In Youth Sports Photography, It?s Pros Vs. Parents

In Youth Sports Photography, It?s Pros Vs. Parents

Shared via AddThis

Ansel Adam's son, Michael on making a great photograph

Marc Silber's Photo Show with Ansel Adams' son Michael from SilberStudios.Tv on Vimeo.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Competition?

There’s always enough to go around…for the good guys.

I was shooting sports photography one night in Cincinnati at local high school football game and I noticed that there were probably 7 other photographers hanging around the football field. Well, let me clarify, three of us were photographers and 4 were camera operators.

The question from one of the other photographers who I am on friendly terms with, commented, “Looks like we got some competition tonight!”

I looked him in the eye and replied, “Not really. Look who is out here. Now look at their gear.” I pointed out to him that only one other guy even had a mono pod. Three guys had kit lenses that had maximum apertures or 4.5 wide open and only one guy actually had a professional grade camera, a Nikon D2x.

Now at the risk of sounding arrogant, I kept my mouth shut about my next thoughts which were, I have no competition because I’m the best out here and at the end of the night, no one will get the shots that I do. More times than not, that is the case.

Keep in mind that I am not talking about going up against the same guys that shoot for the Cincinnati Reds or the NFL Photographers that cover teams like the Cincinnati Bengals. I’m talking about the guys like myself...that dream of doing that!

Which is basically true in most cases. Every now and then I am just not on top of my game. But if you’re going to succeed at what you do, you have to believe that you are the best and not feel threatened by every one that enters your playing field.

I’m a photographer first and a sports photographer second. I have the ability to see a picture where no one else sees it. I am also a networker and a marketer. I have learned through my years building and running a successful Amway business as a Founders Emerald, how to build relationships and relate to all types of personalities. Actually, everything I have learned about people skills, relationships, marketing and business philosophy has been as a result of my nearly 20 years in Amway, or should I say my mentors and reading 2-3 books a month for the past 18 years.

Learning to create you own opportunities is a secret to any successful endeavor in life. I see lots of people show up on the fields that I am shooting at, but I have yet to feel threatened by other photographers. I know there will always be people that love my work and people that don’t. You can’t win the world and the fact is that there is enough to go around but not if you wait for it to come to you. You have to go out and grab it.

Good Cincinnati sports photography has lead to good Cincinnati portrait photography and Cincinnati event photography which has lead to more contacts, more money, better equipment and on and on.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Wide Open

Making Money Selling Stock Photography

INTERVIEW WITH STOCK PHOTOGRAPHER EFRAIN PADRO
By Bonnie Caton in Portland, Oregon

BONNIE: Thanks for joining us for an interview, Efrain. We're excited
you’ll be with us in Santa Fe next month, too. Can you tell us a
little bit about how you got into photography?

EFRAIN: My father was a school portrait photographer, so I was around
cameras from an early age. It was not until the mid-90’s, however,
that I got into photography in earnest. I immediately gravitated
towards travel photography. At the time I lived in Denver, Colorado,
an area that provided world-class landscapes and popular travel
destinations.

In 1999, I began marketing my images and articles on a part-time
basis, and I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to make some
money licensing my work.

BONNIE: On your website (Padroimages.com) you mention that you were a
lawyer before switching to stock photography full-time. What made you
decide to switch to selling your photos?

EFRAIN: In 2003 my wife got a job offer at the Los Alamos National
Laboratory near Santa Fe, New Mexico. By then, I’d been a part-time
photographer for five years, and I was not planning on going full time
until retirement. As luck would have it, New Mexico doesn’t offer
lawyers “reciprocity,” meaning that lawyers wishing to practice law in
New Mexico have to take and pass the state’s bar exam, regardless of
experience. Instead of taking another bar exam, I decided to take the
plunge and become a full-time photographer once we moved to New
Mexico. I was 45 at the time.

BONNIE: Now you sell stock photos through your website, correct? How
much do you generally make per image (if you don't mind my asking)?

EFRAIN: I use my web site to sell stock, although my web site is not
set up so that photo buyers can download my work. The web site is more
of a marketing tool, an electronic portfolio. Typically, an editor
will look at my web site (or receive one of my promo cards, for
example), and contact me with a request for a particular image. I then
forward that image via an FTP site. I send selected images in high
resolution via a disc. I also sell my photos through two stock
agencies: Color-Pic and New Mexico Stock.

On average, I make about $100 to $150 per image.

