Steve Ickes Offline Upload & Sell: On
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p.4 #16 · Unoffical Photographer selling event photos | |
Barry:
First of all as stated I could care less if parents are taking photos of their kids. Who am I to prevent that? I'm a parent myself and would take offense to anyone telling me I couldn't take photos of my own children. And I do occasionally take a camera along to their games but most of the time, I just go to enjoy and to share in the accomplishments of my girls.
You are missing the point though, my point at least. I've not said anything about forcing people to buy photos from me. The only time this occurs is with T&I and in that case why should I allow parents to shoot T&I photos over my shoulder when I'm the one making all the effort and doing all the setup? But then again, no one is forced to purchase these pictures either. Next time one of your kids has their school picture scheduled, I challenge you to go into the school with your camera and shoot your kid's photo while they are sitting for the "official photographer". I've never heard any parent griping about exclusivity in this case so why would you complain about exclusivity with sports photos? So go to the game, take you photos buy mine or don't...makes no difference to me. People who appreciate the work I put into getting good images, and the time I spend working with them on a personal level will buy photos. People who feel that they can do better or are critical of pricing will never buy no matter what. Like anything else it comes down to the old 80/20 rule - 80% of my sales come from the same 20% of the people and that's where I spend my time, effort, and energy. I don't spend time trying to convince or, as you put it, force the others into purchasing. Additionally many leagues do now require criminal background checks and child abuse history clearances for all participants, volunteers, etc. Our local little league has a committee specifically for that. What exempts the "pro-hobbyist" from having to meet these requirements? If I as a professional am willing to incur the expense and make that commitment to the league then why should anyone be able to just walk on the field at any time and shoot their pictures. What happens when my kid gets pushed out of bounds and gets seriously injured when they collide with a "pro-hobbyist" or eager parent taking photos? How much liability insurance do you have for such an event? Personally I carry a $1M policy specifically for my photo business which I am actually increasing to $2M.
As far as confiscating parents' equipment, I've personally never seen it done nor would I ever demand that it be done. However, if it would occur I would assume that the event organizer is doing so at their own discretion in order to protect their interests in what ever agreement they may have.
The "pro-hobbyist" is another issue which has far less to do about "food on my table" than it does about lack of professionalism. If you want to be a "professional" then conduct yourself as a professional. If photography is a hobby then don't hold yourself out as a professional. I've yet to encounter any "pro-hobbyists" in my area that have taken the time to even meet with league organizers just to introduce themselves if nothing else. Most of the teams/leagues have regularly scheduled meetings and most invite the public. If the meetings aren't open, a simple phone call will get you on the agenda. Why is the "pro-hobbyist" afraid or opposed to meeting with organizers to at least make their intentions known? For me the "pro-hobbyists" seem to harbor this sense of entitlement, "this is a public venue therefore I can do whatever I want." I hear that time and time again in many posts in this forum. If you don't have a child playing or any other vested interest in a team or league, what exactly entitles you to shoot pictures of my child and then try and peddle your photos off on me?
Why does the wedding photographer have the right to be upset but not the youth sports photographer? What makes their contract any more binding than ours? That just doesn't make sense. You never had anyone competing with you because no one other than friends and family would be in attendance. I doubt any "pro-hobbyist" would even think about showing up at some random wedding, shooting the event and then hand out their cards to all the guests or leave flyers on the windshields. That would be kind of amusing though.
Just to be clear Barry, if your child is playing, shoot away till your hearts content. I've no problem with that. As far as the reference to hot dogs and t-shirts: it was an analogy to illustrate the issue of exclusive contracts. Our local rec football league uses an outside vendor to sell hot dogs at the games. No one questions or disputes that vendor's right to contract exclusivity why should they question mine? Also I don't try nor do I want to prevent parents from taking their own pictures. What do you think would happen if a parent suddenly decided to buy a hot dog cart (absurd, I know) and tried to sell hot dogs at those same games? Just because a parent can buy a digital camera why should they dispute any contract a professional photographer has with the league? They are not being prevented from taking their own photos nor are they being "forced" to purchase photos, so what's the problem?
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