School sports pricing question

[timbar21]

How do you guys charge for your work shooting a school sport? (Such as JV or varsity)

Does the school pay you? If so how much do you charge? (If you do not wish to disclose that, it is fine)

Or do you hand out business cards, and then the parents buy prints from your website?

Thanks.

[zelseman]

Most every sports shooter that I know uses the latter method. They shoot games, hand out cards, advertise,...then sell prints to parents.

[bwong]

Most every sports shooter that I know uses the latter method. They shoot games, hand out cards, advertise,...then sell prints to parents.

Do they get releases from the students?

[DDCSD]

Do they get releases from the students?




Don't need to.

[timbar21]

Most every sports shooter that I know uses the latter method. They shoot games, hand out cards, advertise,...then sell prints to parents.
Thanks. Now do you need permission from the school to shoot?
Do they get releases from the students?
I was going to ask this question myself.
Don't need to.

Thanks.

[DDCSD]

Thanks. Now do you need permission from the school to shoot?


Always get permission. Never just show up and start handing out cards. Some schools have some very strange rules regarding photography and posting photos of students on the internet. You really don't want to get a bad reputation with any of the schools. The administrators talk and you'll find yourself being ushered out of the gym before you even start shooting.

There's a booster club of a school in my area that photographs the games and sells to parents. I contacted the AD and he basically said that he didn't want me to shoot any games there to protect the booster club's sales. Fine by me, only so many sales to go around and I don't want to cut into their fund-raising anyways.

[timbar21]

Always get permission. Never just show up and start handing out cards. Some schools have some very strange rules regarding photography and posting photos of students on the internet. You really don't want to get a bad reputation with any of the schools. The administrators talk and you'll find yourself being ushered out of the gym before you even start shooting.

There's a booster club of a school in my area that photographs the games and sells to parents. I contacted the AD and he basically said that he didn't want me to shoot any games there to protect the booster club's sales. Fine by me, only so many sales to go around and I don't want to cut into their fund-raising anyways.

I believe the local school here has media sheets that all the students get and must fill out the beginning of the year to allow/disallow them being photographed/video taped by any form of media. But I'll have to find out for sure.

Hopefully nothing like that is here, it's a fairly small school district so I kind of doubt it. But I'll try and get in contact with the school's AD this week, thanks again.

[MT Stringer]

Out of the 90+ games this year, I only had one real run-in with an AD. The introduction went well, but then she said there were some students that the parents didn't want their pictures posted on the internet. I said, fine, give me a list and I will make sure they don't get posted. Then after setting up my strobes, she told me I couldn't use the lights. Why, I asked. Because it will distract the kids. I said I had shot over 50 games with no complaints this year. So, I packed up and went home. What a waste of time and effort, not to mention the 80 mile round trip.

I called my editor to explain the situation, and he said we have shot their school before with no problems. Then I told him about the list and he said, pack up. So, I did. Apparently this is a special school of some sort and maybe the lights do bother them. There was a student taking pictures (without flash) and I saw some of his pics posted on the wall by the AD door. Compared the strobed basketball shots, they were pathetic, or at least I thought so.

The rest of the games, whether in tournaments or individual games went smoothly with no problems.

[DDCSD]

Out of the 90+ games this year, I only had one real run-in with an AD. The introduction went well, but then she said there were some students that the parents didn't want their pictures posted on the internet. I said, fine, give me a list and I will make sure they don't get posted. Then after setting up my strobes, she told me I couldn't use the lights. Why, I asked. Because it will distract the kids. I said I had shot over 50 games with no complaints this year. So, I packed up and went home. What a waste of time and effort, not to mention the 80 mile round trip.

I called my editor to explain the situation, and he said we have shot their school before with no problems. Then I told him about the list and he said, pack up. So, I did. Apparently this is a special school of some sort and maybe the lights do bother them. There was a student taking pictures (without flash) and I saw some of his pics posted on the wall by the AD door. Compared the strobed basketball shots, they were pathetic, or at least I thought so.

The rest of the games, whether in tournaments or individual games went smoothly with no problems.


That's why I personally always touch base with the AD, even when I'm shooting the game for MaxPreps. There aren't many schools that I shoot that are less than an 80 mile round-trip for me, so I make sure that I'm not going to run into any issues before I leave the house! :lol:

If I don't get a specific go-ahead from the AD to shoot that games and use my strobes, I sit at home to work on photos and drink a few beers. :lol:

[timbar21]

Out of the 90+ games this year, I only had one real run-in with an AD. The introduction went well, but then she said there were some students that the parents didn't want their pictures posted on the internet. I said, fine, give me a list and I will make sure they don't get posted. Then after setting up my strobes, she told me I couldn't use the lights. Why, I asked. Because it will distract the kids. I said I had shot over 50 games with no complaints this year. So, I packed up and went home. What a waste of time and effort, not to mention the 80 mile round trip.

