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Archive 2016 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy

  
 
fredmaurer
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


Parent who always asks you to shoot their athlete but never buys says,

"Can you use my card in your camera?"

Same parent lifts FaceBook images to make vinyl poster........



Oct 19, 2016 at 01:29 PM
PureMichigan
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


* You have a better working knowledge of the Jewish holidays than your friends of that faith due to B&H ordering blackouts.

* You paid more than $200 for a foldable stick with a screw on the end.





Oct 19, 2016 at 02:26 PM
John Skinner
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


Even back in the mid-70's doing weddings and not sports only... I hated it, and just dreaded hearing 99% of this. And if money factored into moving on through the years - I'd be living in a cardboard box.

Shoot for the double trucks and not getting the phone call from the desk telling you "every one of your shots sucked tonight".

The rest is white noise and hyperbole.



Oct 20, 2016 at 02:24 AM
Marty Bingham
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


- The new guy, who is trying to sell photos, plasters a 300 shot gallery of the event on his Facebook page.


Oct 21, 2016 at 09:38 PM
rcm123
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


MikalWGrass wrote:
1. The parent you do the favor for by shooting a few for free, will always hire another photographer to do more formal sports shots, no matter how much the parent says she likes the photos.

AMEN!!




Oct 27, 2016 at 04:06 PM
MikalWGrass
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


Parent who always asks you to shoot their athlete but never buys says,

"Can you use my card in your camera?"


At one swim meet I asked another photographer to take pics of my son because his camera had more reach than mine. I offered to pay him on the spot for photos that he would later send me. He told me to give him my card and that he would do it for nothing. He wouldn't take money.



Oct 28, 2016 at 05:49 AM
MikalWGrass
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


Was photographing a water polo tournament this past weekend. Many of the parents asked me if I took photos of their kids. I told them that I shoot anyone who touches the ball. The parents want me to post the photos and let them download them. For free, of course. So, I processed the photos and then sent them to one of the coaches with a watermark in the center of the photo, for inclusion on the website. I told him that if he finds the watermark too obnoxious, I will make it smaller and move it elsewhere on the photo.

I am just a bit aggravated, because right before the last game, my camera decided to break. I hit the shutter and heard a partial click, and then the dreaded words "camera error" appeared on the back of my Sony a900 (yes, I know that I should be shooting a d1x but I cannot afford it). I told my wife and some of the other moms in earshot heard about the camera dying on me. None were really that sympathetic.

Most of those who want free photos have no idea how long it takes to post process several hundred photos. They think the work is done in camera and that all I have to do is load the photos into the computer and send them out to whichever parent wants them.

Sorry for the rant.




Feb 20, 2017 at 09:37 PM
glort
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


MikalWGrass wrote:
Most of those who want free photos have no idea how long it takes to post process several hundred photos. They think the work is done in camera and that all I have to do is load the photos into the computer and send them out to whichever parent wants them.

Sorry for the rant.



I don't consider relating the truth to be a rant at all.

For me, even just sorting through the pic's and uploading or mailing them direct is work in itself.

Luckily I have experienced both sides of it. The parents in my kids team that always would buy me coffee/ cold drinks/ food out of the blue ( I'm sure one team had it organised to make sure it happened every game) as a thank you for the pics I had given them ( usually dropped onto DVD's back then) and those that I didn't even get a grunt of thanks from.

No doubt the ones I ever got the most appreciation and thanks from were the best PAYING customers. They would spend good money with me and then thank me like I just gave their Kid a kidney not pictures they paid for. I really was thanking them inside and out for making the whole damn effort remotely worthwhile in being able to make something from it.
Conversely, the ones that spent little to nothing were always the ones that bitched and moaned the most.

I think more these days people take it for granted and the sense of entitlement get stronger.
Perhaps for many they equate it to their own picture taking on a phone and easy upload to instafacesnap directly.






Feb 20, 2017 at 11:12 PM
scottiet
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


I think for many of us that have been doing this for a while, we have experienced all of the above at some point or another lol!

The reverberating lesson that I have learned, more than once unfortunately, is that if you don't value your time/skills, then no one else will either. We exist in a market place where people will undersell you in order to call themselves "a photographer".

I have learned to hold steady and in some circumstances raise my prices.



Feb 21, 2017 at 07:03 AM
MikalWGrass
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


Thanks guys. The presumption is that because I take photos of my kids, I will take photos of other's kids, which I do on occasion. Rarely do parents ask me to take photos of their kids, but the presumption is there (since I have the camera), as is the presumption that I will spend my time post processing the pictures of their kids for them. They'll spend 35k a year for private school but won't pay $50.00 for photos that they otherwise will not have.

