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Rules on photographing track days
- Thread starter IanBestPhot
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- 174
- Name
- Thomas
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You don't - most people only want one or two shots. I got 14 from the Frozenspeed guys at the 'ring. It meant I could select myself, which (for me) was simply great - probably 5-7 of them didn't tick my boxes, but with cars going round on track you have the full day to shoot them and (if you set expectations right) folks are mostly happy with this sort of 'all in' deal to pull the photos down online later, or grab a memory stick at the end of the day. We pulled the photos down at a wireless hotspot the day after.
As I suggested previously - switch modes every so often - the togs should know whether the day's open pitlane, or sessioned, so should know when to switch between shooting modes - if you don't know you're not doing your job effectively!
Trackside photographers seem to be operating in a very 'film-based' mode still, as described a couple of posts ago. Develop at lunchtime, sell before people go home. I understand that the best way of selling is on the day, but I've not seen a UK motorsport tog pop up at a circuit briefing and make the sort of Frozenspeed offer before everything gets going - it's different and it works. If I bought and paid for all the pics at the briefing it was 50Euros. If I did it after the event it would have been 100Euros - not a tough call as someone who hadn't been out there for a couple of years.
Only annoying thing for us was we had an off at 09:30 and didn't get back out until 13:00hrs - they were shooting in the morning, so we only got photos from the 08:00-09:30! Still, that was a risk I was willing to take. The step on from that is that next time someone could make some money by being out shooting in the afternoon, when the official togs are holed up downloading the images on to memory sticks!
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- Vlad
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Different strategy I guess. I've seen msv's operation in action when my colleague did a twenty minute taster session and they must have had maybe twenty shots of him...think Sam was actually doing some of it, I recognise his face.
From that I guess a full days worth on a CD is probably almost a hundred shots, for thirty quid. Not bad as a momento I guess and probably works out ok as a business.
Having a dedicated tog will be better, but has to cost a fair bit to make it worthwhile for the tog. Hundred euros and shoot for just one per group and four groups...that would work too and give you a chance of getting creative.
Doesn't scale as a business though I suggest.
From that I guess a full days worth on a CD is probably almost a hundred shots, for thirty quid. Not bad as a momento I guess and probably works out ok as a business.
Having a dedicated tog will be better, but has to cost a fair bit to make it worthwhile for the tog. Hundred euros and shoot for just one per group and four groups...that would work too and give you a chance of getting creative.
Doesn't scale as a business though I suggest.
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- 174
- Name
- Thomas
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Not sure how much it needs to scale as a business? There's only one track day on at the circuit at a time, with a specific number of cars to shoot on that day - the opportunity is pretty clearly bounded and the only way of scaling it is to have other people at other circuits on the same day!
Same goes for race meets - 750MC have all their racers at one circuit, the only way of scaling would be to cover a race meet run by another club on another circuit on the same day.
There is only so much motorsport photography business out there!
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- Vlad
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I mean that to get the quality you need to focus your efforts, so limiting your number of concurrent customers.
To cover more you need more good togs...and then assuming you are subcontracting and taking a cut, it's all a bit meh as a business.
Imho of course
To cover more you need more good togs...and then assuming you are subcontracting and taking a cut, it's all a bit meh as a business.
Imho of course
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- 193
- Name
- Danny
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Precisely this!!
Although slightly different i run the photography at a local go-kart track, all tourists and i have between 5-20 minutes to get all the possible shots i need that could potentially sell, including moving around to different locations, i dont think i've ever had 1 person by a panning shot and every single one has been sharp, everyone wants static looking shots from head on, i dont get a chance to play and have too make sure i have a couple that are sell able, if the group is only on for 5 minutes and i spend the entire session on a slow shutter speed trying to be creative then i get no money from that session.
i can only think that it's similar for trackday photographers. hit rate is more important than creativity in this situation IMO! i'd love to be selling panning photos left right and centre and get to be creative but unfortunately i have to leave that until i have a 20 minute group, and even then you dont get much play time because then i have a little more time to make sure all of the shots that sell are 100% perfect, or little 5 year old johnny's mum has asked me to get both brothers in the frame at the same time and there both half a lap apart....
I go down Castle Combe a bit when Lotus on Track are there and tend to just give my shots away - but I don't believe they have an official photographer there though for those days.
Wouldn't think I'd be able to charge for them anyway and certainly wouldn't go round the paddock handing out cards, but I know quite a few track day and race drivers through the club so happy to give them a copy if they like the pictures I take.
Wouldn't think I'd be able to charge for them anyway and certainly wouldn't go round the paddock handing out cards, but I know quite a few track day and race drivers through the club so happy to give them a copy if they like the pictures I take.