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Francisco G.
Francisco G. Sendmail

Why are the race photos so expensive. Do you buy it?

posted almost 2 years ago | Report

After finishing my second official race and first Half Marathon I am wondering why are the race photo services so expensive. Places like Marathon Foto and Action Sports International charge what I consider an absurd amount of money for their pictures. In this time of digital photography and social media, it seems impossible that printing one photo could cost up to $14. As an Industrial Designer I am aware that photography is not cheap, but why this companies and any other don't offer a lower price for OUR photos? Why they don't offer a download option for a small price?

So how many of you are buying the photos from this companies or are your family or yourself taking your own race photos?

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16 posts

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  • Jimmy J.
    Jimmy J. Sendmail

    I never buy any photos. My wife has taken a few or more through the years, but I'm not much on picture taking. (I guess that's why I just got my first digital camera after 47-years), lol.
    God Bless...+
    JJ. ( =

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • NicolePRO
    Nicole Sendmail

    I usually bring my own camera and have never bought a photo..If and when I ever look good in a picture and there is not half of a shot of me maybe I would consider..but in most races I simply come in looking like I am going to pass out..not something I want to frame. Other people look so good just not me.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Joanne S.
    Joanne S. Sendmail

    Some of the races I've run recently have offered a less expensive digital option. I hope that's a trend that continues. I'll spend up to $5 on a print or a digital file, but not more than that. (I still feel kind of self-absorbed spending that much, but I don't care.) The smaller events I've participated in seemed to have more reasonable prices for photos.

    The cheapest option for my first half-marathon was $16 (plus extra for shipping), which seemed like way too much. I understand a lot of work goes into tagging and organizing the photos, but that price seems excessive. Fortunately, someone from my running group got some good shots.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Mike D.
    Mike D. Sendmail

    I never bought a photo but I do save the free thumbnails! Yeah I'm a cheapskate.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Peter L.PRO
    Peter L. Sendmail

    As Mike D. said - I make frequent use of the Print Screen button on my laptop. They may be small, but it's better than spending $15 on a picture of myself.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Ricardo T.
    Ricardo T. Sendmail

    I normally won't buy them, but I must admit I have bought some in the past. Here in Brazil they are also VERY expensive but normally they offer the digital option in addition to prints. However, digital files are WAY more expensive than prints! Photographers say that giving digital files is like giving the "negatives" of the photos and that's why they "have" to charge extra for digital files. I am sorry photo professionals and I don't want to say your work isn't worth what you guys ask for it, but times have changed! We live on a digital era now! If you don't want to give full 10 MP files, I will be OK with a 2 MP that will print just fine on a 4x3! Be reasonable, or we'll continue saving just the thumbnails... :-)

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Sean S.
    Sean S. Sendmail

    I've never bought any pictures, but apparently people do. I expect the prices are high not so much because the cost of producing them is high (especially the costs of printing them and such; the costs of employing photographers, buying the eqpt., etc. isn't cheap) but because it reflects the demand in some ways. For most dailymile runners, each extra race isn't that big of a deal, but for first timers that picture of them crossing the finish line is meaningful. So they could set a really low price and get many veterans in addition to newbies, or they could charge much, much more and just get the people whose elasticity of demand is exceptionally low...
    But this is mostly conjecture, ultimately.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Reverend Run V.
    Reverend Run V. Sendmail
    in reply to what Sean S. said:I've never bought any pictures, but apparently people do. I expect the prices are high not so much because the cost of producing them is high (especially the costs of printing them and such; the costs of employing photographers, buying the eqpt., ... read more

    I agree, Sean - the only time I *ever* bought one was my first marathon. There was something about documenting the growth from "three miles is all I'll run at one time" to "I just ran 26.2" ... but once I'd done it once, I didn't have the desire for more pictures (other than digital).

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Annie
    Annie Sendmail

    I never buy the photos. You would think the digital option would be cheaper! I am like Peter and Mike, I print screen just so I have a little memory of the event. I probably shouldn't admit that!

