Earlier this year I wrote a post for Beyond Here called Win Win Win Photography Business Thinking. It came from a meeting with another photographer who had found ongoing photography work that benefited all parties. I continue to look for photography business ideas which have multiple winners. Today I share more win win win photography ideas.
Indoor sports with large participation numbers are ideal for win win win photography ideas
The Opportunity
I’ve shared in a number of posts that I am shooting more and more sports and in this field we are finding more win win win photography ideas. I have a small team of sports photographers and we are shooting a lot of junior sports. We see an opportunity to bring professional quality photography to grass roots sports and to provide players and families with action shots they haven’t had access to before.
In short, we’re aiming to shoot images which make the kid the star of the image, in the same way they have seen their adult sports stars in photographs. At the same time, we are making the images affordable for the athletes and their families.
What Sports Work Best
Some sports are more suitable for than others. Indoor, fast moving sports are particularly good. Why is that?
There are three reasons
- Lighting. Most indoor stadiums are not well lit so it is not easy to create strong images without the right equipment. For that reasons, these sports are not well covered at junior level and we are getting feedback that “we’ve never seen images like these”.
- Fast Action. Again, sports are not easy to photograph without the right equipment and experience shooting fast moving subjects (see a separate post on that here).
- Access. Often it is not practical to have spectators walking around the stadium taking photographs and so there are specific areas set aside for spectators. They are not allowed close to the action and have to sit in the grandstand. By organizing access to the competition area it’s possible to create action images which are not possible from the spectators area.
What’s the Win Win Win?
Win #1. The Kids. By using appropriate equipment, shot by an experienced photographer we create high quality action images which kids haven’t seen of themselves before. It is literally bringing pro photography to junior sports. The kids get a thrill seeing themselves in action and are quick to share on social media.
Win #2. Parents and Families Value the Images. Parents and families love seeing images of their kids in action too. Keep in mind some are willing to pay for images and some are not. If you can find sports with large participation numbers you will have a greater chance of selling more images.
Win #3 . The Clubs or Sports Organizers. The new battlefield for sports clubs is social media. That’s the primary channel they are using to promote their club and to differentiate themselves from other clubs and other sports. Win number 3 is for the club, as we are able to provide images for them to use on social media.
Can you come up with more win win win photography ideas?
Let’s Talk About an Example
Last weekend we shot a gymnastics event which had 100 kids participating from 4 different clubs. In gymnastics, only the competitors and coaches have access to the event floor. By having 2 photographers on the floor as well we were able to shoot unique images which athletes and families have not had access to before.
We shot a large number of images and have posted the best ones in password protected galleries online for parents and families to purchase.
This is what I’m looking for – more win win win photography ideas.
Can you find similar opportunities? Can you generate more win win win photography ideas?