So why is it...(Part II)

[Jay Honeck]

...that no professional photographers take pictures of us landing at AirVenture?

At one of the many Cherokee Pilots Association Fly Ins, maybe 2004-ish (?), the organizers hired a pro to sit at the arrival end of the runway, and snap gorgeous, high-resolution photos of each of us landing.

All of us, of course, bought them. I've got two poster-sized photos of me landing hanging on the walls in our "Piper Room" at the hotel -- they really turned out beautifully.

(You can even see my daughter's look of terror as we came over the threshhold. It was a NASTY, windy, bumpy landing, although you'd never know it looking at the still photo!)

Am I crazy, or is this not yet another example of opportunity not only knocking, but screaming at the top of her lungs, with sirens blaring and lights flashing? I probably paid $50 for the pix. Multiply that times 12,000 aircraft and, wow -- if only 25% bought them, you're still talking $150K.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Jay-

You ask some interesting questions but you're going to get a bunch of marketing geniuses explaining why it can't be done, why it won't work, or why they don't need it.

I don't think that 25% would be interested but I suspect it would be a worthwhile amount of money for the amount of time.

Go ahead and do it! It's your idea, run with it!

 

[Jay Honeck]

Jay-

You ask some interesting questions but you're going to get a bunch of marketing geniuses explaining why it can't be done, why it won't work, or why they don't need it.

I don't think that 25% would be interested but I suspect it would be a worthwhile amount of money for the amount of time.

Go ahead and do it! It's your idea, run with it!

Um, well, my Droid takes okay pictures -- but not exactly what I had in mind!

I don't have the equipment or the experience to do really good quality pix -- but I know a lot of guys who do. There just must be some reason why this seemingly obvious opportunity isn't being explored.

 

[fgcason]

I would do it in a second. I thought about it too and still am.

The thing is that you need to be near the side of the runway and possibly as close as the runway lights depending on the angle, lens and airplane. I've had a hard time getting airports to let me sit out next to the runway to practice doing this with airplanes due to liability reasons. At the one airport that said ok I nearly had my camera stolen by the police within 10 minutes of the first plane I took a picture of - I was a possible terrorist or something silly like that. Podunk nowhere will let me do it however one plane every hour or two doesn't give me much to work with.

Give me somewhere to practice for a while and I'll be more than happy to sit out by the runway all day for the duration of the show and take pictures all day long. I'll do them at the tiedowns too in the evenings. Of course this is IF airventure and ATC will allow me to be out there in the operations area with my equipment and not poop themselves over it for no reason.

No one has to hire me either. I'll come do it as an independent operator at my own expense including the 1500+ mile drive across the country in the motorhome. I'm sure I can do better than break even with that many people and planes around.

 

[Jay Honeck]

I would do it in a second. I thought about it too and still am.

The thing is that you need to be near the side of the runway and possibly as close as the runway lights depending on the angle, lens and airplane. I've had a hard time getting airports to let me sit out next to the runway to practice doing this with airplanes due to liability reasons. At the one airport that said ok I nearly had my camera stolen by the police within 10 minutes of the first plane I took a picture of - I was a possible terrorist or something silly like that. Podunk nowhere will let me do it however one plane every hour or two doesn't give me much to work with.

Give me somewhere to practice for a while and I'll be more than happy to sit out by the runway all day for the duration of the show and take pictures all day long. I'll do them at the tiedowns too in the evenings. Of course this is IF airventure and ATC will allow me to be out there in the operations area with my equipment and not poop themselves over it for no reason.

Cool!

I'm not sure who you contact, but I suspect EAA would LOVE to let you do something like this, in exchange for 10% of the take (or whatever). If you were working with EAA, you would be "part of the show" and they would probably give you a cool orange vest, and maybe even a scooter to ride around on!

In ten years, after you've proven yourself, they might even give you one of the old VW convertibles to use!

Once you've got a scooter or a bug, you can drive just about anywhere you want. Even the CAP kids won't yell at you!