BONNIE: You have a wide variety of stock travel photos listed for sale
on your site. Where do most of them sell, and which photo subjects do
you find sell best?

EFRAIN: Most of the photographs I license are to local or regional
clients such as New Mexico Journey, Santa Fean Magazine, New Mexico
Magazine, the New Mexico Film Guide, and the New Mexico Vacation
Guide. The articles I write, on the other hand, are most commonly
published in national or international publications (Photo Life
(Canada), Outdoor Photographer, Lighthouse Digest, and Shutterbug
Magazine, for example).

Photo subjects that sell best are often iconic images of a particular
location. For example, in New Mexico, that would include adobe
structures, chili ristras (strings of chilis), historic churches and
missions, and landscapes (Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, Chaco
Canyon). In Puerto Rico (where I was born and raised), best selling
subjects include Spanish Colonial architecture (as in Old San Juan),
Spanish forts, folkloric dancers, salsa musicians, and typical food.

BONNIE: What would you say is your top piece of advice for a hobbyist
photographer who's looking to sell his/her photos online? (Or, what do
you wish you knew when you were just starting out?)

EFRAIN: It’s important to be aware of two things before trying to sell
your stock photos online: First, selling stock images is a numbers
game (more pictures = more money), and capturing, editing, optimizing,
captioning, and downloading images can be time consuming. Knowing this
ahead of time is important to avoid disappointment if results don’t
come immediately. Patience and persistence will pay off, however.

Second, producing images can be expensive if you’re not careful. When
traveling to photograph for stock, have a budget and make sure you
have a shooting list to help focus your image-gathering efforts. At
the same time, be flexible enough to make sure you capture unexpected
images while on a trip. When I travel I also have a handful of ideas
for articles that I can work on during the trip that I can pitch to
magazines on my return.

The idea is to travel with a plan and budget, and with specific ideas
of how you will market your work after the trip.

BONNIE: Thanks, Efrain!

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Shooting Star Photography Blog Post

Shooting Star's client streak to end after 10-plus years

A special streak will sadly come to a close for Shooting Star Sports Photography on Friday night. For the first time since the launch of our one-of-a-kind, groundbreaking service more than 10 years ago, we will not have a high school football client to photograph. The streak, which began with us photographing Gary Friedman of the Garces High Rams in September 1999, ends after more than 100 consecutive weeks.


Garces High's Gary Freidman was our first high school football
client in 1999, and launched a streak of more than 100
consecutive Friday nights with at least one client. We were
shooting film back then.


Utilizing nearly 60 combined years of daily photojournalism experience, unparalleled ability to make photographs in the most difficult lighting conditions and customer service resulting in a nearly 100 percent repeat customer rate, Shooting Star photographers have produced more than 1,000 custom portfolios for more than 400 clients during the past decade. Our portfolios are deeply personal stories documenting a special time in an athlete's life, far more evolved than just a collection of routine action photographs. Until this season, we've averaged 15 to 20 football clients, and had to turn away at least that many more because we could not keep up with the demand. This season we are photographing just five football players and do not anticipate adding any others.

While it would be easy to point a finger at the economy as the reason for the dramatic decline, we don't think that is the case. We are losing customers to amateur photographers. Virtually every local high school field is now saturated with amateur photographers each Friday night. These folks, often with cameras not equipped to handle the difficult shooting conditions presented by the poorly-lit fields the games are played on, are giving away pictures for free because they think it's cool. The pictures are awful, but "free" is a powerful phenomenon for even savvy and discerning parents to overcome. Others are purchasing pro-level equipment and with no experience are setting up photo businesses. They look the part, they have the gear, they have the vests (amateur photographers just love the photo vest!) but they can't shoot. One such photographer is offering his services at a "too-good-to-be-true" rate, and has lured several dozen clients to his service. The packages he is offering would be impossible for us to produce even with our years of experience; he has no experience and there are going to be some very disappointed parents pretty soon.

So it looks like our decade of word of mouth business, with little need to advertise or market, will have to make some adjustments. We'll be out there agressively marketing, and will soon regain our position as not a choice for sports photography in Bakersfield, but as the "only choice" for quality sports photography in Bakersfield. And despite the loss of football clients, we are still very close to our fall season projections; we have just moved on to other areas, including auto racing, tennis and water polo, where we have new clients making up for the lost football clients.

