Advertising Work Apparel

[taat2d]

Anyone have shirts or jackets printed up with the business and web site on it to promote themselves when shooting sports or events? I'm thinking of ordering a few shirts so that I can start doing this.

For some reason when I'm shooting my sons sporting events, even after handing out business cards and telling people the photos will be available for viewing and purchase on my site, they still have the nerve to call or email and ask for photos for free or ask me to email them the images. Again, they do this after getting the card directing them to the site where the images can be bought. I still can't believe perfect strangers make no qualms about doing something like THAT. The FIRST THING out of my mouth if I was curious about photos from one of my sons games would be "how much, and where can I BUY the photos".

I want to establish from the start at certain events that I'm shooting, that I'm NOT just another dad with an expensive camera, but that I'm there as a professional and working. Or TWO!!! LOL

So I was thinking of getting some shirts made up with my name, logo, phone number and web site on the back so everyone there will HOPEFULLY realize I'm there for a business purpose. Obviously if I was at my son's game just to enjoy it and photograph only him, I would leave the shirt off.

So I just wanted to get some idea, and thoughts on what others think of this approach. And also, anyone that uses this method of advertisement, has it improved sales for you.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ShaunK]

Anyone have shirts or jackets printed up with the business and web site on it to promote themselves when shooting sports or events? I'm thinking of ordering a few shirts so that I can start doing this.

For some reason when I'm shooting my sons sporting events, even after handing out business cards and telling people the photos will be available for viewing and purchase on my site, they still have the nerve to call or email and ask for photos for free or ask me to email them the images. Again, they do this after getting the card directing them to the site where the images can be bought. I still can't believe perfect strangers make no qualms about doing something like THAT. The FIRST THING out of my mouth if I was curious about photos from one of my sons games would be "how much, and where can I BUY the photos".

I want to establish from the start at certain events that I'm shooting, that I'm NOT just another dad with an expensive camera, but that I'm there as a professional and working. Or TWO!!! LOL

So I was thinking of getting some shirts made up with my name, logo, phone number and web site on the back so everyone there will HOPEFULLY realize I'm there for a business purpose. Obviously if I was at my son's game just to enjoy it and photograph only him, I would leave the shirt off.

So I just wanted to get some idea, and thoughts on what others think of this approach. And also, anyone that uses this method of advertisement, has it improved sales for you.

Thanks in advance.

My mother-in-law loves to sew, so I gave her my logo and she's monogrammed it onto several dress-shirts that I wear around, and to weddings, etc. where I'm shooting. I have been considering ordering a batch of T-shirts to wear and hand out to family/friends...

 

[taat2d]

My mother-in-law loves to sew, so I gave her my logo and she's monogrammed it onto several dress-shirts that I wear around, and to weddings, etc. where I'm shooting. I have been considering ordering a batch of T-shirts to wear and hand out to family/friends...

With how reasonably priced the logo t shirts are online, I think I'm gonna order some up.

 

[LeeF]

Logos on shirts won't work. Those people believe that your pictures are REAL good because you have a REAL good camera. Simple as that. And if your REAL good camera does all the work, you must be giving them away because your so proud of your REAL good camera and you don't have to do anything but push the button. Therefore, you're not working, you're just having fun.

You might have heard this before.

 

[Carole]

Logos on shirts won't work. Those people believe that your pictures are REAL good because you have a REAL good camera. Simple as that. And if your REAL good camera does all the work, you must be giving them away because your so proud of your REAL good camera and you don't have to do anything but push the button. Therefore, you're not working, you're just having fun.

You might have heard this before.

LOL!!!!!!! Love it, Lee!!! :biggrin:

Carole

 

[Carole]

For some reason when I'm shooting my sons sporting events, even after handing out business cards and telling people the photos will be available for viewing and purchase on my site, they still have the nerve to call or email and ask for photos for free or ask me to email them the images.

I got the same kind of crap when I shot a friend's wedding. Never again! Now I stick to landscapes and nature. The orcas have never asked me for free images :biggrin:

Carole

 

[Carole]

T-shirts with a logo are a good idea though. I was thinking of getting photography type t-shirts for my upcoming workshop. But I think instead I'll get ones with my logo on instead

Carole

 

[socrdude]

queensboro shirt company does t shirts and logo.. very good quality with 10 year warranty..

 

[Carole]

I'm trying to figure out how large to make a logo so it would go on the left side of the shirt, like my Nikon t-shirt.

Carole

 

[Carole]

queensboro shirt company does t shirts and logo.. very good quality with 10 year warranty..

Thanks for the referral! Their prices were so good I just ordered a t-shirt and a sweatshirt with Carole May Images on them :smile: I can't wait to get them. I'm going to wear them around town. You never know :biggrin: From what I saw on their site, I'll be ordering more before my workshop and I want something to wear to the Zenfolio Zoom tour as well :smile:

Thanks again!
Carole

 

[taat2d]

queensboro shirt company does t shirts and logo.. very good quality with 10 year warranty..

Gonna check them out.

I'm planning on just putting Joe LaRusso Photo with the font I use on my site, along with the website and my phone number on the back, NICE AND BIG so all the parents can see it LOL

HOPEFULLY that'll STOP them for ASKING for FREE photos!!!!

