Media Release

First and foremost, athletes, judges and your event team should all sign a media release (or media consent) form, agreeing that they consent to their photos, videos, recordings, etc., being taken and used.

An easy way to do this is to include it in your Waiver during registration. You can add a line like:

I hereby grant full permission to any and all of the foregoing to use any photographs, motion pictures, recordings, or any other record of this event for any legitimate purpose, including commercial advertising.

If you’re using Strongest for your registration, this is automatically included in the standard (and required) waiver. For more information on registration and waivers, check out our 7 Ways To Create a Seamless Registration Experience.

If you’re looking for a more complex waiver, you can also check out: https://eforms.com/release/media/

A “Greatest Hits” List

It’s a good idea to brief your media team on the workouts beforehand, so they know what to expect in terms of outcomes, exciting moments to capture, where to stand, etc. For example, capturing a photo finish Fran is very different than capturing a max lift-off. Your media team will appreciate this information as it will mean better pics in the end.

Also, let your media team know of any specific athletes or moments you want to capture. Perhaps there’s a “headlining” athlete or a great comeback story. You’ll want to make sure to get these moments on record. In addition, don’t forget about other events and happenings like your opening ceremony, sponsor announcements, spectator contests, award ceremony, etc.

Time to Post

Before the event, agree with your media team on how long it will take them to post their photos. There’s nothing worse than waiting days (or sometimes weeks!) after a competition for photos.

Ideally, your team can work out a process where they post files at the end of each day, even if they’re raw. We’ve seen media teams post after every event, while some post once at lunch and once at the end of the day. Either way, posting quickly is something your athletes will appreciate – and it will keep motivation and engagement going.

Folder Structure

Whether you’re using Google Drive or a third-party photo site like Smugmug, intuitively organizing your photos is key.

We like organizing by Day > then Event > then Division. This format makes it easy to find photos since it’s generally in line with how competition schedules are structured.

If you have more than one photographer, ask them to use the same file setup and folders. This eliminates duplicate and messy folders and keeps everything in one location.

Credits/Tags

Last but not least, make sure to give some shoutouts to your media team – and ask others to do the same.

• Ask anyone who posts/reposts the photos to tag and @mention your photographers.
• Have your MC give a shout-out to your photographers while they’re on the floor, capturing the events.
• Include their Instagram handle on your marketing assets and on social.