Football Club Photographers

CaptainPenguin

CaptainPenguin

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Name
Nigel Cliff
Edit My Images
Yes
Now I hope I can phrase thiis properly and not offend anybody on here but a lot of ego boosting praise from the West Midland League side that i photograph got me looking at others clubs websites and there match photographs,now I may have just chosen a poor random sample from the Blue Sqaure and Leagues 1 &2 but to be honest the quality of shots on their websites leave a lot to be desired.
So was i just unlucky in what i looked at or dont clubs really bother with a club photographer getting decent match shots relying more on the freelancers like many of the excellent ones we are lucky enough to have here on TP.

Oh and if you want to check if my guys were just buttering me up feel free to have a nose at the club photo gallery

http://www.afcwulfrunians.co.uk/fanzone/photo-gallery/
 
I think one of the biggest problems with non league club togs is they don't get paid, so like me they do it for free, in my case as I love taking pics.
I wont do any other work for free but enjoy the football too much to pack it in.
I'm club tog at Frome Town.
 
Chas said:
I think one of the biggest problems with non league club togs is they don't get paid, so like me they do it for free, in my case as I love taking pics.
I wont do any other work for free but enjoy the football too much to pack it in.
I'm club tog at Frome Town.
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Will have to have a look Chas and as my companiies office is not far from you in Trowbridge i may come and watchy Frome if they are playing when i am down there
 
CaptainPenguin said:
So was i just unlucky in what i looked at or dont clubs really bother with a club photographer getting decent match shots relying more on the freelancers like many of the excellent ones we are lucky enough to have here on TP.
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About sums it up. Most (all?) non league clubs wouls just use a fan with free entry. I even know of a few league clubs who do this and one ex-championship club has about three at some games! Another Championship club has two and one is the press officer!.
 
snapzz said:
About sums it up. Most (all?) non league clubs wouls just use a fan with free entry. I even know of a few league clubs who do this and one ex-championship club has about three at some games! Another Championship club has two and one is the press officer!.
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I do it as a fan and at our level I'm not surprised that there are not many club Togs but when there seem to be league clubs without an official match day Tog that does seem very strange
 
snapzz said:
Cant afford to pay them.
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Hi. You say that, but given that there's all this DATACO nonsense and restrictions on image use, someone is making money out of the images. Where does the money go? I don't understand why the league clubs wouldn't have a regular club photographer? Do they just rely on agencies and pay for the images that way? :thinking:

Having said that, I just saw that Charlton are 'giving away' tickets at £5 - are they having a crisis?
 
Photodiva said:
Hi. You say that, but given that there's all this DATACO nonsense and restrictions on image use, someone is making money out of the images. Where does the money go? I don't understand why the league clubs wouldn't have a regular club photographer? Do they just rely on agencies and pay for the images that way? :thinking:
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Actually all the Premiership and quite a few Championship clubs do employ club photographers but the further down you go they do thin out to zero. Some clubs use Action Images as "their" official photographers and some do reply on just agencies for images. These they mostly get foc as an act of generocity from the agencies and keeping in the clubs good books.

Where does the money go? Players wages is the biggest burden and general costs of running a football club. Just look at how many clubs have gone to the wall and had to reform as a new limited company. You get penalised with points deduction these days so not such an easy way out as it use to be. Recently Rotherham lost their stadium and now have to play at the Don Valley although they are having a new stadium built. Portsmouth were minutes from having their doors locked before a package was put together and the club you mentioned Charlton were "nomads" for years before they were financially solvent enough to return to a rebuilt Valley.Southampton, Leeds, Leicester to name a few more have all had finacial problems but the most famous of all is Accrington Stanley who went bust in the 60's (maybe not old enough to remember :)) and was a butt of an 80's TV advert "Accrington Stanley? Who are they?" 44 years it took for them to regain league status and Kipax was Stanley's unpaid official photographer since he was in nappies! :lol:
 
When you look at some of the lower leagues to, conference level and below. there is many an DSLR on the fence with a 70-200 bolted on, people with monopods and longer lenses aswell.

any club is happy to have images of there club in the lower levels if people are given them over they are happy and wont need to employ anyone, it happens alot I find, much to the point that people will stand behind where you are :lol:
 
Before the recent recession hit I was making about £200 a month as a freelancer for the local paper, football and rugby mainly.
Now I struggle to sell one pic a season. They can get plenty of pics from people just happy to get in the paper.:'(
 
They can get plenty of pics from people just happy to get in the paper.