 

[wabower]

Jay,

What did the photog do to your picture to authenticate or highlight the Oshkosh tie-in? Most of us have lots of pictures of our airplane, so I'm wondering how to enhance the value or desirability of another one.

I'd caution anyone thinking about this idea to be aware than airplanes are directed to land at three separate areas of the runways (the "dots") so more than one photographer (as many as six) might be required.

 

[fgcason]

Cool!

I'm not sure who you contact, but I suspect EAA would LOVE to let you do something like this, in exchange for 10% of the take (or whatever). If you were working with EAA, you would be "part of the show" and they would probably give you a cool orange vest, and maybe even a scooter to ride around on!

That's a start. I'm working on a few projects right now. Let me think on it for a year or two and try to get some practice in at airports as proof of concept pictures to present to them.

Transportation, no way. I prefer walking. Any other method of transportation causes you to miss the really good photo opportunities.

Even the CAP kids won't yell at you!

Ha! I've been flying since I was in diapers - literally. I have yet to see a CAP kid I couldn't slap clean into the ground no matter what kind of gustappo general they think they are when trying to keep me out of where I'm allowed to go. (One kid snobbishly told me I couldn't go out to my own airplane without his commanders explicit authorization..I think they're still using his nose ring as a tiedown ring at that airport)

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Um, well, my Droid takes okay pictures -- but not exactly what I had in mind!

I don't have the equipment or the experience to do really good quality pix -- but I know a lot of guys who do. There just must be some reason why this seemingly obvious opportunity isn't being explored.

The equipment, except for lenses, are relatively cheap now and you can rent the lenses you need for a week or so. What used to be considered "professional grade" cameras are now consumer grade; the sensors in the pro bodies didn't exist not very long ago.

I don't now what you'd need for a printer. On cruise ships, they print every shot taken and place the camera store someplace where you have to walk through so you see the pictures. Although they use a digital camera, they still print the images on color photography paper.

I saw someone on the Long Island Sound that stationed himself just inside "The Race" and took pictures of boats from a Boston Whaler. He'd get your address and send a small print and a price list for a large print if you liked it. I don't know how well he did; it was pre-digital. Can you get the address from the aircraft registration and send a sample shot?

Experience- that's another thing. Maybe you can get a pro up there and front him travel and hotel expenses for a substantial cut.

 

[Jay Honeck]

What did the photog do to your picture to authenticate or highlight the Oshkosh tie-in? Most of us have lots of pictures of our airplane, so I'm wondering how to enhance the value or desirability of another one.

What made the photos special were their incredible clarity. The photographer used a large format camera, so he wouldn't have to "zoom" so much. The lighting was just right (in my case, anyway), and the result is two perfectly focused, very sharply detailed, 36" poster-sized photos that are clear and sharp.

Another unique thing that made these photos valuable is that they were "action photos". I was actually landing the plane. Most pix of my plane are static photos, on the ground.

This is NOT something most of us can do on our own. (BTW: It wasn't an Oshkosh tie-in; in my example, it was a Cherokee Pilots Association tie-in.)

Since Oshkosh is the Mecca of all GA pilots, and many only get to fly in once in their lives, this photo would be a truly valuable memento. Personally, I would LOVE to have a photo commemorating my first arrival on the hallowed "green dot" at Wittman Field!

I'd caution anyone thinking about this idea to be aware than airplanes are directed to land at three separate areas of the runways (the "dots") so more than one photographer (as many as six) might be required.

As with all these kinds of things, nothing is guaranteed. How many times have you gotten off the water slide, looked at the pictures they took of you and your kids screaming, and went "Eh? That doesn't look like me!" Or, you just simply didn't buy it.

If a photographer misses an arrival, oh well.

I would envision the business model going something like this.

1. Photographer(s) take(s) the pictures of arriving aircraft, in the flare and at touchdown.

2. Photographers have a booth on the field that displays the pictures on a series of television screens, (or, alternatively, in books) just like you see at the end of the big roller coaster rides at Universal Studios theme park.

