The USA began the World Cup as strong favourites, and that proved to be well deserved. They went through the competition undefeated and were clearly the best team.
The best game of the tournament was the semi final between China and Australia. It was a very close game, with a great atmosphere from a capacity crowd. China tied the game in the last minute, and went ahead with 3.5 seconds left with a pair of successful free throws. The Australian Opals had one last chance to tie or win the game, but the shot hit the ring and deflected away, putting China into the gold medal game and the Opals into the bronze medal match with Canada.
Photographing the tournament was challenging and fun. The games were terrific, and the behind the scenes activities provided lots of opportunities to document a great event in a unique way.
Good times.
]]>Having been recently recognised in a list of Melbourne's top sports photographers, it's also nice to receive this recognition as one of Melbourne's Top Event Photographers.
If you would like me to photograph your sport, event or function please drop me an email via the contact page here on my website.
Thank you.
It's ironic that it has come at a time that Melbourne is in coronavirus lockdown number 6. I'm hoping it ends soon, community sport can recommence, and we can get back to making Melbourne sports people the stars of our images.
Thanks for your support for my photography and the Melbourne Sports Photography business.
Congratulations to the other photographers on the list, and thanks to all my friends and clients for the ongoing 'encouragement' and feedback.
Hoping that our Covid lifestyle will pass quickly and we'll soon be back to 'normal' and I'll be busy again with Sally, Phil and the crew at Melbourne Sports Photography.
Here's 3 special deals available through April, May and June 2020.
Individual Portraits - 50% Discount
We are already seeing inquiries for individual portraits to update LinkedIn profiles for the post Covid-19 world. It's going to be a challenging time with many people looking for work and it will be important for job seekers to be well presented through an online profile and CV. We can help with portrait images.
Normal price is $150, please mention the Covid-19 special for a 50% discount ($75).
(With the current government travel restrictions we are still able to come to your home, or workplace as that travel would be defined as for work purposes. We have portable studio lighting and equipment.)
Social Media Content - 50% Discount
Social media usage has had a dramatic increase while Victoria has been in lock down. Do you need photo and video content to promote your business?
Whether you are thinking a 'one off' or ongoing need for content, we will be able to help. Contact us for a quote tailored to your business.
Discounts on Canvas Prints
Do you need a birthday present for the sports star at your house? Our canvas print supplier is offering reduced rates which we can pass on to our customers.
We can do:
30x45cm Canvas Prints $60 (normal price $85)
40x50cm Canvas Prints $70 (normal price $95)
40x60cm Canvas Prints $70 (normal price $95)
Other sizes also available
If you already have the image you want printed on canvas - great. If you need us to re-open galleries of sports events we have shot either through Craig Dingle Photography or Melbourne Sports Photography - just let us know and we'll get those galleries re-opened so you can select an image.
To contact us please email Craig on [email protected] or call 0419 010993.
Thank you for your support.
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This season we have partnered with Camberwell Sharks Junior Football Club to shoot images of Sharks teams in action. We will be at Lynden Park and Camberwell Sports ground from 19 May 2019 making young Sharks footy players the heroes in images.
We are looking forward to meeting Camberwell Sharks families and seeing your teams in action.
I will be in contact with Team Managers to advise when your team will be photographed.
Here's hoping for some warm, sunny Sundays in May and June!
]]>Idea #1 - Sell Lots of Merchandise
Typically I see players very well dressed in team uniforms right from training gear, warm up clothes, through to playing attire. If your club is doing a good job of this - well done. It's important that your players look great and look like a team - and it's very important for the self confidence of young players. The real financial opportunity for your junior sports club is in selling merchandise to the parents and families. For every player there is often 2 or more supporters who will come to every game. Think about the opportunity to sell branded t-shirts, caps, and hoodies. If you can make a sale to just one extra person in a family for every player, you will make a significant financial contribution to your club. The added benefit is that your parents & families will feel included and will look fantastic on the sidelines.
Idea #2 - Partner with Business Which Pay Your Club to Refer Customers
Where I live in Melbourne I know of a bank and an insurance company who will pay clubs for every successful customer referral they make. Why do they do this? Mainly because its cheaper for them than having to advertise for clients, and secondly that it helps their businesses be involved in the local community. Are your club members really choosy about their bank or insurance company? Or will they support companies which support your club? Idea #2 is to look for businesses who will pay your club to refer customers, and then ask your members to use them.
Idea #3 - Turn Your Games into Money Makers through Photography
My involvement with grass roots sports clubs is mainly in photographing their teams in action. We create unique images which become unique memories. With every sale, a small percentage is returned to the club in the form of a fund raiser. Could your sports club partner with a photographer to do the same? There is no risk, a small financial upside, and tremendous goodwill created with players and families. Get started.
Idea #4 - Look for Sponsors or Community Partners
People love to buy from people with similar interests. You can nearly guarantee that your club has people who run their own businesses - accountants, lawyers, dentists, doctors, builders, electricians ... the list goes on. Put together a sponsorship or community partner program. You'll find people are very willing to support their local club and only need to generate a few additional clients to cover their sponsorship costs.
There you are - 4 money raising ideas for your junior sports club. How many can you implement this year?
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What if you've missed viewing the images? We archive and store all our images, so if you've missed out, please contact Craig by email or phone. Let him know which club you're from and we'll organise access to the gallery.
