all due respect, redal, you have a very interesting perspective of photojournalism. My degree is in journalism. I've worked in several newsrooms as both a reporter, editor and photographer. I shoot as a photojournalist frequently for a variety of publications. I can't think of one single part of this type of business that is remotely similar to photojournalism. Not a single one.
It's a business, plain and simple. Think Henry Ford...assembly lines...mass production...lots of worker bees doing things machines could do (if Brian could only figure out that part of the equation). Definitely not art and definitely not photojournalism. In fact, it has very little do with photography when it gets right down to it, and a lot to do with business. The photos are means to an end.
Jeff, I'm out of popcorn, but the fridge is still amply stocked, so we're good with that!
Looks to me like a really simple thing that could make money for those who could get a fat rats a$$ about the quality of the pictures, which I am sure there are a few that are good (what is that old saying about the blind squirrel?)
but seriously think about it it's a fast way to make a quick buck... no editing, printing C.S. just burning CD's and if the parents are at all savy they can edit the pictures themselves... to each his own just dowsno't seem you would make enough to cover the wear & tear on your gear...
jetmutant wrote:
Looks to me like a really simple thing that could make money for those who could get a fat rats a$$ about the quality of the pictures, which I am sure there are a few that are good (what is that old saying about the blind squirrel?)
Careful. You're talking directly to a good number of the blind squirrels here.
jetmutant wrote:
Looks to me like a really simple thing that could make money for those who could get a fat rats a$$ about the quality of the pictures, which I am sure there are a few that are good (what is that old saying about the blind squirrel?)
Just fyi, I strive DAILY to shoot as good as some of those "blind squirrels" and hope one day to be lucky enough to shoot along side them.
True talent can take 100+ pics, cull them and hand off the CF card all while producing amazing shots in 3.5mins. or less.
Shooting Competitive Cheer is unlike shooting any other sport. You blink and miss SEVERAL key parts of a routine.
After shooting it for the past couple of years I find most every other sport I shoot pretty boring and tedious.
Hammys probebly packing and double checking pelican cases right about now and getting them ready to ship out.
With all due respect, redal, you have a very interesting perspective of photojournalism. My degree is in journalism. I've worked in several newsrooms as both a reporter, editor and photographer. I shoot as a photojournalist frequently for a variety of publications. I can't think of one single part of this type of business that is remotely similar to photojournalism. Not a single one.