Official race photos
Jules
Posts: 987
in General Chat
Does anyone ever buy these? Just looking at the Cheshire Tri ones, looking at my work colleagues who competed.
The cheapest one you can buy is Sixteen quid, which seems a bit steep. I note however that you can buy a 60 by 40 cm framed for two hundred quid.
£200 seems extortionate for a two foot high picture. Putting that to one side, who buys this stuff? Does anyone had a giant sized poster of them looking sweaty and knackered crossing a finish line in their living room?
OK if I did an Ironman, I'd want a photo I guess, but not a giant sized one on prominent display.
The cheapest one you can buy is Sixteen quid, which seems a bit steep. I note however that you can buy a 60 by 40 cm framed for two hundred quid.
£200 seems extortionate for a two foot high picture. Putting that to one side, who buys this stuff? Does anyone had a giant sized poster of them looking sweaty and knackered crossing a finish line in their living room?
OK if I did an Ironman, I'd want a photo I guess, but not a giant sized one on prominent display.
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Comments
I don't understand why they bother, and how they sell anything.
There is the cost of the photographer - but I assume he only goes if he/she has nothing else to do on the day (a wedding or whatever).
But no development costs as it's all digital now. OK, the photographer has to have a web site. But, they've probably got that already.
For a good one, I might be prepared to pay up to 25p for a decent digital photograph. I might be prepared to pay up to a couple of quid for a glossy print (costs of these are quite high - in ink, paper + a bit for handling). If I was doing it, I would just whack all the images on a CD, and churn them out for a couple of quid.
The photographs are vanity only - and I look so awful, that doesn't really apply - certainly don't help me in training etc. etc.
I think event organisers should just bundle a photographer in with the entry, if they are so inclined - it would be a relatively small additional cost.
I can see a lot of ripped off event photos used for peoples forum avatar images though.
I don't believe the photographers do it for the money - I think they just enjoy action/sporting shots. Perhaps hope to sell some good ones to the local paper or something. I think they just but the images up for a bit of publicity - "ooh, they were nice, I'll use him for my Wedding" or whatever.
The phographers offer a service which requires expensive equipment (camera, computer, editing, proccessing). They then have to stand aroudn follwoing a race from early hours till end of the day. All this just to have most poeple going to have a peek at their website and not buy anything.
All of us if we see a great picture (which they sometimes get) will probably buy it... whether it be 25p or £10... You wouldn't bother getting a crapy picture.... You will treasure a great one. My ironman pic is the most amazing thing and was wiorth every penny of the £20 I paid
25p for a photo!!!!! yeah right! you are living before the time when even a can of coke cost that much!
Everyone has the right to make money. You are obliged to buy nothing.
I had this conversation at the weekend at my sister in laws wedding - since the age of digital cameras, the price of photography has shot up, yet the cost of publishing photos has dropped dramatically (I have several photographer friends)
I agree that the equipment is expensive, but what kind of photographer would you be without it, that would be like a triathlete without a bike !!
My afore mentioned friends have said they just keep up with the competition, so I guess whilst people are willing to pay the high prices, they will continue to be charged.
£20 no problem if I did an IM. £200 large size one, probably not! Where do you display your IM pic Barny?
How much do you pay for each email you send? I'll set you up with a system where you pay 37p for each one, if you like.
The prob is that entry fees can be quite high and yet another thing to tag on. Trouble is mine are so awful on the run because I go flat out and look as if I am about to throw up and for some reason have not a shot of me on the bike in 2 years, except a cracking one at Norwich..
Hey ho.
Ok so we've jack hughes and barny but hmmm I wonder which one would win in a fight...........
FIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
I'm backing Jack. I agree with you.
Jack you will be pleased to know that at Ilkley last year you could download any of the race photos off this web site for free,hopefully they will do the same this year http://web.me.com/helenandtom/Ilkley_Tri_Photo/Welcome.html
At big events like Blenheim, there are 5 or 6 photographers at various places around the course. None of them are there for their health.
If you don't like it, vote with your feet. I am in full agreement that they are too pricey. So I don't buy them.
A photo in the fee is a good idea, though. But you're right that it will probably mean a more expensive race. And imagine the complaints from all of the people who are not happy with theirs!
Re the question of marketing. I think they have their pricing strategy spot on. We're triathletes and are used to buying overpriced goods of dubious benefit! I bet they sell shit loads.
This is a complete guess, but I would imagine it works something like...
* organisers sell the right to the photography business to take photos for subsequent sale (cf. burget vans, expo stores etc)
* photography business is either a "1 man band" with a website, or a big business that then either pays a photographer £X for the day OR a % of the cost.
Bottom line is the money you pay goes to a photography business not the organisers (unless the organisers also run the photography business!)
didds
I have completed 2 duathlons and didn't buy the pro photo's due to the expense, but I did buy the photo's from my first Triathlon .. it wasn't cheap at £28 for about 28 photo's that I downloaded (this been the cheapest method) - Usually about £12 for the first photo and then 50p or £1 for each one afterwards.
I do now have a a full set of photo's from my first tri which I shall treasure .. including 2 x exit photo's from the lake which are great - IMO it is worth it so long as you don't do it every time and you take only the photo's you require.
If you want an actual print you are probably better off getting the downloadable photo's and then printing it yourself to get the costs down.
Its how the photographers make a living and I would say they probably only sell about 5 or 10% of the photo's the put up online so have to up the proce in order to make that living.
My 4 ironman prints are all in frames that cost £5 each from M&S...
1) MY copy is framed with my medal and on the wall in my bedroom - Helps me get out of bed at 6am to go do some training.
2) Mums copy is on her wall.
3) Dads copy is on her wall.
3) Sister copy is on the wall of her travel agency in the south of Italy.
Get aroudn a bit dont they!
(my italics)
Is this something about your dad you really want to be sharing with the world ? [;)]
didds
, the cheshire folks did have a good setup so i guess a lot of costs to cover, think there were 9 screens where you could view the pics, camera time, general setup , printing etc....however can't imagine buying at any other events now, unless i step up into a different challenge...