Our streak ended on one of the the fields that powered us the past 10 years, at Centennial High, where our clients were Garrett Hayslett (our third portfolio on Garrett and fourth overall for the Haysletts) and Cole Hallum (our second portfolio for Cole and fourth overall for the Hallum family.) We'll be back at Centennial on October 2 for the Hawks vs. Stockdale and hopefully the start of another 10-year streak.


Garrett Hayslett (above) and Cole Hallum were our athletes
last week. The lure of free or extremely low-cost photographs,
despite their poor quality, has affected us after 10 consecutive
sold out football seasons.











Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

You Can Bet Your Glass!

Ever wonder how it seems that the guys with the big cameras and huge lenses get the outstanding shots time after time? Must be the camera…right? I mean, you were in almost the same position, taking the same shot with your point and shoot or your Nikon D90 with the provided kit lens.

In my opinion, all things being equal, such as position and angle, it is more often than not, the lens. You don't need a Cincinnati Reds Press Pass to get outstanding baseball shots, if you have great seats and an even better lens.

I get people ask me all the time about upgrading their cameras for several hundred dollars to get 1 or 2 more mega pixels.

Many times, weather you’re shooting portrait photography of sports photography; you may already have a camera suitable for capturing the same quality of sports photography that I will typically display. What you don’t have, is a quality piece of glass, or lens on your camera.

I shoot the same quality sports action pictures with my $1700 Nikon D200 as I could with a $5000 Nikon D3.

The glass, along with a choice selection depth of field, say 5.6 or higher, will go a long way to capturing that sharp depth of field in your sports photographs.

The length of the lens, will give your pictures that compression factor that is a trade mark in professional sports photography.

In other words, a 50 millimeter lens will give a more accurate relationship between your subject and the background. A 200 millimeter lens will draw that background in close to your subject matter giving it the “Pro” look and feel.

In this picture of Go-Kart racers, I was at G&J Kartway in Camden, Ohio, a nationally recognized professional go-kart track where the likes of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart have gotten their starts.

I used a Nikkor 80-200 millimeter lens and a mono pod and set this shot up where I knew there would be close competition in an S curve.

It took me about 6 attempts to get these guys in just the right position as they were racing.

The 200 millimeter lens gives the illusion that the back two racers are literally hooked up bumper to bumper and makes for an intense action shot.

Any other camera or lens would have shown you that there was ample separation between the three of them.

I you aspire to be a quality sports photographer, the one investment you’ll never go wrong on would be your lenses. You can “bet your glass” that the photographer with the better lenses will always capture the best sports photographs of your event.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Capture Cincinnati 2009

Well Capture Cincinnati 2009 has almost officially wrapped up for this year and to be hones with you, I’m kind of glad. It routinely takes up too much of my already limited attention span as it is.

I first jumped on board with the program last year after seeing an article in Cin Weekly while at my local Fitworks Health Club

I thought it would be a good way to see how I could stack up against the masses of photographers from the area and assumed it was a legitimate well respected publication.

I’m not saying that any of those things aren’t true, but what it really is amounts to a very clever marketing idea that steals a page from the old high school “Who’s Who, Among American high school Students” books.

I was a marginal C & D student in high school at prestigious Preble Shawnee in Camden, Ohio in the late 70’ and early 1980’s when I received a notice in the mail that I, Vincent Rush, had been selected as a member…and for only $35 dollars my picture and a copy of the book would be delivered to my home.

Well, what parent could resist forking over the $35 dollars for the bragging rights of her specially selected son as one of the top high school students in America?

So along comes Capture Cincinnati and without pontificating through several long arduous paragraphs, what aspiring photographer could refuse to fork over $29 to see his or her picture published in a hard bound coffee table book? Possibly even buy a few for friends and family!!!!

Enough photographers get one picture in the book and the publishers are already profitable. All the extra books are “gravy”. It’s a can’t miss scenario. I work in commercial print and I can tell you that each book costs very little to produce. WISH I HAD THOUGHT OF IT!!!!!

Now there is a voting system in place where supposedly your work will be published based on it’s acceptance by the photography community who approves your shots or rejected as a result of the masses of negative votes, cast by all those who either genuinely do not like your pictures or try to “vote you out of their way”.

I believe there is some validity to the seemingly sophisticated algorithms they use, but I have to be honest with you, I think the editors then actually choose among the best and put a book together that is attractive.

Now I’ll admit that it was pretty cool to get 5 of my pictures published last year and win a 3rd place award, but one of my pictures that they used was not that good and did not garner a lot of votes, rather it “just fit” the theme.


