Maxpreps? Anyone?

Looking for a way to get wide access to HS sports, and I ran across MaxPreps

http://www.maxpreps.co​m

Anyone had any dealings with them? Opinions?

Thanks.

Yea ... I post images on MaxPreps .... go to the Georgia listing to see my stuff ...

Todd Shurtleff is the guy you need to talk to there. Todd's a good guy and he'll give you all the information you need ....

Actually, I find them very helpful ....

Cecil,

Thanks. Is Todd a member of this forum?

If you don't mind my asking, have you found Maxpreps' access at events sufficient to do your job adequately? Are the financial rewards comensurate with your effort expended?

Regards,

Dennis

I don't think so .... but you can find him over at SportsShooter.com .... or just e-mail him from the MaxPreps site .... his e-mail address (and maybe telephone #) are there.

Yes to the first question.
To the second question - that depends on a lot of factors, but it's been too early to make that determination yet with MaxPreps ....

Interesting thread... I had never heard of Maxpreps. I am curious to know from those who are Members, what type of access membership grants you to sports events and how they coordinate it. In browsing the site quickly, I could not find any sample images from my Michigan area. Does the site coordinate with the schools and coaches to let them know that these images are available, or is it just by chance that players and parents come across the site?

Thanks in advance

I had never heard of them either so I checked for my area as well, with nothing for IL.

I think this might be because they either; Have no photographer for this area yet; or since it looks like they have just opened up nationwide football this year, they might not have any pictures yet because football here (As well as MI where you are I think.) doesn't start until tomorrow.

Kevin, I thought that might be the case too. I didn't know where they originated from or when they started, so I looked back at last years sports for MI and still didn't see anything. I guess that is a good thing in the way that it is wide open for our areas, but I wanted to know how they generated demand for the product and if I would be wasting my time by submitting stuff if nobody will see it.

I tried to apply to shoot for them about a month ago to cover Central Wisconsin and was turned down. They seem like a good site that is very professional in their dealings.

I think I will try again next year.

It looks like MaxPreps started in CA and then branched out. In CA they actually do quite a few sports where as for the entire country they only do football currently.

I was also wondering if their site would be worth it as well. I took a look at their agreement and the only issue I really have with it is the 14 day moratorium on sales by the photographer.

I think this means that you can still sell or license pics to other web sites, newspapers, or magazines, but you have to wait 14 days before selling to parents or anyone else. I assume to give them the chance to sell photos through their site instead of parents going right to the photographer.

This has been my experience with MaxPreps ...

MaxPreps doesn't coordinate with your local schools or coaches or anybody .... in California, they are the "official photographers" of California high school athletics (or, at least, have some sort of agreement with them to shoot California high school sports), but that doesn't hold for the rest of the country. If you've been on the MaxPreps site and see no photos from games in your area, then most likely they don't have a photographer signed up to shoot games in that area .....

YOU need to do the legwork to get into the games to shoot; YOU need to market yourself and your photos and MaxPreps .... but, in my experience, most high schools (if approached politely and professionally) are just happy as clams to have somebody photographing their games ... and after you've shot a game or two for a team, they actually get to where they "expect" to see you on the sidelines .....

MaxPreps will help you out with some advertising - they'll send you material to hand out at the games; they'll send you apparel that ID's you as a MaxPreps photographer (hats and shirts).

But the onus to actually drive people to MaxPreps to view and buy your shots is on you .....

Cecil,

Thank you for your input. That clears up a few questions I had. I wondered how access to the games was coordinated, and it appears that it isn't. At least they provide some official Maxpreps logo gear to identify you as a photographer. I prefer to shoot sidelines whenever possible and couldn't see that happening just by walking into the stadium and saying that I'd like to take some pictures. Though Maxpreps seems like a good outlet, I think it will take more time to become popular across the country and generate real demand. Who knows though... I suppose I could submit some photos and apply.

Well ...

There's good and bad news with that ....

The bad news is that you need to do the things to get "in" ...

The good news is that you pick and choose the teams you'd like to cover, and the games you'd like to cover - nobody "assigns" you a game to go shoot. So you're pretty much free to shoot close to home if you'd like or to make a "road trip" and see some other teams ....