Sports Pictures for Papers - Are you thinking about the crop?

monkeyleader

monkeyleader

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Nigel
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Morning,

Ever since getting into this sports photography malarky I've been obsessed with sports images - then again ever since getting into photography I've been obsessed with images full stop. I find myself these days playing close to attention to how papers are using certain images - i.e. clearly the image has been sent over with lots of space (much more than you would normally find) around a player allowing for writing to be aligned making a much more appealing article.

The thing is - how often am I actively thinking about this in the heat of battle (aka on the side of the pitch) ... Just wondering how many folks (and I'm mostly talking here to those shooting pitch-side at sports with the intent on writing to picture desks) are you considering your crop? Are you sending multiple different crops of an image you feel may work well a few different ways? Obviously I can't show you an example on here but hopefully you get where I'm coming from. (i.e. leaving much more space around an image than you normally would)

cheers,

Nigel
 
I usually just send one of the image cropped to with some space around the outside which gives an editor chance to do as he needs with it

I've seen dome of my images used, cropped more, cropped badly which has questioned me enough to go back and check the image I sent. They pay though so once they have an image and are paying they can do as they wish
 
Mine don't really GO anywhere but I do enjoy cropping for what I think makes a more effective image. Having no-one to discuss the finished product with, it is a very personal "crop".



View attachment 19877
 
Hi Nigel,

For agency distribution I supply one crop (or the FF) only. Unless you are filling a specific brief/layout then you won't ever know how an image is going to get used and you don't want to confuse matters by supplying more than one version of a moment. You might also find it gets completely different usages across multiple publications (we can all dream :D ).

In which case it is cropped tight enough to focus on the action, but with space around if appropriate for text and/or cropping to fit a layout.

For my portfolio (limited obviously by image restrictions) then I'd prepare the crop I believe best works for an image, and only ever show it once - the exception being tearsheets.
 
I'm sorry Mike I disagree!,
by sending multi crops of an image allows the sports editors on the EPD's to start forming the page at source. Eg, he's been given a brief so in his notes it says "small crop /cele of winning teams player X to left of Text" so by providing a close cropped square cele along with your others it will draw his attention to it as it requires much less work on his part to make the image fit!. I have had some of my images altered so much in the past I've questioned there mine ;), but by giving them a choice I believe you're edging bets.

Kind regards Graham.

PS. Steven I would personally have left more space on the L for the runner to well er! run into :D. my PCO (personal crop oppinion). :)
 
Yep I am with Graham on this. I will often send, portrait/landscape/square - where possible.
 
Thats OK - fine for you to disagree.

I just stated what *I* do. Mine go via an agency where I submit each image once only to them. Not saying it is the only way.
 
This doesn't just apply to sports photographers, it applies to everyone who supplies images to the press on a regular basis. With the advent of faster broadband over the last few years I find myself sending a 10x8 crop with more space around the subject compared to the 7x5 crop I sent before. It takes me no more time to send it and the sub has a larger file to play with.
I don't buy this sending multiple shots practise, it does confuse them and they do have the time to crop an image, it's not always a race to get the pic/copy to print!
 
personally.. i send one copy of the pic... will crop a bit loose but not too much to be honest..... however i do see the argument and it is the crop that wins sometimes... I can give you an example.. I covered oldham v Wolves last season.. i was part way up the sideline as it was a night match and one 1dx camera trying to cover as much ground as i could...... wolves scored and they all ran to opposite side of pitch to me... right in front of half a dozen photogrpahers who all got fantastic celebrations.. but all wide as big group cele.... I got nothing... but tracked the scorer as he walked back to half way line for restart.. as he got there he did a thumbs up to the bench which i got face on..... yes you guessed it.. sun newspaper following day usied my long thin upright picture in the long thin space they had next to the report... none of the other (much better tha mine from lots of agencies) got used :) purely on the fact that it fit the space i got published.. best shots didnt..

So crop or ability to crop right size is important.. as is speed of posting sometimes but as admirable says not all the time.... for example lower league games dont get much shwing in sundays paper.. but always pics in mondays... I can send pics in late sat night and they appear in mondays paper..no rush :)

this is just in my experience.. not preaching or saying my way is right.. all ways are right.. this is just mine :)
 
KIPAX said:
personally.. i send one copy of the pic... will crop a bit loose but not too much to be honest..... however i do see the argument and it is the crop that wins sometimes... I can give you an example.. I covered oldham v Wolves last season.. i was part way up the sideline as it was a night match and one 1dx camera trying to cover as much ground as i could...... wolves scored and they all ran to opposite side of pitch to me... right in front of half a dozen photogrpahers who all got fantastic celebrations.. but all wide as big group cele.... I got nothing... but tracked the scorer as he walked back to half way line for restart.. as he got there he did a thumbs up to the bench which i got face on..... yes you guessed it.. sun newspaper following day usied my long thin upright picture in the long thin space they had next to the report... none of the other (much better tha mine from lots of agencies) got used :) purely on the fact that it fit the space i got published.. best shots didnt..

So crop or ability to crop right size is important.. as is speed of posting sometimes but as admirable says not all the time.... for example lower league games dont get much shwing in sundays paper.. but always pics in mondays... I can send pics in late sat night and they appear in mondays paper..no rush :)

this is just in my experience.. not preaching or saying my way is right.. all ways are right.. this is just mine :)
Click to expand...


Like it! Smug mode!
 
I like to give a decent bit of space around a player or action as papers often overlay text onto a clean background. If the background is messy I'll crop in tighter. That being said, I will also often crop into head & shoulders, especially for key players (e.g. goalscorer, new transfer etc) as headshots are also often used if there is just a column header pic for example.

If bandwidth allows, I'll always send in as many pixels as possible to give the pic desk the ability to crop to their liking.
 
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