And there were also some pictures I remember that literally kicked butt in popularity, were far better than mine and never even got into the book.

So this year I shifted my focus of what I was out to accomplish. I used the contest to showcase my sports photography.

Not to the large percent of photographers in the book, because why would any of them ever call you to come shoot pictures? But rather the small handful of professional sports photographers that enter their own and people from marketing firms and local media that actually see the work.

Last year after the contest was over and I got my $25 gift card to Dillard’s for a 3rd place prize, I started getting a few calls from people such as “The Cincinnati Business Courier”, WLWT, Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, Cincinnati Reds, etc.

I then realized that Capture Cincinnati was not so much a legitimate photography contest, but another marketing tool for me to establish my brand.

So in 2009 my focus was totally removed from getting pictures “published” (although I will be flattered) but rather “displaying” an assortment of stunning action and sports photography, Cincinnati or not, for the eyeballs that really matter when it comes to achieving my own long term goals of shooting professional sports…professionally.

Because as I said before, what photographer in the book is going to call me up and ask if I will come shoot their family portraits or senior pictures?

Because of my posts this year alone I have gotten calls to shoot NCAA Football, Division 1 High School football and a few newspaper assignments. I have even had further talks with the Cincinnati Reds.

As I’ve said before, “if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there. The difference between good photographers that make money and good photographers that would like to make money is marketing and knowing what you’re trying to accomplish.


Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Observe the Masses

I was recently shooting Sports Photography at Monroe High School one Friday night and judging by the number of photographers there, you would have thought it was the Super Bowl.

One thing I pride myself on is getting the pictures and photos that no one else gets. It builds my photographer self esteem anytime I see a sports photographer hanging around and picking the low hanging fruit.

On this particular Friday night I saw the “picture takers” standing in there usual spot, talking “shop” and I began to look to separate myself from the masses so to speak and look for the pictures that none of them would ever think of.

I noticed first that the cheerleaders had a bunch of new flags that spelled MONROE. I went up to the Cheerleading coach and got the girls to stage a run toward the camera that made for an eye catching photograph.

I then offered to shoot each of the cheerleader’s portraits with a helmet that I had secured from an injured player and a football and pom poms.

Using a Nikon SB 800 speed light and a Gary Fong Light sphere, I quickly snapped a series of cute portraits that did two things….

1) Made for some really nice Cheerleading photos that Lifetouch Studios never thinks of, because they don’t actually have photographers that work for them. They have camera operators!
2) More importantly, after editing and posting the pictures on Monroe’s community website, I probably just picked up quite a few senior portrait jobs and further established my brand in my own town of Monroe.

I then took the helmet and went and staged some cool field shots with the band that once again, in my own mind, if no where else (and that’s what really matters anyway) got the shots that no one else ever thinks of.

If you’re going to be a sports photographer and a profitable one, you have to cover not just the game, but the kids the other guys are either too lazy or not creative enough to shoot.


Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Establishing Your Brand and Name

I was recently asked by another young sports photographer if I thought that he should ever give anything away for free.

“Why do you ask?” I replied.

“Another photographer told me that I should never, ever give any of my work away.”

“Are you a threat to that photographer or is your stuff that good?” I asked.

When I started shooting sports photography a couple of years ago, I had a Nikon D2x that a good friend of mine by the name of Larry Winters had just given me. Larry is one of the most successful people in the Amway business and one of the biggest givers that I have ever known. Knowing that I love photography, this was a token of appreciation for some work that I had done for him.

I started shooting in Eaton, Ohio where my son played baseball at the time. I would also shoot other kids during the games and hand out pictures the following week at the park.

At the time, I was considering establishing myself in the Eaton market. There is a photographer there by the name of Pat Taylor www.pattaylorphoto.com who has been in business since 1971.

In the opinion of many, partially due to envy and partially do to a perceived lack of people skills and arrogance, many people have been begging for someone to come in and give a much better option to the community.

Now, Eaton which I believe has about 35,000 people also has about a half dozen photographers.

Most of them fail in a relatively short time, not because of talent or creativity, but a poor business plan.

See Pat has a monopoly on the “Cash Cow” of photography. Senior Portraits, School Pictures and Team Photography. That alone keeps him profitable and in business.

Most photographers, who in my opinion are light years ahead of Taylor in their abilities, try to open up shop and establish their brand a reputation while funding a business. That in itself is a recipe for disaster.

