Sports Event Requests

I have what may seem like a dumb question, but I'll ask it anyway....

How many of the sports / event shooters out there take requests for photos.

Meaning that a parent / athlete / spectator can come up and ask for a photo of a

specific player in a particular event.

I'm doing another swim meet in a few weeks and want to find out how others

handle this situation.

First event I did, I had a ton of requests - Almost every event / every heat /

every lane. It got to the point of information overload. (I do have 3 assistants

- 1 manning the booth, 1 runner and a 2nd shooter) but it was still crazy. One

parent even got on the booth assistant as to why she could not guarantee that 1

of the photographers could catch her child in a certain pose.

Second event - Much smaller scale, and I didn't do requests. Much saner for me,

but the sales were also much lower.

I've checked out the competition and they take a variety of approaches. One shop

does requests and only requests. They maybe shoot 1 or 2 extra shots per heat

and then only if they are in position.

Another local outfit does the shoot in bulk approach... No requests, may miss

some lanes, but seems to do well.

Is there another way to do this? or are these the only two options? How do

others handle this situation?

Thanks in advance

Dave

I do. Fortunately for me though the events I've been shooting allow me the opportunity to focus on an individual without missing too many other shots. Unlike swimming in the events I shoot everyone has a number so I just ask for number. At motorcycle events I ask for bike number, novice/expert and race(s)the rider will be in. I either write this stuff down in a little notebook or write it on the race schedule.

Perhaps you could get some of the requested shots during practice or warm up?

Thanks for the response Zack -

In swimming there are no numbers assigned...only heats and lanes. The parent might be nice and say "Red Cap" while that helps, there's typically 2 - 3 out of 8 that have 'red caps' on.

Practice / warm-up shots aren't practical because typically there's 100-300 kids in the water at a time. So the odds of getting a single kid in a good sellable shot are slim.

Dave

Hey Dave,

Too bad they don't number kids in swimming like they do at triathlons. That would make things a lot easier for you. :). You're in a tough situation. Perhaps when you got a request from a parent ask them to inform you or the runner which heat and lane their child will be in prior to the event. I realize this may not be doable because I'm sure the event organizers and you don't need parents running all over the place trying to give you lane information.

Is there any possibility of working with the organizers to get a print out of heat and lane assignments?

Zack -

They do print those out in advance... the challenge is with the parents getting their requests in far enough in advance to get them to us on the pool deck.

You are right in that access to the deck is limited to the athletes, coaches, and officals (photographers included).

The parents tend to think about it right before the start of the heat, then get the request to the table. the runner then brings the request to us on the deck...

I think that the best answer may be to do requests, but get them as early as possible, since the meet isn't going to wait for us, and there's only about 10 seconds (if that) between the end of one heat / event and the start of the next.

Dang it. I had a nice reply all typed up and the forum hiccuped and I lost it. Could you possibly write something for the pool/club web site or newsletter explaining the importance of letting you know things sooner rather than later?

Also, feel free to share any tips on shooting swim meets as I will be trying to do that for the local high school once they start having meets.

Thanks Zack...

I've updated my request form to try to get parents to turn in 1/2 hour prior to event start. We'll see if it works. I'm also thinking about charging a minimal amount per request say $1.00 and then giving them a coupon for a $1.00 off any purchase.

Tips on swimming... 1. Get a USA swimming "Non-Coaching" Deck card. It costs between $40.00 and $50.00. This is your ticket on to the deck for most meets. The officials can and do ask for them at any time. Think of it as your get out of jail (bleachers) card.

2. Free is the toughest to shoot. A good freestyle swimmer only turns about 1/8 turn (head) out of the water to breath.

3. Back is 2nd toughest. Best shots for back and free are above the swimmers.

4. Breast and Fly are relatively easy. Face the swimmers and fire away or stand on the side and do the same. Both work.

5. Don't Use Flash. Period. It annoys coaches, officials, swimmers and others. Don't even use a "room flash" see the previous sentence. As photographers sometimes we think oh a little flash won't hurt and it will stop the action... The swimmers hate it. At the start, some of them go on the flash. So if you want to hear "Please NO FLASH Photography at the start of the race" over and over again...go ahead and use it. :-)

Send me an e-mail @Dave.r.haas@gmail.com and we can continue this outside of the forum.

Dave