How do you get noticed...

kschmeits@charter.netkschmeits@charter.net Registered Users Posts: 19 Big grins
edited October 13, 2006 in Sports
My question is how do you get your shots noticed from folks besides those at the event. Specifically magizines or other means up publications? I shoot motorsports primarly. (go-karts, mini-sprints). I have gotten to where I am the photographer for spefic series. Like SKRA (Southern Karting Racing Association) or BMSA. I travel to all their races through out the year and I am the sole photographer. So I am starting to get noticed, but I really aspire to be on the cover or a magizine layout... or have my pictures used for sponsor adds like Burris Tires or QRC cages...etc.
I shoot different different shots... I vary my FStop and Shutter speed to get different effects. I don't use a flash at night so I can get the natural lighting to capture wheel movements, mudd flying and the lights speeding across the ground just as the racers see it. (http://www.actionphotos-k3.com/gallery/1963422/5/99873206 is one of the galleries of night shots.)

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Kelly
http://www.ActionPhotos-K3.com

Comments

  • mercphotomercphoto Registered Users Posts: 4,550 Major grins
    edited October 10, 2006
    kschmeits@charter.net wrote:
    My question is how do you get your shots noticed from folks besides those at the event. Specifically magizines or other means up publications?

    The magazines probably won't find you unless the track has connections and points them to you. You'll probably have to write the magazine itself. Send some photos (small res, water-marked), some info about yourself. Be prepared, however, to get paid nothing for web photos and next to nothing (maybe even nothing) for photos that appear in the printed magazine. These magazines, from what I have seen, just don't want to pay for photos. I'm sure they pay their writers, their editors, their press operators. But apparantly not their photographers. I personally don't worry about magazines specifically for this very reason.
    Any suggestions?
    Raise your prices. :)
    Bill Jurasz - Mercury Photography - Cedar Park, TX
    A former sports shooter
    Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
    My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
  • Steve CaviglianoSteve Cavigliano Super Moderators Posts: 3,599 moderator
    edited October 11, 2006
    Kelly,
    I agree with Bill regarding publications finding you. However, you can maximize traffic to your site, by adding keywords to your Smugmug galleries. http://www.smugmug.com/help/keywords-tags

    Steve
    SmugMug Support Hero
  • JeffroJeffro Registered Users Posts: 1,941 Major grins
    edited October 11, 2006
    kschmeits@charter.net wrote:
    My question is how do you get your shots noticed from folks besides those at the event. Specifically magizines or other means up publications? I shoot motorsports primarly. (go-karts, mini-sprints). I have gotten to where I am the photographer for spefic series. Like SKRA (Southern Karting Racing Association) or BMSA. I travel to all their races through out the year and I am the sole photographer. So I am starting to get noticed, but I really aspire to be on the cover or a magizine layout... or have my pictures used for sponsor adds like Burris Tires or QRC cages...etc.

    I shoot motocross, locally, and wondered the same things. I ended up looking up the magazines and such...on line, and finding out what their guidelines were. It was real easy to see how much they paid per photo, and per line in of story. I found an on-line version of one magazine that pays $40 for a story (under 500 words) with one photo. It's not going to make me rich, but it was enough coverage to get local tracks to waive my entrance fee and give me total access.

    I became a "sponosor" of one rider. I give them pic's for their web site, and they give links back to my site. I also sold them a digital file, at negotiated price, to be used on their trailer. The price included my website being placed on their trailer as well.

    The track where I go the most uses some of my pictures on his site, and links back to mine. I allowed him to use several pic's to be used on his trophies for his summer long 10-round series. My website is on each trophy as well.

    I contribute to Cycle USA each month, which gives the tracks coverage they need, and the racers the exposure they want. Often times if a racer sees his pic in the magazine he will in turn by some.

    I primarily consider this a hobby, as my full time job doesn't give me the time to really dive in to photography as career. I plan on doing more when the good old retirement day comes.....14 years away. eek7.gif

    I will shoot portraits and stuff for friends, and a wedding or something, but when I don't feel like shooting, I don't HAVE to.

    NOTICE: WHAT WORKS FOR ME, MAY NOT WORK FOR OTHERS....:D
    Always lurking, sometimes participating. :D
  • kschmeits@charter.netkschmeits@charter.net Registered Users Posts: 19 Big grins
    edited October 12, 2006
    How do you get noticed...
    Thanks all for your honest input.
    Shooting kids at play is one of the things I truley love now. Looking at photography long term... I see the pictures of the MotoGP bikes or NASCAR racing and just oogglee. Or I read MotorCyclist and see the spread of pictures of some gorgeous scenery and riding great bikes... those are the things that I want to do as I get older.

    I also know that things take time... time to build on skill, time to acquire better lenses, time to shoot the challenging things that others wont. Time get your name out there as a reputable photographer.

    I see where I am at now, and I see where I would to go... I just need to get the map going, plot out a couple of points and follow my feet.

    thanks again all!thumb.gif
    Kelly
    http://www.ActionPhotos-K3.com
  • stephiewilliamsstephiewilliams Registered Users Posts: 168 Major grins
    edited October 13, 2006
    I would suggest going to your local bookstore and thumbing through the Photographers Market. they have a section where indexed by genre they list publications and guidelines for submission for different subjects. They will tell you how much, ,what format they prefer, how many photos they take per year etc...May be a place to start. With you only needing the motosports magazines this will save you from buying the whole book.
    Stephie
    "AMATEURS try till they get it right, PROS try till they cannot possibly get it wrong."

    Gallery - http://stephaniewilliams.smugmug.com
  • Terry66Terry66 Registered Users Posts: 36 Big grins
    edited October 13, 2006
    I am sure there are as many different opinions as people on the board, but I find that magazines aren't exactly a big payday. I have worked with several of different magazines this summer and while I had a good time, I certainly do no tplan to retire anytime soon from my regular job. Seems the motorsports market is really saturated at the moment...then again so are most genres of photography.

    As far as "getting noticed", I guess my advice would be to shoot as often as possible and build up a serious portfolio and then contact the magazines you want to shoot for and link them to a gallery. I had a media guy for one of the pro racing series tell me that he deletes 90% of the inquiries he gets because the images are nothing special. That tells me that people aren't honestly critiquing their own work. My advice is to compare your shots to those you see in print and on the web and be honest. Look at the sharpness, color, composition of the pros and see if your work measures up. If not, then keep working. Remember the old saying..."You only get one chance to make a first impression".

    Also keep posting work on forums like this one or FM, or ??. Get feedback...compare your work to the best motorsports guys...Hell, I have even gotten job by people seeing my work the forums.

    Terry
    www.watsonfx.com
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