My plan was to spend a few years establishing my brand and name, first by giving away and then by gradually charging through my website ( http://CincinnatiSportsPhotography.com ) until people started coming to me and asking me if I would be interested in bidding on team and school portrait photography. (Which has already started to happen)

Pat would eventually retire, sell the business or health challenges would get the best of him, and at that point, I would open up shop, having already built a solid reputation and a well established brand.

Meanwhile, a dozen or more photographers will have come and gone in that time frame.

So the answer to the question for this young photographer really came down to what was he trying to accomplish and what were his goals. If his goal was to make a couple of dollars, with no real perceived value to his work, then by all means, squeeze every penny you can. On the other hand, if the goal is to build your reputation until people offer to pay you for your work, then sew some seed in the form of free 4 x 6 or digital images.



Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

In Your Face!

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Out of Reach

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Climb the Ladder

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

War Paint

One of the differences between a professional sports photographer and a sports picture taker is a creativity.

When I am shooting sports photography in the Dayton, Ohio or Cincinnati, Ohio regions, I not only will shoot the stop action pictures, but I also never quit looking for the art of the sport of in some cases, the strange and unique.

I was covering an NCAA Division 3 College Football game on a recent Saturday at the college of Mount St. Joseph. I was watching players warming up at pre-game and caught a glimpse of "The Beast".

This dude was a beast on the field as well! For a Division 3 football team like the Mount. St Joseph Lions, this guy was a Lawrence Taylor on the field. A strong side defensive end that was more than a handful for the visiting Wisconsin team.

Back to topic...

The "war paint", which is becoming very common these days, and the menacing look when I yelled, "Hey 99!", and for a great "Faces of the Game" picture. I already had my Nikon D200 and Nikkor 200 millimeter lens focused on him. After I got my shot, I gave him the thumbs up and he smiled and acknowledged.

As a photographer, I am generally very aggressive when I'm going after my shots. A lot of camera carrying picture takers will stand in one space and hope the picture comes to them. I'm a big believer that you have to go after your shots and you have to have the creativity to know what makes for good pictures and what doesn't.

Standing out and being unique takes work and effort, but it pays huge dividends when people begin to separate your art from the masses.

Lesson is, always have a game face on.


Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Colerain Cardinal Football

For more Colerain Cardinal Football Sports Photography, visit Http://CincinnatiSportsPhotography.com

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Lest We Never Forget September 11, 2001

In looking through my files, the was the only image that I could find that was appropriate for the day.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

It's All Subjective

It's all a matter of personal taste and the client is the only taste that matters when you're marketing and selling your services.

I'll share a simple story to make my point.

I have a niche for SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY. It's my comfort zone. I, like any other self respecting professional SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER, feel I'm one of the best at it. Not because my camera is better, or because I have a special set of skills other photographers don't, but rather because I work a sidelines as good as anyone and go places other photographers won't to get the unique angle or perspective on a shot.

But because of my SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY and my own unique blend of marketing, I have started to have the opportunity to branch out and begin doing some other style jobs.

One such experience was when I received a call from a Monroe, Ohio resident by the name of Kristina Centers. She has seen nothing but sports Photographs from me on http://mainstreetmonroe.com.

Kristina is developing a line of clothing called "FIGHT HER", http://fighther.com , kind of a "WARRIOR CHICK" style t-shirt line.

She wanted to know if I could shoot some pictures of her models as a CINCINNATI PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER for the website. I said sure. To tell you the truth, I was way out of my comfort zone on this one.

So I head out with my NIKON D200, NIKON SB 800 SPEED LIGHT and my GARY FONG LIGHTSPHERE and the bottom line is, the shoot was 4+ hours and at the end of the day, it was a success.

After editing pictures and delivering them to her, and her models...everyone was thrilled and most importantly, the style, look and feel of the pictures fit with the theme and style of her clothing line.

At the end of the day...Client happy...mission accomplished. And as a result, I had some outstanding portrait photography for possibly picking up SENIOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY in MONROE, CINCINNATI or DAYTON, OHIO.

Now to the point I was trying to make.

I have a friend who has worked hard to carve out a niche for themselves as a small time wedding and portrait photographer. And to be honest with you, I really admire that persons tenacity and how far they've come in just a couple of short years. I'm a big fan. However, I rarely see anything my friend shoots that I would allow on my web page or show as portfolio pictures. I really do not like their style.

With that being said, I never offer advice because, "unasked for advice is criticism", but I personally don't think they are very good.

