Last night I made a few posts of pictures I dug up as I was looking for something among by digitised albums. Now they have all been removed. I don't think any of them violated the rules, so can someone explain to me what happened?
This is my best guy friend growing up (I mentioned in another post that I also had a best friend who was a girl) We also did everything together including sleepovers (Which was the one thing the gal who was my other best friend and I couldn't do) Here he is with me in various decades (I mentioned them in another post, but 2 of those guys in the group pic are my 2 best friends who are sadly no longer alive)
One thing we all did was get together to watch Star Trek-the Next Generation (yes, I'm Gen X who "snuck" in here) We would "round robin" over each other's houses so our parents wouldn't be taxed with a bunch of rowdy teens more than once every 5 or 6 weeks! My female best friend felt it was unfair because a lot of times we would have all-night slumber parties and she would have to leave (She was the only girl in our group) Man, even typing this, so many great memories come flooding back!
Note: I may delete this post at any time, or she may find this and come to the States to end me for posting it! Seriously, have you ever had a "girl next door" you had feelings for? Well, this is kind of the case with me. Growing up, my best female friend and I was inseparable. She cried on my shoulder in the movies when we watched Godzilla vs the Thing, and Mothra died (it was a theatre that showed classic sci-fi in the early 80s), we got in mischief together (her Mom wielded a MEAN wooden spoon!), and we shared so much. Well, when I was marriageable age, I asked her to court me, but she saw me as a brother, and it never happened. She got married and moved to Vancouver, and I moved to the States. Still, who knows what might have happened? (I'm posting some through the years shots, and that epic scene from Godzilla vs the Thing)
I know I'm not as old as you guys, but I am posting this image from a roadtrip to the States: (I took it because I thought it was expensive until I realised that it was a gallon and not a liter!)
Hey guys-I was just looking at some old photos. I'm Gen X (1975), but like I said, I love this sub! My 2 brothers are 19 & 16 years my senior, so I have a lot in common with you. Sadly, one of the things are the deaths of friends. These 2 are sadly deceased, but were 2 of my best friends
Remember getting portraits taken at department stores? This is a shot of my family back in the 70s. I'm pleased to say everyone is still here-My parents have their 75th anniversary coming up!
This video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPeRd48YfqY is NOT made by me, but it really shows the business side of youth sports and why I am always mentioning my photography as being streamlined into an assembly line for the young girls. Note: I am NOT an artist, and photography is not a fun hobby for me. I know that this is a fundamentally different mindset than many here, but I also know that some people have asked me repeatedly how I work, and how this has managed to be a full time job for me for several decades. Do you hear how there is such a tremendous turnover of kids on each court? This end of season event has TENS of THOUSANDS of young girls. They want to have their photos IMMEDIATELY after their game so they can go back to the hotel and do their thing. Even at the smaller events that I do this is the case. If you don't know how to do this, you are going to lose a lot of money. The cost to be an official vendor at these venues goes up almost every year, and then there is the cost of your employees, as well as hotels, and travel expenses. This is the environment that I work in, and so this is why it is so important to have a grasp at what the kids and parents want-what they will open their wallets for.
I can also say that in my experience, photographing young (say 11 to 18 with the favour being on the younger end of that) girls is where the money is. Boys events don't pay nearly as much since boys are generally not as interested in the photos. Also, doing college or pro sports might give you a certain thrill, but it really doesn't pay unless you are one of the fortunate few to have a good media outlet contract (I am not going to speak on this, as I don't know much about how to make this happen)
Just like all the other vendors at these events (from the T-Shirt guy to the concessions people), we are interested in providing what is "good enough" for the kids/parents to like and pay for. We aren't going to spend any unnecessary time "fancying up" our product beyond that, because it actually cuts into the profits. Now if anyone can suggest ways to increase profits, I will be more than happy to listen, but as I said multiple times, I am not interested in increasing skill to the detriment of "the bottom line" (meaning the sales numbers)
So, I have an interesting experience from this weekend. I was hired to shoot a bicycle ride (NOT a race) in Missouri USA this past weekend (I JUST got done now, and am back at the hotel) So many of the riders after asking where they can find the pictures (this wasn't an on-site sale-the event organisers paid me for my services and will handle the photos), also thanked me for volunteering at the event. When I explained that I wasn't a volunteer and was made for my services, and indeed, that I drove almost 1000 miles to do their 3 day event, they were shocked and mystified. It seems it doesn't compute that photography is my full-time job! It made me think of the members here. I guess we all are used to the reality we live in. I've done this for almost 30 years, so to me owning a photography business is perfectly normal to me, but I guess it REALLY is unusual for the average person. I wondered why my comments and posts are disparaged and downvoted here. While I think that is childish, I understand that it probably borders on the unbelievable to many people here that someone can support themselves doing this kind of work! If anyone has anything to say about this, I'd love to hear it. As I've said, sports photography has been my primary source of income for my entire adult life, so I guess if this is a rare profession, this fact went over my head
Marathons are basically the definition of the assembly line photography. You must compose and expose the image well, but there is no time to do much else. You have to keep snapping away and hope the runners like what they see and buy the image
This photo is an example of what I have said many times earlier: a photo doesn't have to be textbook good, it needs to appeal to clients in order to sell. I don't do a lot of adult sports, but one of my clients is a bicycle race event that is held in multiple US states, and Canada (Ontario only) In addition to having a photographer at the start/finish, having spots on the course is a staple. And in doing this, have a portable stand poster where you say something like "photographer here-make your funniest pose!" This kind of thing will get the participants excited and ready to goof off which in turn will generate better sales than if they don't see you (as they might not look flattering as they peddle by)
Of course, you have to know your venue. Some races are more serious than others-this event promotes health, but there is no "winner". Everyone who finishes is awarded a prize (in this case, beer), so the people usually aren't as serious as they go by
I know from previous discussions that I am a rare member here (I am a professional photographer, not a hobbyist), but this is my take on things.
By the way, I have to say this as my words were misunderstood before: by saying "I am a professional", I am not putting anyone down-I simply mean that photography (mostly youth sports) is my sole source of income, and has been for almost 30 years. I own a small photography business, and my crew and I do this for a living-not as a hobby