I got an answer from Bret Kepner about the NHRA credentialling. It's got me thinking about what to do next. I'm not real sure. Here's what he said:
/"Actually, I DON'T offer NHRA photos for sale on my site; NHRA will sue a photographer into oblivion for selling any images from any event. I only shoot one NHRA National Event per season and my shots are exclusively for NHRA's National Dragster magazine. I do shoot a handful of regional NHRA events at Gateway Int'l Raceway but I've worked a deal with the track so I can sell. My deal also allows me to castrate anybody else trying to sell from there.
Currently, NHRA only offers credentials to a select few who meet their criteria and THEN turn out to be their "friends". In other words, just applying for and passing muster for credentials isn't enough. In fact, they now charge $250 per day for those whom they believe may not be working for a legitimate news outlet...and that figure goes to $500 in 2011.
A group known as Auto Imagery has the contract to sell exclusively at NHRA events and that won't change soon. Basically, there's no way to get on the starting line at an NHRA event without working for a major news outlet. Period.
I wish I had better news but, in reality, you'll make far more money shooting weekly events than you ever will shooting a major motorsports event in this country.
There. THAT ought to depress you. " /His final sentence in the first paragraph is really bothersome. It seems like he has an exclusive deal with Gateway and nobody else can even get a foot in the door. I like Bret. He's a nice guy. But apparently he's made a niche for himself and intends to keep it.
The 2nd and 3rd paragraphs kinda underline what we seem to be seeing. But shooting "weekly events" or selling only to local racers means a hell of a lotta hustling. I guess that's the key. If ya wanna make a go of it, you gotta keep hustling and apparently making a living selling photography means 80 percent selling and 20 percent photography.
Take it with a grain of salt flats...which is where I seem to have the majority of my sales...and I may decide to focus only on that area. I haven't made up my mind yet. I'm gonna wait to see how the decision at Miller's turns out.
Something just occurred to me. Jeromy is the "official" track photographer. But he can't be everywhere nor cover everything. What's to keep us from approaching Miller's as a group and requesting "semi-official" status for MPRA and other local events (like karting...has anyone shot anything there? Do they have a photographer?) and then deal with national/international events individually?
r Sent from my Dreadnought using that barely tolerable Thunderbird email program
