[ratpack] Re: Selling Pics
- From: Mark Smith <muttley128@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Rat Pack <ratpack@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 13 May 2010 19:57:23 -0600
That sounds interesting Ray, That may be great as group official thing. Let me
know if i can help in any way.
Date: Thu, 13 May 2010 09:17:28 -0600
From: rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx
To: ratpack@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ratpack] Re: Selling Pics
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
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