Fotoboat...No more

On another note, particularly following our scribe friends recent suggestion on the Solution thread that this forum is down to a dozen folk because we've scared the rest away. I'd have to say that's not at all the case, it's true there are not many posting, but I've been monitoring the hits that come to my website from that little link down there v and there are anywhere between fifty and one hundred hits a day from it, I don't want to embarrass myself as to the number of cheap bike helmets and deck pads I've cleared thanks to forums, so don't ignore this place as a means of promotion secondary to the banter.

Originally posted by mothlee Mr woodburner, do think your wrong on this point.

On topic now:

I generally don't like the photos I've seen of me sailing. There's always the self critical demon in my head saying "you're not upright", "You're hiking tech is appalling" or "you're trim is bad"

It would have to be an exceptionally good pic for me to buy it, not seen one yet.

Originally posted by transient Originally posted by Woodburner However the rate does drop when there is nothing either controversial or argumentative going on. Discussion, even heated discussion is what fuels forums, it's without it they die, Several points (if I may join in) Train crash Syndrome: Everyone wants to watch but no one wants to be in it....so plenty of lurkers but not many participants. Controversy and argument: Fine, naught wrong with it BUT name calling and personal abuse does frighten folk off. Trying to disguise the intent with pseudo humour doesn't wash with most folk either.  Being prepared to argue a point if necessary is healthy....always arguing a point and conceding nothing is just plain irritating and convinces folk that there is absolutely no point in joining in. .....and perhaps more importantly: Internet Forums for most (all?) interest groups are in severe decline. They are now a thing of the past. People used to contribute for two main reasons, 1 to get information, 2 to socialise. Information is easier (less uncomfortable) to get elsewhere, the only entity you have to ask is Google and google won't call you a muppet. Socialising  is easier to do elsewhere and if someone tries to humiliate you or does something else you don't like, you can "unfriend" them. Times have changed.

Running/cycling/triathlon/"adventure running" seems to now have a photo business model where a company deploys a number of photographers to sit in one place and take more or less the same photo of every "competitor". Generally helped by having mandatory numbers on body (running) or helmet/bike/back (cycling) that can then be easily OCR-ed to simply produce "packages" of photos to be sold- prices seem to vary a lot though with some operators selling two or three photos for the price others would chuck in 20+ (with little quality control).

Can't really be done with sailing- costs rather more to get a photographer in position and much harder to get a decent shot when the photographer is moving too and the competitors are much less predictable in movements. I do wonder what the demand (not sales, because current price structures may hide demand) for fancy prints versus a few photos to chuck on facebook and a desktop background is. The latter would work better at lower cost-per-photo but probably doesn't in the main need as high quality (both composition and resolution).