Starting Sports Action Photos

photoman720 · May 28, 2007

I am looking to get into an informal business where I go to sporting events such as lacrosse games/ any other sports game with good action shots and take a lot of pictures of the athletes playing. Either I can have a website with athletes pictures where I give the business card to parents to visit the site and buy photos or bring my laptop and burn CD's of the events pictures. I am not sure which one to do and the legal constrictions with both of these? Any suggestions would be welcome.

Jeff Canes · May 28, 2007

You just cannot walk off the street start shooting and then sell the prints.
PS: you maybe able to get away with it

I am assuming you are talking about young and adult amateur sports leagues/schools and that you live in the US. Now a little US copyright law, a live event and it’s re-disputation is copyrighted. Most young leagues sale team and player head shoots as a fundraiser. So they already have a deal with a photographer. You will need to talk with each league.

photoman720 · May 28, 2007

So could i go up to people and ask people if they want people if they want pictures of their kids playing and if they say yes i shoot some photos of their kids and burn CDs and hand it to them?

Big Mike · May 28, 2007

You may have to have an arrangement with the league and the venue as well.

skieur · Jun 7, 2007

In the US, you cannot legally copyright a sports event but in a sense that is what some schools and leagues are doing.

They make an arrangement with one photographer to do all the shooting at the event and prevent any other photographer from taking photos at all. This is either done with a sign at the entrance as in NO CAMERAS or in some cases an individual \security who will stop anyone with what looks to be a "professional" camera and tell them that they can NOT take it in to the event.

A photographer taking photos at the event will be escorted out by security.

To make matters worse, if you are the "official" photographer some leagues etc. are creating new "rules" in which (in effect) the league tries to grab more of the photographers profit.

Definitely, not to be recommended. :thumbdown:

skieur