I value my time and skills. The rub is this: most times I am the only parent with a camera, and even when I am not, the parents with cameras still look to me because they think my pics are better. If I didn't take photos nobody would. Nobody has. Maybe now that my camera is fried and I don't have the money for repairs or a new camera, I will just sit around like the other 99% of the cameraless parents, and just enjoy being a parent who watches his kids play water polo.



Feb 21, 2017 at 11:33 AM
Eric Mastilak
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


Your best shots will always have some sort of bathroom (portable or permanent) in the background.

You take 500 perfect shots, your kid does something great and it is out of focus.

You see your work on some promotional material for the league and you have no idea how they got it.

You are told by some tournament official you are not permitted to shoot the tournament even though it is on public property.

If you are on indoor fields the game you will be shooting will always be on the one that has the worst lighting.




Feb 21, 2017 at 11:54 AM
Dbltfarmer
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


When confronting someone that said they would buy your pics, and instead screenshot and post them on face book they say, "oh I didn't think you would mind since it is free advertising."


Feb 22, 2017 at 12:08 AM
markedman
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


Sadly I am comforted by reading these posts that I am not alone!
Most issues have been mentioned already. A few that stick out in my mind:
1. "My camera is not working. What an I doing wrong?" I say: "have you read the manual?" blank look........
2. I am selling my horse but I don't have much money for a photo.
3. "I don't like the look on my face"
4. "The guy ( fill in the name) last week was much cheaper".
5. "How much to photograph me?" My smart assed response: "How much does a car cost?"
6. Love this one: "We are having a party. Can you bring your camera and take a few shots??"
8.After they are caught. "I don't understand why I have to purchase publishing rights to my picture"
9. "A few years ago you took a really great picture of me (that I did not buy). I don't remember exactly what month/year it was. But can you repost it?"
10. Free business advice: "You know what you should photograph?" Then I say "Who will buy it?" Another blank look.... Or from the Warton School of Business: "you know if you lowered your prices I am sure you would sell more"
11.My classic of all time: " Why do you charge so much? It's just digital"


Edited on Feb 25, 2017 at 10:25 AM · View previous versions



Feb 22, 2017 at 10:31 AM
1hawaii50
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


I got this one from the AD:

I asked our teacher in charge of yearbook why there are NO soccer pictures from this year...Not one, and she said "my camera doesn't take good pictures". This is after that same teacher informed me the year prior that they no longer wished to use my photos for yearbook, which I had always provided ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!



Feb 25, 2017 at 10:15 AM
PureMichigan
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


Another one --- and I just like this thread and want to keep it active.

Those who shoot Youth & HS Sports .... a note to parents stating that the sports photos will be purged from your web site at the end of the school year is a great way to drive sales of otherwise dead photos. And follow through with the "purge."

This year my note to this effect helped sell more than $300 in "dead stock" and has produced a consistent drip of sales. It compels people to act.



May 18, 2017 at 11:50 AM
morris
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


A baseball has a diameter just slightly smaller than that of your lens hood! If you are lucky, the label is still in focus just before impact.


May 18, 2017 at 07:36 PM
mikeinctown
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


No matter how fast your shutter speed is, your images will always be the instant before and after the image that you were really hoping to have captured.




May 22, 2017 at 01:10 PM
DaveGershon
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


This is not sports related....

I think the best or worst example of this was a Parent from the local Baseball team (we will call him "Tom"), tells me a story which he is very prowd of.

He hired his Brother-in-law to shoot his Daughter's senior pictures. The Brother-in-law setup the shoot and posed "Tom's" daugther and took a bunch of shots. So "Tom" stands back with his Rebel Camera and kit lens and takes pictures at the same time. Once they are done, "Tom" goes out and get's his own pictures printed and tells his Brother-in-law he does not need any pictures. I thought to my self wow this guy is a piece of work...



May 23, 2017 at 09:40 AM
mikekeating
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


Dave, I have that happen to me on the sidelines. I have a few parents from opposing teams that will follow me around the field, pretty much stand right behind me, take some pictures and ask to compare the photos as the game is going on . . .the first time it happened I showed a picture (I always like educating people and helping them take better photos), but it was basically someone shooting in auto mode (not even P) and wondering why their kids were blurry, but the rest of the field looked great.


May 23, 2017 at 11:47 AM
Microdol
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · The Immutable Laws of Sports Photosgraphy


Personally, I think if you are into photography to make money, you are into photography to lose money - UNLESS you do nothing but weddings and
high school senior shoots. JMO



Sep 10, 2017 at 11:09 PM
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