UW pool shots for swim classes

Hi, all. I'm looking to make some $'s (to buy more gear!!!) and am investigating taking UW pictures at local pool swim classes. This is a recent trend here in Southern California, and apparently the kids and parents dig it.

I think I have the basics of this covered in terms of the actual photography -- that part is easy enough. Sit on the bottom of the shallow end with a weight belt, fire away. However, there is the logistics side of things. When doing studio-based group photography, I would just write down for each person the starting and ending frame number. That's a little more complicated underwater. I guess I would use a slate?

Any pointers from any of you who have done this sort of thing would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan

Hi, all. I'm looking to make some $'s (to buy more gear!!!) and am investigating taking UW pictures at local pool swim classes. This is a recent trend here in Southern California, and apparently the kids and parents dig it.

 

I think I have the basics of this covered in terms of the actual photography -- that part is easy enough. Sit on the bottom of the shallow end with a weight belt, fire away. However, there is the logistics side of things. When doing studio-based group photography, I would just write down for each person the starting and ending frame number. That's a little more complicated underwater. I guess I would use a slate?

 

Any pointers from any of you who have done this sort of thing would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Dan

Maybe a thought would be to have the kids get on a numbered list ahead of time and be sure to photograph them in sequence

Maybe a thought would be to have the kids get on a numbered list ahead of time and be sure to photograph them in sequence

Yep, that was one of my thoughts. However, I think I need more error correction than this -- one out of sequence and I'm SOL.

I'm thinking of having a sign-up sheet where I assign each a number, and they tell me that number as I start shooting. I can jot that down on a slate.

Dan

Having had some done for my son, the most crucial thing you need is a top class child and parent herder on the topside. There's no way you're going to be able to keep on top of things yourself if you're both under and over.

I'd suggest that as well as taking pictures underwater you get your herder to take a picture on the surface too. It can be impossible to tell the difference between blond and red hair sometimes when white balancing - if you have a point of reference then that really helps. Lastly you could have them hold a slate with their name on for the topside picture - so if your numbering system goes titsup you can make a decent attempt at salvaging who is who.

I think the real trick at doing this well is getting an excellent organiser top side.

Having had some done for my son, the most crucial thing you need is a top class child and parent herder on the topside. There's no way you're going to be able to keep on top of things yourself if you're both under and over.

 

I'd suggest that as well as taking pictures underwater you get your herder to take a picture on the surface too. It can be impossible to tell the difference between blond and red hair sometimes when white balancing - if you have a point of reference then that really helps. Lastly you could have them hold a slate with their name on for the topside picture - so if your numbering system goes titsup you can make a decent attempt at salvaging who is who.

 

I think the real trick at doing this well is getting an excellent organiser top side.

Cool, many thanks. I think I know where I can recruit a herder.

Dan

If you are sitting on the bottom at the shallow end why not shoot one kid and then stand up.

Get the details of the next kid and send him/her in.

That way you get the right kids in order and can ask them politely to stop running around and jump in.

You will have more control then and prob wont waste as much time.

Hello Dan,

I think I can help here. I did exactly this for a couple of years in Melbourne and made a very moderate living. I hope it will be more popular where you are.

Basically there are two ways to approach this.

Method 1.

Get the pool staff to advertise then book your services to potential clients in the weeks leading up to the day. I had generic posters made up to hang around the pool then attached tailored details for each day/pool.

On the big day you are given a booking form filled in by the pool staff. This will include client details, appointment time etc. If you organise a deposit system it is more likely people show up.

The thing about this system is higher percentage of purchasers, but volumes are low.

Method 2.

Again advertise leading up to the week, based on weekly lessons that is, using posters, pool staff including the instructors. Then attend every lesson photographing every child. Dont' worry about their details. When you return the following week to do the sales, do the sales yourself, I initially got pool admin staff to sell while I went on to the next pool, bad idea, they don't care. Anyway, when you return to sell, you will be approaching parents at the side of the pool so wear something that identifies you as the uw photographer, all you need to ask is their child's lesson time, boy or girl? Your folders on your laptop are organized according to shoot time, from the meta data, and boy or girl. Let them scan the images in the relevant folder for their child. e.g. 9.00am lesson boy folder.

The thing about this method is large volumes but lower percentage of sales. It gets hetic in the water as there are often more than one lesson/ instructor at any given lesson time.

Actually the method may not even be your choice. Often the pool swim lesson co-ordinator leans towards one or the other.

The pitfalls.

In this day and age people will protest against you photographing their semi naked child.

Laptops near a moist pool environment

Most children wont open their eyes underwater, or look generally uncomfortable, hard to sell

Self conscious kids tell parents don't buy it, just as the parent was about to. So the younger the better.

Parents carry little or no money to the pool. They are hot on the idea but never chase you up so get their contact details.

Stage parents coaching from the side of the pool consume more time than the sale deserves.

Some pools will want a commission, fair enough.

I was charging $7 for a 6x4 including negative and some parents would bauk at that! Usually the ones in suits.

I had none of the digital luxuries, I was doing it in the days of film. I had to print the photos to show parents before they would commit to a purchase. Lots of waste.

Getting out and changing film every 36 shots!

Slates and frame counters haunted my dreams.

It should be a walk in the park for you.

You may laugh at this comment now..... but sharks are easier.

HTH

Mary

Interesting question.

I think the easiest thing to do (not necessarily the most profitable) would be to upload all of the photos (except for the eyes-closed freaky looking ones) to a photo sales site like Smugmug. You can set your pricing there to whatever you want it to be. Get some cards printed out w/ a link to your sales gallery so that you can hand them out at the lesson and you're in business. So that no one's worried about having the photos in the public domain, you can assign a password to each gallery - like something new each week that you can tell the parents to use.

It will be a lot easier for the parents to visit the gallery and pick out the photos of their own kids than for you to try to keep track of it all.

Cheers

James

Baby swimming sessions are becoming popular in the UK, is it similar in the States. There may well be a larger percentage up-take in that.

I have been toying with the idea of trying something like this myself. I am imagining that managing the older children would be a massive headache but that you could expect a few sales from every class from proud parents. I was thinking that you would boost sales if you regullarly downloaded images at the time of the class and displayed them on a screen and then printed on demand at the time of the class (you would probably need an assistant here).

I was also thinking that the baby swim classes would be easier to target because you would be able to get a shot of parent and child together (more of a momento for them)

I am planning the same outline as presented by James above.

Two other venues that seem of interest, based on local 'pooling' of potential sales.

1)First Immersion classes with babies. They just drop the child in (with mom nearby) so there is a bit of shock to the first u/w event. If you could be there shooting up and time the photo, the expressions might be priceless...which might lead to sales.

First events with babies would seem to lead to higher sales percentages.

2)Competitive swim teams. Kids spend enormous amounts of time training with these teams and parents are used to routine expenditures. They might be willing to spend a bit for their swimmer shot underwater if the presentation reminded them of the Olympic shots...shot from below as they approach a wall, for instance. The world saw the M. Phelps butterfly finish pics over and over.

You may laugh at this comment now..... but sharks are easier.

 

Mary

Bahahaha!