3. Pilots scan for their pix. If they like, they order. No likey, no order-y.

4. The finished product arrives at their home, in the mail. Or, alternatively, if the company could obtain/rent a huge color photo printer, the pilot could take the pix home with them. (I have a feeling a lot of guys would not want to schlep big, high quality pix around the grounds all day. The ones I bought came to my home a couple of weeks after the show.)

5. For those pilots who never get to the booth, a mailer is sent out, utilizing the "N" number and the FAA's addresses for airmen. (Yes, I know that list isn't 100% up-to-date.)

Properly executed, you could have between 8K and 12K airplanes during AirVenture, with the photographers taking between 24K and 36K photos. (Figure the guy snaps 3 pix of each landing plane.)

If you can get 25% of the people to buy two pictures, at, say $30.00 apiece, you just made somewhere between $60K and $180K.

Not a bad week, especially considering you could probably get three or four photographers to do this sort of thing for free lodging, admission, fud, and beer, plus a small commission on each one sold.

Somebody needs to try this!

 

[Jay Honeck]

Transportation, no way. I prefer walking. Any other method of transportation causes you to miss the really good photo opportunities.

Frank, have you been to OSH?

We average (AVERAGE) beween 6 and 12 MILES of walking per day, for the week. The field is enormous, and the show covers the entire thing. By the end of each day, our butts are dragging.

If someone offers you a scooter at OSH, you TAKE IT. Hell, if nothing else, you could score free beer giving rides to tired-looking chicks out to the North 40 campground.

 

[wabower]

I was talking to a cockpit storage accessory manufacturer last week, and inquired if he would be attending OSH. He said no, the all-in cost for a small booth was $20,000, and he simply couldn't sell enough to make it work. Anybody thinking about OSH-related activities should have a firm grasp of the cost, much of which must be paid up-front and before a single nickel of revenue is received.

What made the photos special were their incredible clarity. The photographer used a large format camera, so he wouldn't have to "zoom" so much. The lighting was just right (in my case, anyway), and the result is two perfectly focused, very sharply detailed, 36" poster-sized photos that are clear and sharp.

Another unique thing that made these photos valuable is that they were "action photos". I was actually landing the plane. Most pix of my plane are static photos, on the ground.

This is NOT something most of us can do on our own. (BTW: It wasn't an Oshkosh tie-in; in my example, it was a Cherokee Pilots Association tie-in.)

Since Oshkosh is the Mecca of all GA pilots, and many only get to fly in once in their lives, this photo would be a truly valuable memento. Personally, I would LOVE to have a photo commemorating my first arrival on the hallowed "green dot" at Wittman Field!



As with all these kinds of things, nothing is guaranteed. How many times have you gotten off the water slide, looked at the pictures they took of you and your kids screaming, and went "Eh? That doesn't look like me!" Or, you just simply didn't buy it.

If a photographer misses an arrival, oh well.

I would envision the business model going something like this.

1. Photographer(s) take(s) the pictures of arriving aircraft, in the flare and at touchdown.

2. Photographers have a booth on the field that displays the pictures on a series of television screens, (or, alternatively, in books) just like you see at the end of the big roller coaster rides at Universal Studios theme park.

3. Pilots scan for their pix. If they like, they order. No likey, no order-y.

4. The finished product arrives at their home, in the mail. Or, alternatively, if the company could obtain/rent a huge color photo printer, the pilot could take the pix home with them. (I have a feeling a lot of guys would not want to schlep big, high quality pix around the grounds all day. The ones I bought came to my home a couple of weeks after the show.)

5. For those pilots who never get to the booth, a mailer is sent out, utilizing the "N" number and the FAA's addresses for airmen. (Yes, I know that list isn't 100% up-to-date.)

Properly executed, you could have between 8K and 12K airplanes during AirVenture, with the photographers taking between 24K and 36K photos. (Figure the guy snaps 3 pix of each landing plane.)

If you can get 25% of the people to buy two pictures, at, say $30.00 apiece, you just made somewhere between $60K and $180K.

