Thank You

[LensCrazy]

Well this was my second shoot and thanks to JSPhoto and Smartwombat I was ( I think) able to really capture the action. My first shoot I had the shutter set to fast and it stopped all the motion. I turned down the shutter started leading the cars I am much happier with the results. BUT.... still looking for way to improve, critique welcome. BTW I was able to keep about 85% of the photos taken, is this a good %?

IMO On this site we have a lot of open lines of communication. Thankfully we have a lot of helpful people that don't mind sharing their knowledge, thoughts, skills, to better others . We need more of this in our lives, Thanks.





And a so so shot of me in my MINI S, Taken by a friend

[ken1953]

Wow LC, nice captures!!! I think you may have found a niche!!! Look forward to seeing more!!!

Also, I agree with you about the fantastic people on this site!!! They are awesome. They have helped me so much and given me so much encouragement that it keeps me excited to keep shooting!!! So, I wish to join LC in saying Thanx to everyone on this site who lends a helpful hand and a kind word...and the occasional negative critique...which we all need once in a while...just to keep us grounded!!! haha
Ken

[JSPhoto]

Much better there Lenscrazy!

#1 is very good, could use a bit slower shutter speed/higher ISO to get more wheel speed, similar to #2 and #3.
#2 is bit overexposed, but otherwise a very good shot
#3 , very good but I think I'd crop it a bunch to bring the car closer.

#4, your buddies shot of you, I'd crop a bit and get rid of the partial car.

But you are getting the hang of it, and the more you shoot the better you will get. Keeping 85% is actually pretty high, I'm lucky to keep half of that, but there are differences in what everyone considers a keeper too. My editor likes a lot of the stuff I toss, and wonders why I keep some of what I do.

JS

[LensCrazy]

Ken, thanks for the vote of confidence!

JSPhoto, Thanks once again, I kept so many because a lot of the novices like photos of their cars….. actually everyone does so I didn’t want to leave anyone out. I kept a very small % that were fuzzy, but I normally would have gotten rid of them.
I will keep working on it!

[walterick]

A tighter crop and leaving some space in front of the cars to "drive into" and I think you've got it.

FWIW I'm a landscape photog and I'm happy to get one or two shots per roll now that are "keepers" ;)

Rick

[JSPhoto]

Ken, thanks for the vote of confidence!

JSPhoto, Thanks once again, I kept so many because a lot of the novices like photos of their cars….. actually everyone does so I didn’t want to leave anyone out. I kept a very small % that were fuzzy, but I normally would have gotten rid of them.
I will keep working on it!

LOL, I remember those days....people actually have paid for shots I was embarrassed to let anyone see! But it was THIER car in it so they wanted it. I had one lady who would by $50-$100 worth of pictures a week, even shots where just part of the car was in it. Drove her husband crazy as she spent more on photos than he spent on the race car every year.
I didn't mind...kept me in business!

JS

[LensCrazy]

JSphoto,

I am not sure what to charge these people for copies of their cars or CD's of the event. If the folks that put on the event like them i will be taking photos at most of the events. Any tips on pricing would be helpful!

[SmartWombat]

If you're keeping 85% and they're not even a bit blurred, that's great !
I found that I wasn't getting anythimg like that when I started.
At least, not when I started getting really picky about my photos !
I agree with JS, it's surprising what other people will accept.

I saw a photo of Ton Kristensen's DTM car on the Audi stand.
It was blurred, the body was out of focus, there was a double image of parts of the car, yet they blew it up to almost life size.
#1, #2, #3 are 1:1 crops from my photo of the stand.


So there is hope for me yet !
#4 is mine, and I know JS won't think the wheels are blurred enough !

[LensCrazy]

OK I have decided to change my %....... If I was going to be nit pic I would probably only keep about 40-60% some were blurred but keep them. Like I said I only kept them to pass on to the drivers. I am just starting out and I am fond of most of my photos ....... it’s like watching a kid grow up!

[JSPhoto]

JSphoto,

I am not sure what to charge these people for copies of their cars or CD's of the event. If the folks that put on the event like them i will be taking photos at most of the events. Any tips on pricing would be helpful!

Whew, now thats a tough question! There is a lot to consider here, but number one is your expriance, and since your just starting out that means a lot...unfortunatately to the negative for you as you can't expect to get the same or similar as someone who has done this for a while.
Additionally consider the following points:

#1: What does it cost you?
A: time
B: travel
C: other expenses...equipment, rental, helper(s)
#2: What do prints cost you?
A: Post processing time
B: Printing (if you do it), paper, ink, time
C: Printing (outsourced) cost per print, travel there and back, cost of CD/DVD
D: Shipping - postage, mailers, travel to mail them
#3: Making CD's
A: cost of CD
B: number of photos on CD
C: Software to make CD
D: time to do a cd-prcess, burn, package
E: Licensing - are buyers allowed to print photos from CD's? If so, you lose print sales and need to accomodate that too.

You also have to account for anything the association/track/track owner get out of each sale if they do. Make CERTAIN you have permission to sell them BEFORE you do anything!

There is much ore to it, but this gives you a starting point. Basically what do you need to make your money back, give you a little extra to upgrade gear, repair gear, replace gear and so on.

What I charge and what you can are two different things from another standpoint as well...geography. Things cost more in California than in Indiana for the most part.
Depending on the event type, who's involved and much of the above info my prices for an 8x10 range from $12.00 to $22.00, and at times can be much more. I have sold 14x19's for $75 (15 of them to one company)

JS

[JSPhoto]

hahahahaa... SW... I won't say a word.....

You know we care SW!

JS

[LensCrazy]

Great INFO!!! thanks!

[JSPhoto]

Great INFO!!! thanks!

Anytime

JS

[SmartWombat]

>> some were blurred but keep them.
Just like me. I wasn't sure I'd ever get to a F1 test session again, so I shot everything that moved and most that didn't. I kept almost everything, even those that were slightly blurred.


>> If I was going to be nit pic I would probably only keep about 40-60%
Yes, same for mine - once I started nit picking I went down to 1 in 3.
I don't shoot motorsport often enough.
So each time I go to a race I'm practising and my keeper percentage goes up with time to 2 in 3 by the second day of a weekend race meeting.


>> I am just starting out and I am fond of most of my photos
Keep it that way, take photos you enjoy.
Someone said I had a unique view of motorsport.
It's the fan's view - which most media photographers don't bother with, because they have track/pit.paddock access.


>> it’s like watching a kid grow up!
But without the dirty nappies, tantrums and teenage grunts and monosyllabic answers
At least until I want the 600mm f4 prime then it's definitely tears before bedtime ...