Introduction
If you're hiring one or more photographers to shoot photos for your event, you need to ensure that you and they have a clear understanding of several key aspects of your event.
This article provides an overview of common important information for you and your photographers to keep in mind and provides a downloadable "cheat sheet" handout template for easy reference.
We recommend that you begin looking for a photographer 90 days prior to the event to ensure availability.
What to Look For in a Photographer
- Has Worked sporting events before
- Has worked for a companies like MarathonFoto, Brightroom, GameFace, etc
- Has a history of shooting action and portrait photography. Most photographers will have a website showcasing their work
- Must be able to shoot up to 10,000 photos at an event
Photographer Coverage Recommendations
This graph shows the number of photographers and types of photography locations we recommend for some common event types. These are purely our recommendations for ideal coverage and should not be taken as a requirement.
Minimum Photographer Gear Requirements
- Primary and backup DSLR cameras (Canon or Nikon preferred)
- Long lens between 70-200mm 2.8 glass with monopod
- Short lens between 15mm-105mm
- External flash or strobe for portraits and/or start line (if necessary)
- Minimum of 16 GB available memory
- Backup batteries for both cameras and external flash
- Weather protection for gear and person
Optional Secondary Gear
- Auto-camera and rig
- Video camera and rig
- 8' A-frame ladder
- Camera clamps
- Extra CF/SD cards
- Extra lenses
- Laptop + internet solution for remote uploading
Upload Requirements
- Photos should be uploaded as soon as possible post-event - ideally within 12 hours of the last finisher. Photographers can upload themselves OR pass media cards to you.
- If you require photographers to upload the photos, you will need to supply them with Instructions and the Athlinks Media Uploader download URL and the Media Authentication Token, both of which can be found on the Media > Athlinks Media Uploader tab.
- If you require photographers to upload the photos, you will need to supply them with Instructions and the Athlinks Media Uploader download URL and the Media Authentication Token, both of which can be found on the Media > Athlinks Media Uploader tab.
- Photos must be copied to the computer for upload. Uploads directly from media cards frequently fail
- Internet speed of no less than 20 Mbps Upload
Media Logistics Checklist
- Confirm date and location with photographers
- Provide course map and/or pin drop from an online map service
- Confirm equipment requirements. Confirm total number of cameras to be used
- Confirm event photography capture best practices
- Schedule a pre-event meeting at the venue
- Designate a photographer as Team Lead (if hiring multiple photographers)
- Determine race-day arrival time
- Provide race-day contact info for all media staff
- Provide estimated start and finish time
- Provide parking and event credentials for media staff
- Determine post-event responsibilities (e.g. Who is responsible for delivering/uploading media)
- Instruct Photographers on uploading media to CT Live and provide the Media Authentication Code in advance (Found on your CT Live event under Media > Athlinks Media Uploader)
Photographer General Information Sheet (Preview)
For your convenience, we've assembled this simple information handout. You can download it in .docx format at the bottom of this article and edit the bold items to fit your event and needs before distributing to photographers.
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