Not a bad week, especially considering you could probably get three or four photographers to do this sort of thing for free lodging, admission, fud, and beer, plus a small commission on each one sold.

Somebody needs to try this!

 

[Jay Honeck]

I was talking to a cockpit storage accessory manufacturer last week, and inquired if he would be attending OSH. He said no, the all-in cost for a small booth was $20,000, and he simply couldn't sell enough to make it work. Anybody thinking about OSH-related activities should have a firm grasp of the cost, much of which must be paid up-front and before a single nickel of revenue is received.

Yeah, we looked at a booth for the hotels, and went "Ah, nope!"

Still, if you can earn over $100K in the week doing the pix, giving EAA 20% isn't unreasonable.

And, of course, there are alternatives to paying even that. Let's just say, for the moment, that you agreed to donate a percentage of sales to the "Poberzny Beer Trust" (or whatever their charity-du-jour is this year). Or maybe you get Ford -- a major sponsor at EAA -- involved? Maybe each photo has the Ford Motor Company logo on the bottom?

There are a bazillion possible angles to work here.

 

[wabower]

Yeah, we looked at a booth for the hotels, and went "Ah, nope!"

Still, if you can earn over $100K in the week doing the pix, giving EAA 20% isn't unreasonable.

And, of course, there are alternatives to paying even that. Let's just say, for the moment, that you agreed to donate a percentage of sales to the "Poberzny Beer Trust" (or whatever their charity-du-jour is this year). Or maybe you get Ford -- a major sponsor at EAA -- involved? Maybe each photo has the Ford Motor Company logo on the bottom?

There are a bazillion possible angles to work here.

It would probably seem like at least a bazillion by the time you got through running the traps and hearing all the reasons why your plan "isn't congruent with our company's goals for this particular event" or whatever B-school buzz-words they come up with. Suffice to say that this idea requires much more "fleshing out" than was initially suggested, and is much more complex than "all's we gotta do is get this camera, and then . . . but in any event it might turn out to be an excellent idea. Or not.

 

[Everskyward]

2. Photographers have a booth on the field that displays the pictures on a series of television screens, (or, alternatively, in books) just like you see at the end of the big roller coaster rides at Universal Studios theme park.

Properly executed, you could have between 8K and 12K airplanes during AirVenture, with the photographers taking between 24K and 36K photos. (Figure the guy snaps 3 pix of each landing plane.)

I'm not going to comment on the plan in general since I know I tend to be a cynic about business ventures and I would end up throwing cold water all over, but here is a suggestion. If there are going to be that many photos no one is going to look through books or wait for their airplane to pop up on a television screen. A better idea would be to have a computer set up with a photo program where you could sort by N-number. You could still have a display of the best pictures on a big screen but that way people wouldn't need to wait for their airplane to appear.

 

[RyanShort1]

Here are the problems I see... Maybe unrealistic, but having worked for a boutique aerial photographer, these are the problems I can see.
Just getting started, you probably need more than one photographer to cover the different runways, or each "dot." Then, you probably need someone (or multiples) to upload all of the cards, sort and manage the data (ie. delete "bad" photos, tag all of the "good" ones), and run the printing booth. Probably have to come up with a decent photo booth setup (unless everyone was happy with some sort of digital delivery option. Then, you have to have a way for folks to pay for the photo, too. Anyway, it would be more complicated than you might think. Perhaps a group of guys could do something like that and sell the photos later off of some website after the show. Set up some sort of website like "Airplanes of Oshkosh" where the photos could be uploaded and tagged as thumbnails, and ordered online as higher-resolution prints or downloads.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Here are the problems I see... Maybe unrealistic, but having worked for a boutique aerial photographer, these are the problems I can see.
Just getting started, you probably need more than one photographer to cover the different runways, or each "dot." Then, you probably need someone (or multiples) to upload all of the cards, sort and manage the data (ie. delete "bad" photos, tag all of the "good" ones), and run the printing booth. Probably have to come up with a decent photo booth setup (unless everyone was happy with some sort of digital delivery option. Then, you have to have a way for folks to pay for the photo, too. Anyway, it would be more complicated than you might think. Perhaps a group of guys could do something like that and sell the photos later off of some website after the show. Set up some sort of website like "Airplanes of Oshkosh" where the photos could be uploaded and tagged as thumbnails, and ordered online as higher-resolution prints or downloads.

