Allow me to be a kill-joy here but copyrighted pictures are not of that much use to the class as a whole. Afterall, we create event galleries on the
www.formula16.org website to show how active we are; among other things.
So is it possible that Travis Edwards can decopyright the pics for that usage. Can anyone ask ?
If not, then did anybody make personal pictures that he is willing to donate to the class ?
If so then I would like to have those for our F16 website and promo material.
I like paid photographers just fine as long as it doesn't result in private persons not making any pics (because there is already a photographer there) and ending up with a blank in the official F16 galleries.
We have been down this road before with respect to the A-cat/F16 invitational. Photographer then refused any usage of his photos unless being paid. Is it Gulfport policy to have professional photographers ? If so then can we arrange for somebody else to take picture for us in the future ?
Wouter
You are right, Wouter. This has been a problem for years now: Professional freelance photographers take pictures at a regatta in hopes of making money by selling pictures to the participants. And the regatta organizers think, "Oh, this is wonderful! We have a professional taking pictures for us, and it is not even costing us anything, so we don't need to take any pictures ourselves."
Trouble is, they are not really "taking pictures for US." And it is sometimes difficult to get the use of those pictures for promotional purposes and to provide to the media.
Usually, the professional photographer will have a website where he has galleries of the photos he takes for various events, so on the F16 website you can provide a link to the photographer's website (or directly to that specific gallery).
Usually, the photographer will provide a few good pictures to the regatta organizers to use for promotional purposes, like distribution to the media (as long as he gets a photo credit).
Speaking as a media person (Catamaran Sailor magazine), I know it is a little more of a hassle to get photos from a professional photographer, but they are usually very cooperative (at least for a print media like ours), because it is good advertising for them and can maybe help them sell more photos.
And a big PLUS is that usually the photos are far superior to anything that can be captured by most of us mere mortals with point-and-shoot cameras.
I think it is wonderful that freelance professionals have taken an interest in shooting pictures of sailing regattas, but the regatta organizers should try to work out an arrangement with the photographer in advance to have access to some of the pictures for promo and to link to the photographer's web site.
