Does anyone else feel like they have been had by boatpix.com? I have very sour taste now and didn`t even buy their expensive photos. Dave 
boat pix.com
- Thread starter DAVA390
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Quite some time ago (but not "back in the day") we were enjoying a very nice, quiet sail on the Elk River approach to the C&D canal when boatpix.com showed up. What a PITA!! They buzzed us, buzzed other boats, followed a few go-fast-go-loud boats and generally made a commotion over the river. I believe they also created a hazard to navigation with their antics. I considered the following two courses of action: (1) moon them on their next pass or (2) call the Coast Guard with a report of the activity. Finally, quiet prevaled as they went elsewhere. When they did contact us with an offer of photos I told them pretty much what I have described here.
Our experience was similar.On a day on Middle River, no wind, powerboats had it all chopped up.So, never having delt with them , I looked up the website when I got home. Nowhere are prices mentioned or made availabel, " we send you the photos,you return what you don`t want". Must have credit card # for deposit.Being a rookie fish, I bit. 6 weeks later,big cardboard tube shows up (neighboer had to sign for it). 3 16 X20 crappy photos,(sails flapping, me leaning over motor shifting gear,we are not looking up and smiling) all for $250.00 EACH. Returning all 3 cost me $30 shipping and they charged $25.00 handling. Big money maker even if you don`t buy!
http://www.boatpix.com/general/faqs.htm clearly list the price of the pictures. Helicopters are an expensive game. Helicopters pictures can be great but they are always expensive. It's nice that this service is available and probably better suited for powerboats that are faster than dinghies that take pictures historically of sailboats. If it is sunny and breezy you should ask to see the pictures; if you are flopping in no breeze it is better to pass. You can always ask for watermarked thumbnails by sending an email.
Shoot guys, I don't know. I saw one of their slicks over Southport awhile back, and it didn't look like they were creating much of a nuisance. I wouldn't mind having such a picture, but it's a little out of my price range. I DO know however how much it costs to maintain a decent bird, and an R44 ain't no dog. I contend that if somebody HIRED an aerial job, it would most likely be more than their advertised price.
My two and a half cents..
My two and a half cents..
As a wannabe regatta photographer I can tell you that it's a damn hard way to make a dollar. Add in a chopper and yeah, the prices are going to be outrageous.
A couple examples from my experience . . . Let me start by saying I'm not a professional photographer; I don't sell much but I don't try to either. I have been told though that my work is as good as, or better than, what's been presented for sale at Whidbey Island Race Week in the past.
Last year 5 of us from the local camera club took pictures at the Emerald Cup Regatta on Fern Ridge Reservoir. Frank, one of the other photographers, provided a bow rider for the photo boat for the 3 day event. I put him up on my boat and the YC provided Frank and I dinner at the Saturday night shindig. After the regatta the photographers each gave me their best images (full res) and I made up 8.5 GB dual layer DVDs. We sold all of 4 at $25 each; that was for over 1,000 images sorted by fleet and we barely made enough to cover Frank's gas for the weekend. Not enough to cover the DVDs or our time. Some of my images can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36153401@N08/sets/72157630399134982/
This year we had a great regatta with plenty of wind, a squall coming up behind and hitting as the fleet was completing the run to the leeward mark, and an S20 sinking due to the squall. Lots of action and some fantastic photos. As far as selling the photos goes, we tried a different approach and I brought up an event website at ExposureManager.com. We offered full res downloads, prints of various sizes, mouse pads, t-shirts, coffee cups, etc. at extremely reasonable prices. Being a sailor, I know how cheap we can be, so I set things below the (what I thought were) overly high recommended price points. Big mistake. By the time we paid for the printing and 3 months of website hosting we made less than $50. I'm not convinced that we'd have made any more if I'd left the standard pricing in place - frankly I think we'd have had fewer orders.
Frank (a former sailor/racer btw) has already said that he's not sure he's interested in doing the regatta next year. That means we've got no go-fast boat and, if we do it at all, we'll have to use my boat. Not a huge deal, but it probably means none of the close following shots with the big boats 'cuz I can't keep up with them and I won't crowd the mark to get the shots from a slow boat. And even if we do take pictures I'm not sure we'll make them available for sale. It's just not worth the expense if you don't have the volume to "throw out" 98% of your salable images and still make money.
A couple examples from my experience . . . Let me start by saying I'm not a professional photographer; I don't sell much but I don't try to either. I have been told though that my work is as good as, or better than, what's been presented for sale at Whidbey Island Race Week in the past.
Last year 5 of us from the local camera club took pictures at the Emerald Cup Regatta on Fern Ridge Reservoir. Frank, one of the other photographers, provided a bow rider for the photo boat for the 3 day event. I put him up on my boat and the YC provided Frank and I dinner at the Saturday night shindig. After the regatta the photographers each gave me their best images (full res) and I made up 8.5 GB dual layer DVDs. We sold all of 4 at $25 each; that was for over 1,000 images sorted by fleet and we barely made enough to cover Frank's gas for the weekend. Not enough to cover the DVDs or our time. Some of my images can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36153401@N08/sets/72157630399134982/
This year we had a great regatta with plenty of wind, a squall coming up behind and hitting as the fleet was completing the run to the leeward mark, and an S20 sinking due to the squall. Lots of action and some fantastic photos. As far as selling the photos goes, we tried a different approach and I brought up an event website at ExposureManager.com. We offered full res downloads, prints of various sizes, mouse pads, t-shirts, coffee cups, etc. at extremely reasonable prices. Being a sailor, I know how cheap we can be, so I set things below the (what I thought were) overly high recommended price points. Big mistake. By the time we paid for the printing and 3 months of website hosting we made less than $50. I'm not convinced that we'd have made any more if I'd left the standard pricing in place - frankly I think we'd have had fewer orders.
Frank (a former sailor/racer btw) has already said that he's not sure he's interested in doing the regatta next year. That means we've got no go-fast boat and, if we do it at all, we'll have to use my boat. Not a huge deal, but it probably means none of the close following shots with the big boats 'cuz I can't keep up with them and I won't crowd the mark to get the shots from a slow boat. And even if we do take pictures I'm not sure we'll make them available for sale. It's just not worth the expense if you don't have the volume to "throw out" 98% of your salable images and still make money.
Don't think I know the skipper but I've seen duck out on the lake. Being a Beaver Believer I fly OSU black and orange.
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