Yup, all good points. It's not an easy task to set up, but it does offer the chance or substantial rewards in a pretty compressed timeframe.

In the end, it's just a matter of work. Many are not up to it. Some are.

 

[denverpilot]

This thread keeps reminding me how lucky I am to know four professional photographers, including the wife of one of the co-owners and one of the co-owners himself, who regularly snap hundreds of photos a year at KAPA.

We have a bezillion in-flight photos of 79M. You can usually tell who's flying.

When sitting at the usual ground-viewing spot for the 35/17 complex recently another aircraft owner embarked, "I've always wondered how so many photos of my airplane end up on the Internet.", since I had the Sony A55 with the 300mm lens on the strap around my neck.

I replied, "Nah, I don't post that many. Those photos were probably from the two Pros who hang out here almost every weekend, John Little and Paul Gordon."

I need a 500mm lens.

 

[wabower]

The work is the easy part. Figuring out whether the work is worth pursuing before you commit a bunch of cash is the hard part.

Yup, all good points. It's not an easy task to set up, but it does offer the chance or substantial rewards in a pretty compressed timeframe.

In the end, it's just a matter of work. Many are not up to it. Some are.

 

[fgcason]

The work is the easy part.

Ever sit in the boiling sun for 8 hours straight with a camera and no shelter this time of year?

Figuring out whether the work is worth pursuing before you commit a bunch of cash is the hard part.

If you're a photographer and already have the equipment and not imprisoned at a job somewhere else, the overhead for that kind of operation is fairly low using digital equipment. Based on previous printing/sales/travel costs on other work, even coming from where I'm at right now with the motorhome, if I can sell say 50 pictures at $50 each framed, including my operating costs I would roll out of there with more money than I pulled in with. That would be a rough break even number. How many planes fly in there? How many planes are tied down that would make beautiful pictures in the evening/morning? How many people might see something they like that they don't own? Granted I don't know how much it would cost to put up a booth there to allow people to see the work to make the sales however that would have to be part of the research before going. If it's $500 no big deal, if it's $14,500 that's a show stopper unless you know you're going to sell like crazy.

If all you look at is the bottom line and eliminating all risks, you'll sit at home. If you take a little risk, it might be the only work you have to do all year long from now on. Ya never know until you try.

I'm working on three other major projects at the moment however I think I might look into this further and maybe do some small fly-ins and see how it goes in the next few years.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Well, someone's taking pictures...

That's me departing Airventure in 2008. Just found it online a couple weeks ago. When I'm done being a starving student again, I might try to get a hi-res copy from the photog...

 

[jhausch]

I like the idea. I think, to improve feasibility, the suggestion the pics should be available for review and purchase online after the event "only" is a good one. If you could convince EAA to put notice "the pics are up" in the mag and on the website, that would help. One can always send out mailed notices, too, using the FAA database.

I think EAA would be best served by doing it themselves. My guess is they have a "pool" of photogs (staff and contract) they could tap....

The "VFR" tag in Ken's window is a great indicator of where he is, but I agree that a better way to "contextualize" the photo is needed.

I think it is awesome when you can see the color of the dot reflected on the underside of the landing AC. Such special conditions need to be met for that to work, but that would be the coolest way to add context.

More practical would be to site the photogs to put the tower in the background or high enough that they get the dot and aircraft (which would require the photographer to be a bit higher off the ground)

Oh, one more thing - offer retouching services on the photo for extra $ (get rid of that greasy belly and the chipped paint )

 

[wabower]

The "work" being discussed wasn't taking the pictures, it was the trap-running and hoop-jumping necessary to determine the feasibility of showing them your brownie.

Ever sit in the boiling sun for 8 hours straight with a camera and no shelter this time of year?