I called my editor to explain the situation, and he said we have shot their school before with no problems. Then I told him about the list and he said, pack up. So, I did. Apparently this is a special school of some sort and maybe the lights do bother them. There was a student taking pictures (without flash) and I saw some of his pics posted on the wall by the AD door. Compared the strobed basketball shots, they were pathetic, or at least I thought so.

The rest of the games, whether in tournaments or individual games went smoothly with no problems.

That's stupid, I can't imagine driving the 80 miles just to go right back home. Did you talk to the AD in the beginning of the season?

I'm lucky, the school here is about 3 minutes away from me.

[MT Stringer]

That's stupid, I can't imagine driving the 80 miles just to go right back home. Did you talk to the AD in the beginning of the season?

No, and like I said, my editor said he has shot the school before on several occasions. It was frustrating but a lesson learned. since we cover private and parochial schools, almost all of them welcome us with open arms and they are happy to get the coverage. If I didn't have the lights, I could have still shot the game and just deleted the pics that were on the list.

Sometimes it is easier to cover the big events. The most recent games on my MaxPreps list are UIL State 5A Regional playoff and the final. Those were shot with the lights up on the second level in a large arena style building. I had absolutely no problem. The AD was very nice and eager to accommodate. There was a lot of press on hand as as well as at least 4 TV stations taping the final game.

[asysin2leads]

I ALWAYS get in touch w/ the AD before going to the games. I have stopped by a couple of times to shoot some local HS baseball and introduced myself to both coaches and told them what I was doing. I want someone to know I'm there and why. Granted, when you break out the 300 or 400 and start shooting, MOST people assume you're with the media and are authorized to be there. I'm fortunate in that I have made some great contacts over the years as a high school football official. Most ADs in the area know me or my dad (who I referee with) and have no issues. I shoot them off an e-mail as to when I'll be going to the sports and they let their gate personnel know I'm coming. Then again, I don't shoot much indoor sports. Mainly because I really don't want to.

The key isn't to walk through the stands and start handing out cards. Most schools have a no solicitation policy and is in effect during all school functions. However, if you're approached, then I would definitely hand out my card. The last thing I want to do is burn a bridge and not be welcomed back to a school. Trust me on this, school administrators talk and if you piss off one, a bunch more will know your name and it won't be a good thing.

[DDCSD]

Trust me on this, school administrators talk and if you piss off one, a bunch more will know your name and it won't be a good thing.


Absolutely. School administrators (officials, too) are a very tight-nit group. Get a bad reputation with one and you may as well forget about shooting anything in that area.



I do ask them about leaving cards at the gate and concession stand and have never had anyone say not to. I really don't have time to be handing out cards.

[jacuff]

I get assignments from the sports editor at the paper. Oftentimes, because the assignment came in so late, contacting the AD ahead of time is a luxury. Normally I just show up, take some photos, and then focus on meeting the deadline. This includes selecting a few photos and doing any minor editing that needs to be done and writing cut-lines for the photos. Once submitted, I hand out business cards as needed. When I get home I do quick edits and upload display only versions to my Exposure Manager (http://www.exposuremanager.com/aff/jacuff) site. I'll also upload a few to my blog and Facebook with a link to where they can buy the photos on my EM site.

As far as pay goes, I get paid by the newspaper for the assignments (amount varies between $50 and $300 per assignment) and then a monthly check from EM for print and digital sells.

[MJPhotos24]

Absolutely. School administrators (officials, too) are a very tight-nit group. Get a bad reputation with one and you may as well forget about shooting anything in that area.

I do ask them about leaving cards at the gate and concession stand and have never had anyone say not to. I really don't have time to be handing out cards.

Don't forget us coaches, we talk a lot and if someone gets on the wrong side they will not be good for them - know a certain ex-sports writer who got on the wrong side of everyone from parents to coaches to administration to officials and beyond. With that said it's always a good idea to get there early and introduce yourself to the home coach just in case the A.D. forgot to tell him about you coming. Not 5 minutes early, least 30 as pre-game starts a good 30-45 mins before game time.

As for spec shooting, which this is...it can depend on a lot of factors. Some schools seem to not sell at all, others sell well, have to find the right market. Some don't allow others to make money off it, some have official photographers already, have to check this stuff before just showing up.

[asysin2leads]

Don't forget us coaches, we talk a lot and if someone gets on the wrong side they will not be good for them - know a certain ex-sports writer who got on the wrong side of everyone from parents to coaches to administration to officials and beyond. With that said it's always a good idea to get there early and introduce yourself to the home coach just in case the A.D. forgot to tell him about you coming. Not 5 minutes early, least 30 as pre-game starts a good 30-45 mins before game time.

As for spec shooting, which this is...it can depend on a lot of factors. Some schools seem to not sell at all, others sell well, have to find the right market. Some don't allow others to make money off it, some have official photographers already, have to check this stuff before just showing up.

I remembered the coaches, Dereck. I wouldn't forget you guys. :D

I have found that quite a few of the bigger schools have people already shooting for them. Not to mention that the press shows up to larger schools. I like hitting up the small to medium size schools. Most times the only one who might show up is someone from the yearbook staff, if even that.