But that's ok, because I am not one of their clients and the clients that they shoot for, think they are outstanding. An at the end of the day, that's all that really counts.

So just for grins, I asked photographer friend to look at my portraits and critique my work. I received comments such as, your lighting is all wrong, white balance is off, top of camera flash did not help, etc.

I was mad for about 5 minutes and then I realized that their opinion really wasn't what mattered, it was the client.

Photographers in general can be very critical of other photographers work. When I was in the Navy and going through photography school, I used to hate hanging out with other photograpraphers, because they were all Ansel Adams in their own minds, and a simple trip to the movies, would turn into a cinematography critique session.

As a PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER, EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER or SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER, at the end of the day, the only opinions that matter, are number 1, your client, number 2 you and then everyone else, to the back of the line.
Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Right Place at the Right Time

I usually get the common question asked of me, regarding my Cincinnati sports photographs, "How do you always seem to be in exactly the right place at the right time?"

In SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY, sometimes it's luck and sometimes is manufactured.

When I am acting as a SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER in DAYTON or CINCINNATI OHIO, I always try to get to the game early enough to grab pictures of the warm up sessions. More times that not, I just don't get anything that's really useable, as far as the brand I want my photography to represent.

Other times I'll get a sports photograph like this one of a Monroe Hornet reciever running a post pattern.

The lighting is good and there are no other players wandering around in the background. What you end up with is a sports photograph that looks like a wide reciever headed for glory.

Combined with all my other game shots, this picture give the view the illusion that VINCENT RUSH is a great SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

The Reason I Never asked for a 24 Million Dollar Loan

Annie Leibovitz risks losing copyright to images

Sept. 8, 2009, 9:21 AM EST
NEW YORK (AP) -- Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz risks losing the copyright to her images — and her entire life's work — if she doesn't pay back a $24 million loan that is due Tuesday.

The lender, Art Capital Group, sued Leibovitz in July claiming she breached an agreement that authorized it to act as the agent in the sale of her photography and real estate.

Leibovitz spokesman Matthew Hiltzik said last week that the photographer was working to resolve the situation.

Art Capital spokesman Montieth Illingworth said on Friday that the company has "clear contractual rights and will protect them in any scenario."

"Our preference is for this to be resolved," he added.

Neither side on Tuesday would say if they were meeting or if an agreement was possible.

ACG is a Manhattan-based company that issues short-term loans against fine and decorative arts and real estate.

Search: Annie Leibovitz
View results for: Annie Leibovitz sued Annie Leibovitz newsAnnie Leibovitz projects Last year, the 59-year-old photographer put up as collateral her three historic Greenwich Village townhouses, a sprawling upstate New York property and the copyright to every picture she has ever taken — or will take — to secure the loan with ACG.

The company said she needed the money to deal with a "dire financial condition arising from her mortgage obligations, tax liens and unpaid bills to service providers and other creditors."

ACG consolidated all her loans in September 2008. In its lawsuit, it charged that Leibovitz breached a December 2008 sales agreement with the company granting ACG the right to sell the collateral before the loan came due. The lawsuit claimed she refused to allow real estate experts into her homes to appraise their value and blocked the company from selling her photographs.

ACG has estimated the value of the Leibovitz portfolio at $40 million; real estate brokers say her New York properties are worth about $40 million.

Under the sales agreement with Leibovitz, Illingworth said, the company would get 10 percent commission on the sale of Leibovitz' real estate and 15 percent on the sale of her portfolio. Leibovitz would get the remainder after paying off the $24 million loan, interest and other fees, he said. If she defaults, the company would get a net 12 percent commission, after paying approximately 13 percent for costs and fees.

More legal problems for the photographer emerged last week when an Italian photographer accused Leibovitz in a Manhattan federal lawsuit of using his images in a calendar without his permission. The suit seeks unspecified damages. Hiltzik declined comment.

Leibovitz's artsy, provocative portraits of celebrities regularly grace the covers of Vanity Fair and Vogue.

Over the years, her lens has captured such famous faces as Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth II and Bruce Springsteen. She gave the world its first glimpse of baby Suri, newborn daughter of Hollywood's superstar couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, on the cover of Vanity Fair, which she joined 1983.




Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

One Last Shot

After spending about 6 hours editing and deleteing some 500+ shots from the 2009 CINCINNATI, WEBN, SKYLINE CHILLI, TOYOTA and whoever else gave money, Fireworks, I came across the keeper.