If you're a photographer and already have the equipment and not imprisoned at a job somewhere else, the overhead for that kind of operation is fairly low using digital equipment. Based on previous printing/sales/travel costs on other work, even coming from where I'm at right now with the motorhome, if I can sell say 50 pictures at $50 each framed, including my operating costs I would roll out of there with more money than I pulled in with. That would be a rough break even number. How many planes fly in there? How many planes are tied down that would make beautiful pictures in the evening/morning? How many people might see something they like that they don't own? Granted I don't know how much it would cost to put up a booth there to allow people to see the work to make the sales however that would have to be part of the research before going. If it's $500 no big deal, if it's $14,500 that's a show stopper unless you know you're going to sell like crazy.

If all you look at is the bottom line and eliminating all risks, you'll sit at home. If you take a little risk, it might be the only work you have to do all year long from now on. Ya never know until you try.

I'm working on three other major projects at the moment however I think I might look into this further and maybe do some small fly-ins and see how it goes in the next few years.

 

[Jay Honeck]

The "work" being discussed wasn't taking the pictures, it was the trap-running and hoop-jumping necessary to determine the feasibility of showing them your brownie.

Yup. Being an entrepreneur is a lot of work -- which is why most people choose to work for someone else.

I've had other island motel owners tell me, point blank, that it's "impossible" to deliver continental breakfast to every guest, in their room, every day. My response is the same: It's not impossible; it's just work. Some people don't want to do it.

We've done it, every day, since 2002.

I think there's enough profit in the 7-day event for an enterprising photographer to make a decent return on their investment. Getting all the t's crossed and i's dotted with EAA, Wittman Field, the FAA, and local government will be the hardest part.

Will it be a tough week? Hell, yeah. Can this be done at every fly-in in America, from coast to coast? Hell, yeah.

Someone needs to try this.

 

[Richard]

Jay-

You ask some interesting questions but you're going to get a bunch of marketing geniuses explaining why it can't be done, why it won't work, or why they don't need it.

I don't think that 25% would be interested but I suspect it would be a worthwhile amount of money for the amount of time.

Go ahead and do it! It's your idea, run with it!

In his lean years my brother sold aerial pictures of estates. This included overhead shots of properties with cars on cement blocks. Granted, he could sell ice to an eskimo but his percentage was well above the 25% you quote. With a highly selected clientele in mind, Jay's proposal holds water.

The downside is what do you do with the unsold stock? Either have an onsite processing facility (and attendant overhead) to blow up the image to frameable size or 'eat' the expanded image. Even then, it is profitable with the right persons involved.

 

[RyanShort1]

Will it be a tough week? Hell, yeah. Can this be done at every fly-in in America, from coast to coast? Hell, yeah.

Someone needs to try this.

Despite my negative comments above, I agree. I just think that it would be really hard to get together in the time remaining.

Ryan

 

[fgcason]

Yup. Being an entrepreneur is a lot of work -- which is why most people choose to work for someone else.

Exactly.

Everybody and I mean EVERYBODY poopoo's the photography and other work I do. If you're not doing weddings and studio portraits, you can't make any money at all doing photography. B.F.S. Every single person telling me that are employees, not self created owners. Maybe they are right however I'm too stupid to know I can't make money making money how I'm doing it.

I just think that it would be really hard to get together in the time remaining.

In that case you just have to quit thinking inside the prepackaged box and get creative don't you? There are ways of pulling it off, you just have to figure out how to do it.

 

[wabower]

Exactly.


In that case you just have to quit thinking inside the prepackaged box and get creative don't you? There are ways of pulling it off, you just have to figure out how to do it.

Or be smart enough to recognize the pre-existing conditions (as in no time) and avoid getting trapped in an untenable situation.

 

[RyanShort1]

Frank,
Nice snip to ignore my previous sentence... Makes it sound like I don't like the way of the entrepreneur, which could not be further from the truth. I said "Despite my negative comments above, I agree."

