Dubber Posted February 24, 2014 Share The guys at Oakpics do a great job The quality and pricing is generally dependent on who shoots the photos. However, the quality is not necessarily dependent on the pricing. I believe ActionPhoto just hire freelancers for the day, take their photos and then resell them (as mentioned in a previous post). So there is not real incentive for the photographer to produce exceptional photos. In fact, they are encouraged to shoot 'standard' run of the mill shots in order to get the race numbers in shot etc, ActionPhoto are also the guys that charge R45+ for photos. OakPics (Cape Town based only - sorry) on the other hand have a dedicated team of photographers who produce interesting, alternative angle images - and sell them for R20+. So, if you are unhappy with your race photos (quality or price wise), let you race organizer know. Otherwise nothing will ever change. *I'm in no way affiliated with any company mentioned in this post. Edited February 24, 2014 by Dubber Tatt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Viljoen Posted February 24, 2014 Share One should just be careful that one day there are no photographers at the events cos it's not worth it for them. Then the Rant would be "there's no photo's at events" If paid up to R60 for a photo, it must be a good shot and good quality. I just wish they would take more photos of me. Maybe I should wear a board "I pay for photo" not so much photos of back marker I think It's not cheap to sit out in a event like Tankwa Trek and take photos all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach. Posted February 24, 2014 Share don't forget the time it takes to edit the photos and send them off once paid for. A Good camera, lense and simple on camera flash is roughly R25 000so at R50 a picture that is 500 pictures.But now take all the other costs into account and only put R10 towards paying off your equipment.It now becomes 2500 pictures, that's a lot of pictures to sell. I would pay R50 for a good picture, but I haven't had any that I really like or they have been slightly blurry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMartin Posted February 24, 2014 Share I'm a commercial photographer. I won't shoot for R45 a pic. So I don't. Wouldn't consider trying to make money from cyclists. Not worth the effort. Dubber, Peach., Brighter-Lights and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubber Posted February 24, 2014 Share I'm a commercial photographer. I won't shoot for R45 a pic. So I don't. Wouldn't consider trying to make money from cyclists. Not worth the effort. And there lies the rub: As the consumer we want well priced, good quality (in focus) and exciting (composition) photos. As a photographer you expect (and deserve) to be well remunerated for your skills and investment in equipment. Unfortunately - as of yet I don't think anyone has found a way to tie the two together. Hence we are in the position of (mostly) inexperienced photographers producing average shots (which we deem over priced for the quality/composition). Edit: This is a broad statement and to be fair there are decent photogs producing great work out there - but I think they are the minority in terms of general race photos. Edited February 24, 2014 by Dubber Peach. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doppelganger Posted February 24, 2014 Share Just a thought: If the company halved their prices, they would need to sell twice as much to make the same amount of money. The same has been said about Adobe products, people always complain about the prices, but will people even buy it if it was 50% less? I doubt it. People also like to complain about things they can't afford, but the thing is, if you really needed it you would make a plan. I also don't understand why people support these companies in the first place. My wife could get similar quality pics of me standing on the side with her cellphone camera. The quality is pretty crap most of the times, and having a pic of me sitting of me on my bike on a dirt path does not interest me. I would not call these guys professional photographers, rather people with cameras. I am a photographer, and no I do not photograph events, not even weddings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davem Posted February 24, 2014 Share I seriously doubt the chap sitting on the side of the road taking photos at a cycle event is using any kit that costs R135k. He does not need to for a start. Probably less than R20k for the setup to take the mass photos that they sell. At 70.3 this year I had 12 photos of me, of which one was quite good (which is a typical ratio in my experience).R135 for one photo download was over the top. R60-R80 would have been a fair deal. It is a catch 22 for the photographer. Price vs volume, there must be a better sweet spot. I don't think the photographers help themselves very much. Put up a sign saying 'Photo in 100m. Smile' will up the appeal of their shots rather than a cursing grimace with snot running off my nose. Edited February 24, 2014 by davem Spoke101 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waynehans Posted February 24, 2014 Share I bought photos 3 times last year, i took all the pics that were taken of me. I think I got 1 pic that was slightly out of focus. at 2 of the races, the guys were setup in real cool spots, with flashes in the trees etc. the lighting was great and i will support them anytime. all three times i paid for the downloadable contrent, It cost me R145 each time. 1 set had 6 pics, 8 pics and 9 pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLuvsMtb Posted February 24, 2014 Share I paid 30 canadian dollars for this one of me in high res at BC bike race last year. It now resides on the wall in my office and when I have a tough day, I look up and remember the best week of my life. Worth much more than the 30 CAD that I paid. The okes complaining about pricing probably asked a mate with a mik n druk to take their wedding pics. BigDL, koukie, Spoke101 and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robrider Posted February 24, 2014 Share For me its a quantity/cost issue. I would spend R150 on 10 photos at R15, but I would spend R0 on 1 photo for R45. I fully understand the argument about the photographers costs, but it seems to me that if they were priced better, they would make more money. Remember, these are photos that have been taken anyway, and are never sold because they cost too much (to me). The time and effort has already been spent by the photographer, they may as well make something for it. But maybe they have worked this all out and are on the sweet spot on the curve. Edit to add: its also not exactly a rare commodity. I do loads of races, so to justify me hitting the "buy" button, it must be worth my while. A memorable trip (eg BC Bike race) is quite different to the 5th time I've done a race in Gauteng. Supply and demand... Edited February 24, 2014 by Robrider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGR Posted February 24, 2014 Share There are a number of good local guys, who I would gladly pay as the photos are excellent but ActionPhoto not so much. The are not even a local company as far as a I know and off all the events they have covered that I entered I can only recall one good photo. These guys are great and I would pay http://i74141.wix.com/capcha-photography http://www.chrishitchcock.co.za/ Jacques Viljoen, GLuvsMtb and Capcha 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott the hobbit Posted February 24, 2014 Share are you by any chance scott the hobit that sends in messages to 5fm on the fresh show for the rate the remix? Yes, Yes I am..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott the hobbit Posted February 24, 2014 Share So what would be a good price for you? I would happily pay R30 a pic. Dont get me wrong, I understand the guys are making a living here and 9/10 the photos of me are good (i am very photogenic) but doing 2 or 3 events a month with 2 or 3 photos per event (as i said, i have a pretty face) it all adds up. Escapee.. and Andrew Steer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cellar Posted February 24, 2014 Share (i am very photogenic) (as i said, i have a pretty face) You must ride a 29er, and have your name on your kit. BigDL, scott the hobbit and Spoke101 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott the hobbit Posted February 24, 2014 Share You must ride a 29er, and have your name on your kit.That obvious?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stretch Posted February 24, 2014 Share been discussed to death on this here hub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now