So this was a lazy way to put up a new post in the never ending quest to keep fresh content on my blog at CINCINNATI SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY.


Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

The Perfect Cheer

Just a quick note on this Labor Day Monday.

One of the demographics to make sure that you do not ignore during a sporting event, are the parents of the cheerleaders. Most sports photographers never pay any attention to the most ignored aspects of any sporting event.

Those Moms are extremely appreciative when someone takes the time to hnor their kids with pictures.

Shooting quality sports photography is about more that just catching the ball.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

2009 WEBN Fireworks

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

test

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Flag Corp

In shooting a sporting event, I always look for the unique shots that no one else ever does. At this particular game between the Monroe Hornets and the Fenwick Falcons, there were 4 other sports photographers covering the game,

Not one photographer shot a single picture of the band or cheerleading squad.

Incidentally, which picture do you think was the first to sell in the gallery?

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Play Your Game

Playing within your game could also be interpeted as staying within your niche. When I was playing mens softball and traveling with a team every weekend, I never tried to be more than I was.

Out of 12 guys on the regular roster, I was probably the 8th or 9th, maybe 10th or 11th (depending on who you asked), best on the team. I was not a home run hitter and I didn't have a cannon for an arm.

What I was however was a .650 right handed hitter that made my living by hitting the ball to right center and painting the right field line, I was fast and I wouldn't embarass myself in the field. I was also willing to be the ultimate support player for the team by playing some catcher and riding the pine without throwing a Terrell Owens or Chad "Nacho Stinko" Johnson style temper tantrum.

All of those qualities had earned me a spot on the team that played about 200 games a year, so when I got to that team, I never tried to be anything other than that. As Clint Eastwood always used to say..."A man's got to know his limitations" and I knew mine.

Occasionally we would see some young up and coming ball player and invite him to play a tournament with the team. Inevetably, that player would, more times than not, forget what his game was and why we wanted him in the first place, and try to play outside of his game by swinging for the fences and attempting to do things he was not equipped for. The end result was, that he would be with us for a brief time and then we'd never call him again.

In photography, if you want to succeed and make a decent side income or one day a living, you've got to know your niche and play within you game.

My niche is sports photography. I can shoot wedding photogrphy, portrait photography and industrial or landscapes, but I know that in CINCINNATI or DAYTON, OHIO, when it comes to that type of photography, I'm very good at it. In fact I feel I'm the very best at it. I'm also good at marketing and promoting what I do and learning more every day.

I have many friends in photography who are skilled at various dicsiplines and do quite well in say PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY, SENIOR PORTRAITS, WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY and then I have freinds that are highly skilled at PHOTOSHOP and various forms of post photo processing. They tend to make a nice living at it.

In fact, I know a guy in West Chester by the name of Russ Miller, who is one of the very best family and portrait photographers in the world. The guy has become extremely prosperous at taking family and senior portraits. He demands the highest price and always gets it.

As a photographer, you have to know you game and stay within that game to succeed. When you have mastered that and own that niche, then broaden your horizons and master another one.

Most people that try to scratch out an income as photographers, are never quite sure what kind of photographer they want to be.

In one of my next posts, I'll talk about branding and being selective on what pictures you choose to post on your online portfolio,


Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Bengals Number 1 Draft Pick, Andre Smith

So far, the St. Louis Rams feel good about taking tackle Jason Smith instead of tackle Andre Smith with the second overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Jason signed on time and made steady progress through the preseason. Andre, who fell to Cincinnati at No. 6, didn’t sign with the Bengals until after the third preseason game.

And then he immediately suffered a broken foot. He won’t be back until some point in the regular season. Nice.

“Andre suffered a small fracture in his left foot during a non-contact drill,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said in a statement. “Our medical staff tells me the injury will not require surgery. It’s too soon to closely predict how long it will be before he can return to practice, but it looks like he’s going to miss a few weeks.”

That is reassuring for long-suffering Bengal fans, who have seen one draft bust after another come through.


While sidelined, can Andre keep his weight down? To put it politely, his size tends to fluctuate.

Andre has a weight clause in his contract, reportedly set at 350 pounds. Smith’s conditioning became a bit of an issue for NFL teams before the draft.

He was a sloppy mess at the scouting combine . . . until he abruptly left the proceedings, presumably to get something more to eat.