Interested in larger prints? If you've seen the images and are interested in larger prints, please contact Craig. He will be able to advise which images will be suitable. For images shot in (dark!) basketball stadiums we generally recommend canvas prints. If you are interested in a print to hang on the wall, ask Craig about sizes and prices for canvas prints. These make great birthday presents for junior basketball players.
Thanks again to everyone we met at this year's tournament. We hope to see you again next year.
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We are pleased to announce that we will be partnering with Camberwell Dragons for the 2019 VJBL basketball season. Camberwell Dragons are a fast growing basketball club based in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne with teams ranging from under 12 through to Big V.
Dragons are affiliated with the domestic clubs Balwyn Blazers, Koonung Comets and Whitehorse Mustangs that compete in the Eastern District Junior Basketball Association.
We will be photographing action portraits of the Dragons teams during their games at Balwyn High over the first few months of 2019.
Team Managers are welcome to make contact on 0419 010993 or email [email protected] to discuss photographing your team in action.
Here's to a great 2019 - Go Dragons!
]]>What were we photographing?
This year we photographed the under 12 division. We were shooting action portraits as the players competed. (Ironically the photo below is from the one under 14 game we photographed!)
My understanding is that this is the first time the tournament has partnered with a professional photography business. The under 12's featured 107 teams and over 1000 players. It was quite a photographic challenge!
How did we manage that?
We had 6 photographers across multiple venues on the Saturday and Sunday of the tournament. We aimed to shoot each team at least once, and photographed 70 games over the 2 days. That resulted in close to 10,000 action portraits featuring everything from young players new to representative basketball, through to some of the best under 12 players in the state.
How can players and families access the images?
The images are organised into password protected galleries for each club - with options for families to purchase both digital downloads and prints. Passwords are distributed through each of the team managers. See www.imagesbycraig.com.au and look under the Client Galleries area. The galleries will be live for another few weeks.
Thank You
Thank you to the many players, parents and families we met over the weekend. It was fun to see the kids in action, and a thrill to see them excited about the photos. Thanks to Lucas and Ben at Southern Peninsula Basketball Club. It was good to deal with you, and thank you for your assistance. Thank you to the stadium officials and referees. It was impressive to see such a big tournament run so smoothly. It was reassuring to know that games would start and finish on time, meaning we could get to our next venue to photograph the next game. And thank you to our photographers - PL, MO, DA, DT, WV, and RF. Good job all round!
We hope to see everyone again next year.
]]>As a teenage boy growing up the 1980's there was really only two sports in Australia - football in the winter, and cricket in the summer. These two sports dominated the media landscape for sport in Australia, and it wasn't easy for minor sports to attract the attention of potential players. This has all changed today with the widespread use of social media as a cost effective medium to communicate the activities of your sport or your club.
Many people running sporting associations and sporting clubs are aware of this, but are unsure how to capitalize on the opportunity. Here are 5 tips for sporting clubs about how to use social media.
Tip #1 - Make Social Media Your Primary Communication and Promotional Tool
I see many sporting clubs dabbling in social media. My local basketball club posts occasional images on both Facebook and Instagram showing action shots of games. Unfortunately the content is sporadic and low quality. Tip #1 is to take social media seriously. Treat it as your primary communication and promotional tool. What does that mean? There should be a single individual who has responsibility for social media posts. Who does that for your club? Is there a single point of accountability?
Tip #2 - Post Regular Content
Please read this tip in conjunction with Tip #3 as a regular flow of poor quality content is not going to enhance the reputation of your club. Before we get there though, social media is different to traditional media and advertising. It is dynamic. It is varied. When you commit to a social media strategy for your club, you are committing to posting regular content.
Tip #3 - Post High Quality Content
Random, unstructured low quality content is likely to present your club in exactly that way. If you are wanting to make your club attractive to potential players or sponsors, your content needs to be of high quality. What does that mean? It means photo or video content which is well executed. It doesn't mean a blurry distant image taken on a smart phone. How do you do that? Is there someone in your club who can shoot high quality video or photos? Can you partner with a local videographer or photographer? Don't fall into the trap of asking your club administrator to shoot random content on their phone and then wondering why people don't follow your social media accounts.
Tip #4 - Make the Players the Stars
Ok, here is where we move from getting our heads around social media to accelerating. If you want to really grow, start providing content which makes the players the stars. They will share quality content on their social media channels, and suddenly your reach in the local community is rapidly expanding. Get the idea? Generate content which makes them the stars, and let them share it on their social media channels. Ask them to use the clubs hashtag so that you can follow and re-share the content. Players won't share content where they are in the background of a blurry action shot. They will share an image which is a close up and makes them the hero.
Tip #5 - Follow Your Players Social Media Accounts
How many clubs ask for players addresses and phone numbers? All clubs do, as that's how we have traditionally contacted players. How many clubs have their players social media account details? Why not? Social media is the way your players communicate in their local community. How do you know your social media strategy is working? The answer is you can see it working in your players social media accounts. They are sharing their great experiences (and content) with their networks. Do you have the social media account details of your players?
Done well, social media is an highly effective way for sporting clubs to communicate and promote in the local community. How well is your club doing?
For further information please contact Craig on 0419 010993 or [email protected] Thanks for reading 5 tips for sporting clubs about how to use social media.
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