Perhaps that should read people who are happy to get their club publicised -

Where a newspaper refuses to pay for images it is understandable for the photographer to refuse to submit his work. However if you have a emotional tie to the team and work behind the scenes as many of us do trying to keep non league clubs afloat, there may be a feeling that getting the club some publicity is more important than taking a few quid.Please dont shoot me down - I have read all the arguments for not submitting free work, but there is a difference between taking pictures to publicise the club and taking them to publicise yourself
 
Photodiva said:
Hi. You say that, but given that there's all this DATACO nonsense and restrictions on image use, someone is making money out of the images. Where does the money go? I don't understand why the league clubs wouldn't have a regular club photographer? Do they just rely on agencies and pay for the images that way? :thinking:

Having said that, I just saw that Charlton are 'giving away' tickets at £5 - are they having a crisis?
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Nope, no crisis, they do it once a season to get all the fans that had left back and to get new support, they've sold over 17,000 so far. I'm gutted I can't go this weekend but it's Dan's 1st league game of the season and birthday drinks so might be taking the piddle a bit! :lol:
 
cornishboy said:
They can get plenty of pics from people just happy to get in the paper.

Perhaps that should read people who are happy to get their club publicised -

Where a newspaper refuses to pay for images it is understandable for the photographer to refuse to submit his work. However if you have a emotional tie to the team and work behind the scenes as many of us do trying to keep non league clubs afloat, there may be a feeling that getting the club some publicity is more important than taking a few quid.Please dont shoot me down - I have read all the arguments for not submitting free work, but there is a difference between taking pictures to publicise the club and taking them to publicise yourself
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I will submit promotional pics to the club to use how they wish, team photos, fundraising events, kit photos etc but I don't include action shots from games.
If papers want them they have to pay me for them.
The club still gets promoted.

Just to be clear I supply the club with any pictures they want, it's the papers I won't supply action shots to free of charge.
 
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Correct me if I am wrong but don't Togs at clubs in and above the conference have to be registered so you wont get a fan turning up with a DSLR and 70-200,also as is proven on here there are many fine sports photographers who do it for fun so why don't their local club give them at a bare minimum free admission in return for getting some good action shots on their website
 
CaptainPenguin said:
Correct me if I am wrong but don't Togs at clubs in and above the conference have to be registered so you wont get a fan turning up with a DSLR and 70-200,also as is proven on here there are many fine sports photographers who do it for fun so why don't their local club give them at a bare minimum free admission in return for getting some good action shots on their website
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I am one of the club photographers for Southend rugby club and I get free admission - as press - and I also get free transport to away games and a free years club membership which is worth £50. Its not a fortune but it's a nice gesture by the club.
 
CaptainPenguin said:
Correct me if I am wrong but don't Togs at clubs in and above the conference have to be registered so you wont get a fan turning up with a DSLR and 70-200,also as is proven on here there are many fine sports photographers who do it for fun so why don't their local club give them at a bare minimum free admission in return for getting some good action shots on their website
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Doesn't seem to stop them at Conference (BSS). Tues nights match I was the only one pitch side, but there was one from the visitors (a mere 20 or so) supporters end with a DSLR and a flash taking pics from behind the goal in the stands. I only noticed them because of the flash going off every time the game went down that end. Pics aren't on their website yet, and I don't know if he/she was 'licensed'.

My club pays the PL insurance, I get a bit of advert space in the programme, and tea at half time (and sometimes biscuits). I'm OK with that. I put web size images on a gallery for the club. They can have full res ones for posters/programmes etc. One of the local rags takes my photos, pays a little. I won't give other locals photos (a) because they don't pay and (b) because they often send a photographer to matches and I have no desire to 'under cut' them.
 
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I have seen a fair few DLSRS at games as mentioned

My deal with my local BSN team as similar to Photodiva, full page colours ad in the programme, flyers to go out at local (FA Cup games), tea should I pop in (never been in yet) at half time and I have access tot he photogalleries and to post stories/pictures on the club site

works really well, I also have the programme editor with dropbox setup to allow him to select his high res pictures or work with others for the programme

I don't give papers or submit any pictures to papers simply because other photographers there give them away to papers with there name credited

I now as last season get along and enjoy banter with the players/coaching staff/management. really happy with that as I also get approached before others with requests for games (for player interviews in the next programme etc) for pics, I dont the team pictures and also a kit launch with Miss Northumberland for the club (I was the only photographer present)

works very well for me, I enjoy it, getting free promotion and mentioned all over the place which leads of other bits and bobs coming in and its a great and enjoyable way to enjoy a Saturday

I now don't do any other stuff for other clubs unless its paid
 
Just learned today that they are making the sports editor and sports writer redundant from the paper that I've been submitting to. Wait to see what happens.
 
Photodiva said:
Just learned today that they are making the sports editor and sports writer redundant from the paper that I've been submitting to. Wait to see what happens.
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Exactly what happened in this area. Where
there used to be two staff togs and eight freelancers, of which I was one, there are now just the two staffers and no freelance budget.
 
Photodiva said:
Just learned today that they are making the sports editor and sports writer redundant from the paper that I've been submitting to. Wait to see what happens.
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Which area do you cover? Locally, they were talking about getting rid of the sports ed/writer from the Surrey Comet but that was put on hold a while back - maybe plans have changed.
 
Not Surrey, Kent.
 
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