This being the Cincinnati Bengals, Tipsheet expects this to end very badly for all parties involved.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Angles are Everything

I was asked by an aspiring SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER the other day, what I was referring to when I talk about the "pro style angle"

In this CINCINNATI sports photo, I use a picture of my own son, taken at the Cincinnati vs. Indianapolis I-74 Series baseball game held in August at University of Cincinnati's Marge Schott Stadium.

Now, like any Father, I love my boy and I love watching him play baseball, but I'm also realistic about his skill level. He's a "happy go lucky" kid that has a lot of heart, but he is not exactly on BASEBALL AMERICA'S Magazine's Top 100 10 Year Old's radar. In fact my nickname for him is "John Kruk Gump" (Hits like Kruk, runs like Gump. A take off on "Willie Mays Hayes")

In SPORTS Photography, a low shot angle gives the players a more majestic grown up look. If you study SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, ESPN MAGAZINE, CINCINNATI REDS or CINCINNATI BENGALS SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY, you'll notice that very rarely, are the pictures ever taken above eye level.

Because of the angle of this shot, Zachary Rush, looks like a jungle cat getting ready to pounce on a hard smash down the first base line. More importantly, if I'm a Dad looking at this shot of my son, it's very flattering and one I wouldn't mind having a framed 8 x 10 of, in my man cave.

This picture was shot with a NIKON D200 and a NIKKOR 80-200 2.8 lens.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Here Come the Elks!

One of my first money making SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY shoots was the Centerville Wee Elks and my good friend Mark Deddens of Centerville Ohio.

I had just gotten a new NIKKOR lens, a 80-200 f2.8, and wanted to test it out on my NIKON D200. I

n my early days of shooting sports photography in CINCINNATI and DAYTON, OHIO, I gave a lot of pictures away. This day was no exception, as I shot a ton of my friends two kids and along with that, I shot a bunch of his friends kids.

After he took the pictures and gave the 4x6's to families of the WEE ELKS, I started getting calls to come and cover individual players and then the team as a whole.

After all was said and done, this one day brought in about $450.

When beginning a sideline in SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY, you may have to give away quite a few pictures to establish your brand and reputation. Centerville just happened to be one of those communities where the parents are not cheap and I knew it was good soil to sew into.

Most photographers fail because the try to build a business while building their reputation and brand simultaneously. Photography being such an easy field to get into, especially with today's cameras, there is not a high enough profit margin in the beginning. In my opinion, if you have a desire to be a sports photographer in CINCINNATI, DAYTON or with the CINCINNATI REDS, go build your name first, then instead of chasing the money, it will begin to chase you.

In this simple picture, I just positioned myself knee level, about 20 yards from the arches and got lucky to catch the first kid sprinting through the tunnel.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295

Piggy Backin

I was talking with a CINCINNATI SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER by the name of Bryan during a recent Monroe High School Football game in Monroe, Ohio and he was asking me how I manage to get so many interesting sports pictures or how I seem to always be in the right place at the right time.

In asking him what he was referring to, he mentioned that he often visited my site at http://CINCINNATISPORTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM and saw a lot of my pictures on Capture Cincinnati and WLWT.com's website and commented, "It seems as if you never shoot a bad sports photograph!"

I have to laugh, because I shoot thousands of bad sports pictures. Just having a nice Nikon or Canon camera and a set of good lenses doesn't mean you're flawless.

I will typically shoot 500-600 digital photography images at a sporting event and pic out about 50-60, at the most that I choose to post up on any site. (In one of my next posts, I may explain why I actually post them to all these sites. Hint: there is a method and a purpose to effective social media marketing)

The common mistake most "picture snappers" make is that they feel as if they have to post every image that is in focus on their website and in the process, water down their image or brand on the net.

Everyone can hook a big fish and capture a CINCINNATI REDS or a SPORTS ILLUSTRATED quality SPORTS PHOTOGRAPH with a good motor drive. You don't need a Nikon D3 or a $4000.00 Nikkor lens to do it.

You have to know the sport you're covering, know the angles of the sport and flow of the game, and then carefully choose the pictures that you want to identify your brand of photography.

In CINCINNATI and DAYTON, OHIO (There's a reason I use capital letters, explanation in a future post) one of the greatest compliments I can recieve is when someone says to me, I recognize that as one of you pictures. It's my "brand" and I'm very protective of it.

Posted by Cincinnati and Dayton Sports Photographer Vincent Rush of Monroe, Ohio. For more information (877) 858-6295