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Bicycle Racing - part deux

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M38A1

M38A1

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Scott
Last night I went out to The Driveway again to shoot the bicycle races. Heavy clouds present all afternoon so it was a given I'd take my flash. Wow. What a difference. I've used my flash off-camera during daylight in the past with good results, and last night I think was no exception. I suppose that's why they call it 'artificial sunlight'.

I started out with the flash off-camera. Results were varied so I just popped it on top and presto - happy shooter.

Here's a few I liked..... Again, having unlimited access is pretty amazing. And when you get 105 cyclists in ONE RACE, 1) you can hear them a long way off, and 2) when they go by - quite a bit of wind is generated from the pack.

#1
i-xHJtRBP-XL.jpg


#2
i-xB9P2rj-XL.jpg


#3
i-Dhmpk5V-XL.jpg


#4
i-NmNn8g3-XL.jpg


#5
i-VkR73X2-XL.jpg


.
 
very nice series. the x-pan (#3) is my favorite.
 
You are now charging for these right?

Your developmental work is done, like a turkey on thanksgiving day.... *Ding*....

You are so ready to market yourself actively, IMO

#3 is my fav, #2 is not too bad either :clap:

Put them up on your hosting site and at least passively sell a few of these.
 
Duke said:
You are now charging for these right?

Your developmental work is done, like a turkey on thanksgiving day.... *Ding*....

You are so ready to market yourself actively, IMO

#3 is my fav, #2 is not too bad either :clap:

Put them up on your hosting site and at least passively sell a few of these.
Click to expand...

Seriously? You think they would pay for this?
Full gallery here: http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/31245170_QNTKLK

Right now, I don't have a PRO account, so if I enable the shopping cart my understanding is I receive zero on any sales. Is that correct? It's only when I move to PRO that I set my prices?

And does SM automatically only offer the appropriate size image for what is uploaded on an image by image basis? ie: if I have a cropped version of a shot that will only go 5x7, is only 5x7 offered up for sale?


Edit to add:
Seems like this has been beat to death, but trying to sell images AFTER the event is a losing proposition according to most. Selling on-site is about the only way to make money. Source: http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=236107


.
 
Last edited:
Scott.... WOW! Finally got to take a look at this thread, haven't seen the full gallery yet, but these shots are killer! #2 and #3 are absolute standouts for me. VERY well done! :clap: :clap: :clap:
 
klb1122 said:
Scott.... WOW! Finally got to take a look at this thread, haven't seen the full gallery yet, but these shots are killer! #2 and #3 are absolute standouts for me. VERY well done! :clap: :clap: :clap:
Click to expand...

Thanks.... shooting them for sure is work. Not easy as they are fast and your panning is everything. I was looking back at high-res versions and in the culling process, if you use a flash/slow shutterspeed and pan, you BETTER pan in the exact same plane as them, ie: no vertical in there at all. I found I have a tendency to pan side to side fairly well, but I introduce some top to bottom in that. :doh: So that dictates you know WHAT type of ground you are standing on and their travel path.

I kind of liked this one.... Nice ink. Just wish it was a tad bit sharper.
i-RgGSdMK-XL.jpg
 
M38A1 said:
Thanks.... shooting them for sure is work. Not easy as they are fast and your panning is everything. I was looking back at high-res versions and in the culling process, if you use a flash/slow shutterspeed and pan, you BETTER pan in the exact same plane as them, ie: no vertical in there at all. I found I have a tendency to pan side to side fairly well, but I introduce some top to bottom in that. :doh: So that dictates you know WHAT type of ground you are standing on and their travel path.

I kind of liked this one.... Nice ink. Just wish it was a tad bit sharper.
i-RgGSdMK-XL.jpg
Click to expand...

I'd hate to go down with that much ink and take it out with road rash. double ouch.
 
Scott, nice job on your shots. With a bit more time on processing and cull some of the soft-focus shots you should be able to sell them if you choose to do so. Get to know one or two of the racers, maybe give them a few shots for free and they should pass along your name.

Smug's Portfolio option is $150 per year which gives you the ability set your own pricing as well as choose your print sizes. The Pro option jumps up to $300 per year and doesn't offer much more with the exception of special branding. Remember they take a 15% cut on all sales and I believe they still take out state taxes for you.
 
Thanks Dutch!

Yeah, the gallery for this week was better overall technically, but I left some 'soft' ones in there. I really just need to delete them. If it's not 100% at full-res, ditch it. That's where I wrestle internally in my head with trying to capture as many people as I can. I just need to accept the fact that anything less than 100% is just cull material and I'll never get 'em all. Shoot - there were 104 entrants in the last race of the evening and that was an hour long by itself.
 
GREAT pics Scott! Sounds like you've been impressed by these guys and as someone who spends more time on my pedal 2-wheeler than the motorized version, very appreciated!!

Craig
 
foggy said:
GREAT pics Scott! Sounds like you've been impressed by these guys and as someone who spends more time on my pedal 2-wheeler than the motorized version, very appreciated!!

Craig
Click to expand...

Oh I'm impressed all right. NO WAY IN THIS WORLD WOULD I EVER ATTEMPT TO DO THAT. lol.... I mean, those guys are SO CLOSE to one another. Me? I'll stick with the 21' rule for triathlon. Stay 21 FEET away from me unless you're passing or I'm passing. :mrgreen:

And thanks for the kind words. I am certainly enjoying shooting this and other events. Now if I could just figure out if anyone would purchase any of this stuff. :ponder:
 
Oh, I think they would purchase them alright. Just set up a small stand with a sign and I would be willing to bet you would have a nice side business. Everyone likes to see themselves in action. I remember when Dave's Action Photo's would come out to Mosier Valley MX back in the '70's he stayed pretty busy. I still have some pic's of myself I bought from him!

Craig
 
You need a HD monitor and a good printer for that on site sales and direct transfer to their smart phones, who wouldn't want these shots for a background. You get your best sales during the event while they are still pumped up. You can offer a staged pose also, for that "perfect " shot.

BTW, nice work.
 
I love #2, reminds me of some of the classic shots from racing's golden era. It's got that Eddy Merckx thing going on.

Merckx.jpg
 
Scott, I like your shots and if I were in one, I would pay for it!
 
Thanks guys for the suggestion of on-site sales.

The BIGGEST hurdle with that is, the time it takes to 1)learn how to shoot it and get 100% correct in the camera 100% of the time, and 2)knowing I don't get that 100% mark on either account, having the time to cull and do some cropping/post processing. And then there's the whole staging part where the early guys race while you shoot, they're done and leave while the second and third groups are out and again, you're shooting them. So it turns into a two-man operation very quickly.
 
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