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Bill K.
    Bill K. Sendmail

    I've never bought a photo. Thought I'd get one from my first marathon last year, but then a local running store took free 4x6's. It was a smart move by them - you had to pick them up at their store later that afternoon. It got a ton of people into the store. I bought a $60 jacket with the race logo on it. Not a bad investment for the store. There is one photo from that marathon that I really like. Keep meaning to buy it if I still can, but just haven't. Like someone else said, I do always save the free thumbnails and found a way to get around the watermark. I just go into it like I'm going through the purchasing process. A thumbnail comes up without the watermark. I save, then move on to the next. They're not great print quality, but they're OK to post on Facebook or here, or just to look at.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Chris B.
    Chris B. Sendmail

    I always take my own photos, being a photographer myself. Photos taken at the event never come close to my high standards. I agree that the prices are too high for event photos, especially for the quality. With that being said, I completely understand why prices are so high.

    There is a formula each company must follow to earn money. Once you figure in cost of equipment, travel, wages for extra photographers, time spent at the event, time spent editing thousands of photos, web site (gallery) hosting, rent, and printing fees. Subtract the amount paid by event organizers for a contract, then divide that by the estimated percentage of sales, figure in a small profit, and you get the expensive packages that are offered.

    As far as the digital copies, they cost more than a print because you are actually buying a limited copywrite to be able to print as many copies as you wish. Each print you make from a digital file is one less print sold by the company. Each loss has to be recouped somewhere, so once again, you get a rise in prices.

    Also, the "digital era" that was mentioned is one other reason why prices are so high. Yes, it is easier to get a finished product today than it was during the film era, but now anyone that can push a button is a photographer, and once again, the pro companies have to recoup those lost sales.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Eliot W C.
    Eliot W C. Sendmail

    If one is available, then I always buy a photo from any marathon or ultra that I complete. I probably have over 100 of them in several albums. This is a habit that I got into many years ago, and I now I cannot stop.

    Looking back at the races that I have run brings back great memories, and inspires me to keep going. If I run the same race year after year, then I make an effort to wear the same outfit each time. It is interesting to see how I have changed over the years.

    I admit that it can be seen as a big waste of money, but I do it anyway.

    posted almost 2 years ago | edited almost 2 years ago

  • Alicia
    Alicia Sendmail

    I just completed my first half marathon, and yes I paid the $79 for the digital download of all my high-res pictures. Expensive? Absolutely. But aside from the pictures I took during the race (it was in Disney, so I did bring my camera along with me), they were the only pictures of me running my very first half marathon that I'd worked so hard for. I don't see myself buying every picture from every race, but for my first big one, the price was justified.
    I have mixed feelings on this, though. As an amateur photographer, I understand (sort of) where the seemingly inflated prices come from. You're not only paying for the print, but photographer's time spent working on taking the picture, the equipment used, etc like Chris B stated. I don't charge as much as a lot of professionals do for my photos, but I definitely charge more than what a print alone costs. Photographers love the art, but also want to make some money, understandably.
    On the other hand, it's really frustrating to pay up to $15 for one 5x7 print from a race considering the photographer probably shoots in burst mode (it's just more efficient that way), pretty much aiming and shooting as runners whiz on by. No real creative set ups. And there is no post processing done to the pictures, which is usually another thing going into the price of a photo. But in the end, it's probably never going to change, so the best we can do is either buy the expensive pictures, have a friend on the sidelines taking pictures, or forget them altogether. It would be nice if at least one print was included in our registrations fees though... :)

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Kevin G.
    Kevin G. Sendmail

    I usually just try to get a friend to take a picture if I can (for running races). The vice president and main organizer for my cycling club is a professional photographer and always makes sure everyone has pictures from the races, which is nice. I’m doing my first marathon next fall. If my friends can’t get close enough for a good picture, I’ll probably buy one just to document the occasion.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Heather G.
    Heather G. Sendmail

    I've never bought any. Partially because of the cost, and paritally because my pictures always come out looking awful. Even if I am feeling great and having a blast, I somehow manage to look MISERABLE in all of the shots, haha! But looking back, I'm kicking myself for not getting one from my very first marathon. I

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Kris R.PRO
    Kris R. Sendmail

    I don't have much care for them, but I'm yet to be impressed by a marathon photo. When they get a really impressive photo of me, I'll buy it. They have a business model, and their photos are expensive, but the reason for that is probably that most people don't buy the photos. If the photos were like $2 ea, I think more people would buy them.
    FWIW, I don't have photos of me biking in events. I want to get a nice one block mounted though.

    posted almost 2 years ago | edited almost 2 years ago

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