Ryan

 

[fgcason]

Or be smart enough to recognize the pre-existing conditions (as in no time) and avoid getting trapped in an untenable situation.

And that's the difference between thinking like an employee and thinking like an entrepreneur.

Sure, if they hit you up with an unconditional no way around it $50,000 fee to work there and 75% take on whatever you sell there doing that plus the FAA saying no way you're going anywhere near the runway, you're pretty much done before you start. That's part of your homework though.

The rest is figuring out how to pull it off and you won't find the instructions on how to do so in a book at wallyworld on common business practices. How do you handle 3000 pictures of airplanes in a week in that environment? Print every photo and hang them on a wall for sale or come up with a better far more practical idea? I'm thinking of two very likely practical different ways to pull it off right now and the overhead is minimal.

 

[jesse]

In his lean years my brother sold aerial pictures of estates. This included overhead shots of properties with cars on cement blocks. Granted, he could sell ice to an eskimo but his percentage was well above the 25% you quote. With a highly selected clientele in mind, Jay's proposal holds water.

The downside is what do you do with the unsold stock? Either have an onsite processing facility (and attendant overhead) to blow up the image to frameable size or 'eat' the expanded image. Even then, it is profitable with the right persons involved.

I wasn't much of a salesman, but when I was out of a job and doing aerial photography to pay the bills I would sell roughly 1 in every 4 pictures. Which was plenty enough at $150-$200ish. I could do a good 20 properties in a hours flying. So my all in cost for a stretch of 20 farms was roughly $150 (not including my time). I could typically do $750 in sales off that for $600 in profit. Not sure why I ever quit doing it.

I would keep five or six frames on stock and snap pictures of 20 farms or so. Then I'd print all 20 farms (11x17). I'd stick the picture in the frame and knock on their door. If they didn't buy it I just threw the picture away and stuck the next farm in that frame. The worst part was the damn farm dogs.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Despite my negative comments above, I agree. I just think that it would be really hard to get together in the time remaining.

Ryan

Yeah, throwing a full-scale effort together for OSH 2011 may be impossible, although something on a smaller scale may be doable in the time remaining.

Let's say you've got just one guy taking pix this year, as available. After the show he does a mailing using the FAA "N" number database?

Let's say he captures 200 landings. That's 600 pix on his camera. He stays the week, enjoys the show like the rest of us, goes home, downloads the pix onto his computer. He prints a little low-res version of the best one (of the three he took) and mails it to the pilot/owner along with a price list.

He prices the pix from $20 to $150. $20 for a little 4" x 5". $150 for a framed poster size.

If he sells 25% of them, and they all choose a "middle-of-the-road" package for, say, $60, he just cleared $3,000.00. That pays for the show, and then some.

Now let's say he gets TWO guys to do this next week, and things scale up rapidly. Now you're at $6,000. Take twice as many pictures -- now you're at $12,000.

Suddenly, you're talking about real money.

Getting a full-scale effort together for Sun N Fun 2012 should be a piece of cake. That would be a good practice run for the "real deal" at OSH 2012.

 

[tonycondon]

just watch out in case someone pulls a Jack Rousch and you're standing on the wrong side of the runway

 

[flyingcheesehead]

just watch out in case someone pulls a Jack Rousch and you're standing on the wrong side of the runway

 

[tonycondon]

lol kent, EXACTLY

 

[wabower]

If you're wanting to compare track records and results of entrepreneurship, bring it on.

And that's the difference between thinking like an employee and thinking like an entrepreneur.

Sure, if they hit you up with an unconditional no way around it $50,000 fee to work there and 75% take on whatever you sell there doing that plus the FAA saying no way you're going anywhere near the runway, you're pretty much done before you start. That's part of your homework though.

The rest is figuring out how to pull it off and you won't find the instructions on how to do so in a book at wallyworld on common business practices. How do you handle 3000 pictures of airplanes in a week in that environment? Print every photo and hang them on a wall for sale or come up with a better far more practical idea? I'm thinking of two very likely practical different ways to pull it off right now and the overhead is minimal.