 

[Carole]

Gonna check them out.

I'm planning on just putting Joe LaRusso Photo with the font I use on my site, along with the website and my phone number on the back, NICE AND BIG so all the parents can see it LOL

HOPEFULLY that'll STOP them for ASKING for FREE photos!!!!

Order this weekend as they are having a big sale. You also get a percentage off for being a new customer :biggrin: I ordered a t-shirt and sweatshirt. I just had Carole May Images put on the left side in the font that is on my website. I made the image and just uploaded it. Their software took care of resizing it for the shirt :smile:

Website and phone is good. Make sure you use BOLD letters, LOL Maybe you should put "If you want prints, they are available at: "website URL" or call "phone number" to order. Then hand out coupons with your card that give them 10% off their order. That will give them the message for sure!

Carole

 

[IAMAMRA]

Been very happy with Queensburo

 

[ImageReflex]

I suppose if you want to try to gain visibility, logos on shirts might help (and I say might only because most professional photographers I know do not wear their own logos, or the logos of the companies for which they work, in an effort to make themselves seem professional--wearing such a logo may end up backfiring, and give a somewhat different impression).

However, the sort of situation you're describing is going to happen whenever your photographing people, and wearing a logo is not likely to change that. Given a recent experience I've had, wearing a logo may actually increase the requests for freebies. Over the last sports season, I photography my kids competing. I primarily used a 400/2.8, so my presence on the sidelines wasn't exactly subtle. Every once in a while, a parent from another team would approach me to see if I could photograph their kid; for the most part, once they found that I was photographing my kids, they didn't have the nerve to ask me to miss photographing my own kids to cover theirs for free.

It is also worth considering the potential negative impact that wearing a logo may have. If you're shooting at a kids sporting league, and a studio or photographer has contracted for exclusive rights, you may end up in the middle of a fight simply because you want to photograph your kid. I had such an encounter a year ago, but fortunately, the photographer decided not to push the issue when he realized that I was photographing my own kids (given the number of parents who bring cameras to the events, there was no practical way for the league to permit some, but not all parents, to photograph their own kids.

 

[Carole]

I woke up this morning to an email from Queensboro. Even though their website says "no set up fee", they wanted an additional $20 "art fee". So I canceled my order. I'll look elsewhere.

Carole

 

[Russ_]

I just made a high res jpeg of what I wanted, just some text of my website, and went to a local copier/printer type shop here. They then print and heat-seal the jpg onto the back of a sweatshirt and a shirt. It's washable and very good quality, and only something like (from memory) $20 each.

 

[taat2d]

Excellent points and advice. Thank you very much. The ONLY places I would wear any logo'd shirts would be at leagues that I have permission to shoot at, and that I'm shooting for.

I just don't understand people... I would NEVER walk up to a photographer, a COMPLETE STRANGER, at an event of my son's or daughter's and have the NERVE to ask for free photos!!!! If I was interested in photos, the FIRST thing out of my mouth would be, hi are these pictures going to be available? Where can I BUY them???

You're probably right though, wearing a logo'd shirt would probably only have MORE people asking me for free images or asking me to email them!!!

I suppose if you want to try to gain visibility, logos on shirts might help (and I say might only because most professional photographers I know do not wear their own logos, or the logos of the companies for which they work, in an effort to make themselves seem professional--wearing such a logo may end up backfiring, and give a somewhat different impression).

However, the sort of situation you're describing is going to happen whenever your photographing people, and wearing a logo is not likely to change that. Given a recent experience I've had, wearing a logo may actually increase the requests for freebies. Over the last sports season, I photography my kids competing. I primarily used a 400/2.8, so my presence on the sidelines wasn't exactly subtle. Every once in a while, a parent from another team would approach me to see if I could photograph their kid; for the most part, once they found that I was photographing my kids, they didn't have the nerve to ask me to miss photographing my own kids to cover theirs for free.

It is also worth considering the potential negative impact that wearing a logo may have. If you're shooting at a kids sporting league, and a studio or photographer has contracted for exclusive rights, you may end up in the middle of a fight simply because you want to photograph your kid. I had such an encounter a year ago, but fortunately, the photographer decided not to push the issue when he realized that I was photographing my own kids (given the number of parents who bring cameras to the events, there was no practical way for the league to permit some, but not all parents, to photograph their own kids.

 

[ImageReflex]

It's really a matter of discipline. When a stranger approaches you and asks for free pictures, the best response is to hand them a business card with your website address, and indicate that images from the event will be available for order through your website.

 

[taat2d]

It's really a matter of discipline. When a stranger approaches you and asks for free pictures, the best response is to hand them a business card with your website address, and indicate that images from the event will be available for order through your website.

That is my exact response when asked for free images. I always tell people to check my site within the next few days after shooting a game or event. Then I tell them that the photos will be posted for viewing and purchasing directly from my site. And that any lurchase will be delivered to them directly from the photo lab.

 

[Carole]

I did that at a wedding that I shot, and a woman said to me, "but you're shooting digital not film. Everyone knows that digital is free!" Yea, lady, sure it is....

Carole