Some more anecdotal 'bad news' is that my daughter mentioned that she was the only member of her team to purchase any of the photos taken at "picture day" for her (league champion) HS softball team.

Without surveying the parents it is hard to know why, but I have to think that point and shoots are part of it (my action shots sell okay since you can't get those with a P&S, but it'd be hard to make a living on them) and possibly that the girls mostly have camera phones of some sort and swap all kinds of pictures so there is less perceived value to that "portait on the mantel" of the team in a classic pose?

A few parts of what I do are still going strong, work for the resort for adds/web site ect is going gangbusters and post cards are still strong at the resort.
So I will downsize the 'point and shoot" side of what we do and go hard with the retail side of things.
I am actually looking forward to the change and not taking pics for my only living for a while.
Gav

David, Let me follow your daughter's HS Softball anecdote with this years facts from one of my HS Girl Softball T&I sales: Total gross sales from the entire team of 22 girls was $185.00. Out of that there is $105.00 balance still due. The coach, who gave out the packages without collecting the final checks and is responsible for the balance due, is avoiding me, my phone calls, and now a small claims order.

Ask me next spring if I am going to shoot for that HS again. By the time I get done in small claims court with the coach, the athletic director, and the principal of the school I am sure my welcome back will be minimal at best.

Total ouch! Do you also shoot the games? (Not that I'd necessarily rush to take more images of a team that hasn't paid you for what you've already done) Just curious how that compares.

Of course the problem with shooting the games is that it takes a lot of time, especially if you do more than the playoffs.

To finish off my anecdote my family supportively said about the photographer who did the team portraits "well I'm sure the school paid him something to come and take them." I honestly don't know anything about the arrangements, but I said they shouldn't be sure at all!

--David

PS To echo Gavin's point about postcards, those and notecards seem to be the hot sellers at our local art gallery as well.--David

David, I don't know any high school T&I shooters that get paid to show up. T&I is paid for entirely by what the parents purchase. Most of us also have to "kick back" either money or something the school wants in a percentage of gross sales.

No, I don't shoot high school sports except for on call newspaper stringer work and that is about a dead horse that barely pays for the fuel to get to the games. I quit shooting high school games 8 years ago when that market fell to the axe of camera owning parents. (Does that sound like someone we know David? -grin-)

Now, what I want to ask both you and Gavin.
What are the retail price points of your postcard and notecards? What sizes are selling the best? I have heard the same story about good sales for postcards in localized areas. Some of the shops here always ask if I have any "local" postcards. Very interesting...

Thanks guys. Rick

Rick--From asking around the volume market here seems to be local postcards from $.35 to $1.00 or so and notecards of the same scenes for a little more.

Then there is the "art card" market (which I've been experimenting with) where the cards range from $3 to $7 each. In my case the images are artistic renderings of photographs printed on 4x6 DuoBrite cards from InkJetArt & "glued" onto 5x7 notecards then packaged with an envelope & glacine bag and sold individually.

Frankly I don't have enough local image inventory to penetrate the volume market very far and it is pretty saturated so all I've really done is investigate that part, but I have started to sell the "art cards" anyplace that I show or sell prints.--David

Your going to hate me, but up here at Big White I sell 5X7 post cards for $1.50.
I sell them in my shop (now dead) and other local business I make $1.10 and the business 40c the cards cost me about 9c with the quantanties I buy, I sell about 8000-10000 in a 5 month ski season.
I have 16 differant cards at the moment, but I change the image as they sell out.
Gav

Gavin--Great you get $1.50 for postcards and get to keep most of it. That definitely makes it worth the effort.

Thanks for the info gentlemen.

Gavin: Nothing beats a destination resort as a captive market. Good on ya mate with your rates for the cards. Those are the retail numbers that I have been pushing around although I would never get that volume of sales in the locations I am researching.
Do you offer summer scenes of your locale to the winter vacationer?

David: Art cards are an option I am looking at myself for selling at the moto-tracks during large events. The art would be moto related but I believe that it is possible to squeeze some money out of the spectators. The trick for me is to keep the images "timeless". I would hate to get stuck with inventory that was not selling simply because it was out of date. Might as well sell fresh produce at a meat eaters convention.

Are you doing your own printing and assembly of the "art cards" that you are selling? It sounds as time consuming as my stinking frame and mat business (I will be so glad when my remaining inventory is burned up and I shut time sucker down).