Event photography purchase - yes or no - survey please

[kevin Walter]

Hi ladies and gents

 

Could people let me know if you buy your photos after a race from the photographers and possible what effects your decision? I'm interrested in starting a little photography business myself and just trying to get a feel for it all.

 

Thanks in advance!

[DJR]

I buy on special occasions like a race I'll only do once, or riding the Argus with my son on his fist time, stuff like that. For everyday races I don't. I buy the digital file online and download and print it myself if I want a print. I don't order prints.

[Ant85]

  On 6/13/2013 at 11:40 AM, K-Man 5000 said:

Hi ladies and gents

 

Could people let me know if you buy your photos after a race from the photographers and possible what effects your decision? I'm interrested in starting a little photography business myself and just trying to get a feel for it all.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I buy photographs as the one on my profile pic (that one wasn't at the time ). Depends on the price, as some let you buy it for R35 - 50 or like R100 for a couple. And the place it was taken, for example a heavy technical decline or over a floating bridge

[walkerr]

Yep, sometimes, if it's a decent photo. Have bought from ActionPhoto and Capcha in the past.

[madmarc]

I'm an amateur photographer, I think the way Actionphoto charge is over the top, they would sell a lot more photo's if it was on a reduced sliding scale for more than 1 picture purchased, and not just 45 ronds for every photo. Digital is far cheaper and easier than the good old days where you got your pictures in the post, selected and paid for the ones you wanted and sent the rest back.

Nevertheless it's still a lot of work. You have to be at the event, take the pics, tag them with rider number, watermark them, upload them to your searchable data base, email every rider. all this without 1 cent income and pray they will be ordered. So as a rider I get your email and go search my pics.

 

I see you got 5 pics of me at different points on the route "cool"

Only 1 pic is a really good or cool pic, the others mmmmmmm they overexposed or framing is just wrong and not really doing anything for me.

I look at your price to download a hi res jpeg, it's 45 ronds

i'm happy to pay this for that 1 cool pic, but no ways am I paying that for the others

so I pay the 45 ronds for the 1 pic.

 

the outcome is you got 45 ronds for 5 pics because you can do nothing with the other 4.

 

But now your sliding scale is 45 ronds for 1 75 ronds for 2 100 ronds for 3 120 ronds for 4 & 135 ronds for all 5 (numbers just for the sake of the discussion)

So me thinks aaaah what the hell I want the cool one but i'll take all the uncool ones as well for that price.

 

the outcome..... you made an additional 90 ronds for your efforts on the uncool pics.

 

I know actionphoto do a reduced sliding scale but the reduction on multiple selections is so small, it's still not worth it.

 

Have a shopping basket option so people can order pictures from multiple races based on your reducing scale. eg. I would like to order 8 pics from 4 races where you have uploaded 15 pics of me.

 

also have an option for me to buy in different formats, I like to mess around with my pics on photoshop or blow them up. cut and past myself in front of Robbie Hunter over the finish line!!! which is not always possible with standard Jpeg format. I'm prepared to pay more for this option as obviously the file is bigger. I know a BMX rider who papered his bedroom wall with a pic of him coming over a jump. it was only possible because the photographer took the pic in a particular format. But the rider paid 5 X the going rate for the file.

 

As a rule I don't buy pics where another rider is in the same pic as me, because I can guarantee you if I search the other riders number, you are asking him 45 ronds for the same pic. So it's a matter of principle. But I would buy it if it was 1/3 cheaper....just a thought

 

good luck with your venture

[kevin Walter]

Thanks for the input mad marc, your theory on sliding scale ronds is really good much appreciated! We were going to be cheaper and that also seems like a good idea.

 

BTW I paid the R150ish rond option for magalies monster because it was a special event for me but I agree you would get a whole lot more takers if it was more affordable and the quality of picture is also critical.

 

Thanks your time guys!

[walkerr]

Good luck. I had ambitions to be a photographer a while back - wasn't good (or brave) enough, but I have an appreciation what a tough profession it is to earn a living from. Hope you make it work.

[arendoog]

Will buy the only good photo of myself in 2 years from actionphoto

[Stretch]

there is a thread somewhere here on the hub where this is discussed in detail. Actionphoto should be your benchmark for how not to do it. I would rather have one really good shot that is right in everything (location, exposure, light etc) than 5 or 6 average ones. i looked at my Sani ones and they are all pretty hopeless.

[Kranswurm]

Never bother with pics......been there done that

[DJR]

Good advice from madmarc above

 

The quality of the pictures is crucial to convince me to buy.

 

I've always found Actionphoto bland, unimaginative and sometimes technically flawed (many years of Argus, Wines2Whales 2012, Sani 2013).

 

I like stuff I got from Namkari (Gymnastics) and Sportograph (Wines2Whales 2011). Perhaps you can look at what those 2 outfits do. Sportograph came up with not just good quality pictures, but also with a fair dose of artistry mixed in.

Edited June 13, 2013 by DJR

[Mokgaga'a mmakubela!]

i only buy digital photos for special races. i think the photos are overpriced

[arendoog]

Oakpics are the best by far .They took the greatest pics at CPT 2012

[RoboLuke]

Yes if idont look too fu*ked or too fat

I dont buy too many...

[Cassie]

1/3 cheaper and I might consider it...also If im obscured with 2 other riders...i want to pay even less!!

[Cheese]

I will look , butthe picture must be a good one. A lot of time the angle of shot is not good, had a few nice one then I will pay but only a couple a year.