HS football arrangement w/school?

Sorry if this has been asked before, I looked a bit and did not find. For those of you who shoot HS football what is your arrangement with the school? I currently have a field pass for the school I shoot at with permission from the AD. I give low-res web sized images to the lady in charge of posting them to the school web site. I also let the school use any images they want for year book, football programs, etc. At the beginning of the season I asked if I could sell prints to parents by posting them on my web site (I use Exposure Manager for print sales). So far I have not got a green light to do so. At first they told me I could not due to privacy issues. Until I pointed out that they already post my images on a public viewable sight. Then they told me they did not want me to do it since they could not control the images since they "license all the images they post" and did not want just anyone to be able to get them off the net. ---? What? OK, so I come here asking how to best work with the school that is a win win. I even offered 10% back to the booster club, so far no answer. Time is ticking. Season will be over soon. I am about to start witholding images from them until I get an answer.

So what do you do? What is your arrangement? What should I do?

I live in a fairly rural area in relation to most of you out there in POTN world. But with the high schools I have shot for, I don't give anything to the school. I shoot for parents to buy from my site, and I haven't had any issues with licensing of pictures. I would be interested to hear about this.

I'd start shooting different schools. Shooting more games won't likely net you any more sales that you will get with the photos that you have already taken (if they ever let you sell them).


Whoever you are talking to at the school has no idea what they are talking about. Their licensing your photos? Do they even know what licensing a photo means? Do they really think they have any control and can stop "just anyone to be able to get them off the net" when they are posting them?

Right now you're shooting for them for free and they get a ton of benefits from that arrangement. It is ludicrous for them not to allow you to seek some compensation.

You may want to notify the school that you need to charge them to shoot the team, since you can't sell the shots to recoup your expenses. See what they say to that.

Personally, I'd call up the booster club president and propose the 10% idea to them. While it really won't amount to much for them, I can guarantee you that the BC president can lean on the school to allow you to sell the images. If they can't, I wouldn't bother shooting for that school anymore.

DDCSD wrote in post #8661770
I'd start shooting different schools. Shooting more games won't likely net you any more sales that you will get with the photos that you have already taken (if they ever let you sell them).


Whoever you are talking to at the school has no idea what they are talking about. Their licensing your photos? Do they even know what licensing a photo means? Do they really think they have any control and can stop "just anyone to be able to get them off the net" when they are posting them?

Right now you're shooting for them for free and they get a ton of benefits from that arrangement. It is ludicrous for them not to allow you to seek some compensation.

You may want to notify the school that you need to charge them to shoot the team, since you can't sell the shots to recoup your expenses. See what they say to that.

Personally, I'd call up the booster club president and propose the 10% idea to them. While it really won't amount to much for them, I can guarantee you that the BC president can lean on the school to allow you to sell the images. If they can't, I wouldn't bother shooting for that school anymore.

+ 1 .

I'm also interested to see how this turns out.

Tell them that you will password protect your web site so ony parents can access it.
(It shouldn't be neccessary, but if it makes them happy...)

I don't believe that legally they can stop you from selling photos. Every newspaper around these parts in NJ that sends a photog to a game has the photos for sale on their web sites.

bnorm27 wrote in post #8667391
I don't believe that legally they can stop you from selling photos. Every newspaper around these parts in NJ that sends a photog to a game has the photos for sale on their web sites.

No they can't legally stop him from selling them, but they can ban him from ever attending another event at that school and ask all of the other schools in the area to do the same.

It's not worth it to sell some prints and end up getting black-listed.

Here is what I was told about Michigan. It is a public school. You are at a public event. You do not need persmision from anybody to take or sell the pictures. All participants sign a form when they play sports that their images may be taken and used(IE: newpapers and tv media). As one mentioned they sell their pictures. I have been taking pictures for 3 years and go on the sidelines and have never(knock on wood) told that I have to leave the field. I have been to 15 different fields, mostly very rural,small schools. Of course you have to stay away from the players individually(do not speak to them), the coaches and sideline crew. Here is a orgainization that I was told about for a fee has attorneys to help you. SAP.com Hope that helps.

Dermit wrote in post #8660872
Sorry if this has been asked before, I looked a bit and did not find. For those of you who shoot HS football what is your arrangement with the school? I currently have a field pass for the school I shoot at with permission from the AD. I give low-res web sized images to the lady in charge of posting them to the school web site. I also let the school use any images they want for year book, football programs, etc. At the beginning of the season I asked if I could sell prints to parents by posting them on my web site (I use Exposure Manager for print sales). So far I have not got a green light to do so. At first they told me I could not due to privacy issues. Until I pointed out that they already post my images on a public viewable sight. Then they told me they did not want me to do it since they could not control the images since they "license all the images they post" and did not want just anyone to be able to get them off the net. ---? What? OK, so I come here asking how to best work with the school that is a win win. I even offered 10% back to the booster club, so far no answer. Time is ticking. Season will be over soon. I am about to start witholding images from them until I get an answer.

So what do you do? What is your arrangement? What should I do?

This is something that you have to work out with the school. You could cite rules and other situations all you want to but if they don't want to go along with your ideas you really don't have any leverage except finding another school to shoot.

A friend of mine broke down a barrier such as the one you face by making a deal with the booster club. They put a link to his website on the club's site and he gives them a very hefty cut of all orders he gets through the club. Once they began getting revenue from the photog the boosters all became his friend and ally in face of a stubborn AD.