A few questions from a cheer photographer...would like your input!

[paintdog1]

I was a professional sports photographer for many years and specialized in fastpitch softball and girls soccer. 4x6" action shots with clear delineation of the eyes was always a big seller, as was photo buttons (still have my button machine!) and a special thing we would do as a double; it combined an action shot on one side with a portrait of the girl dressed very nicely on the other. It was a big hit with the moms. I would think photographing cheerleaders in action would be extremly difficult to do well. Good luck.

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

1. What are your favorite photo gift items...besides photo buttons? (examples - wall clings, cut out statues, bag tags, playing cards, ornaments, etc) - I love cut out statues. I also like the memory mate pics where it is an 8x10 sheet that has a smaller individual picture, a larger picture of the full team along w/ the team name and year. I get very frustrated when any photographer doesn't offer those for an activities photo shoot.

2. Does your gym do:
pre-paid packages (one pose, where the photographer picks the best one)
OR
on-site sales (a few poses are taken and the athlete and parents pick and choose what they want from each pose?

AND....which is your preference...pre-paid packages or on-site sales? (or a different process if you use one) - prepaid packages are fine.

3. What's more important...
Lower cost and lower quality portraits (like under $20-$40 packages) OR
Higher cost and higher quality portraits (like $40-$80+ packages)? - low cost, these aren't senior pictures or a wedding album. Get a good shot or two of my kid, get a pic of her team where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera, and sell it to me for cheap - I already pay a fortune for the activity itself - haha.

4. What is your biggest compliment OR complaint (if any) about cheer pics you've had done in the past? N/A