Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Freelancing for fun and agony By H. G. Hardy ~ QuIte ~.boutlt, aren't you? You've ., searched nerytb1Dg, even read between ~ tile l1Des. Couldn't ttnd tbat first word, W Rlgbt? ~ How many times have you threatened ... to thrash tile bats out of the gentle beads ~ of tile editors working for your favorite U cycle gazette? So you sit down to fire off another dirty word letter wanting to know, "Why the hell didn't you print tile results of the Egg RolUng Motocross at Frogmore's last month?" An Impromptu survey of the Letter's column of any of the cycle periodical will show Just bow famll1ar this scene Is. The question graces the desk of the edltor1al staff members much more than they care to th1nk about. Letters of this type come from cycle .club officials, and 1ndlv1duals concerned about the lack of pre- and post-race Informational communication, plus club publicity in thelr community. If pressed, theedltor'sprlnteu reply Is usually: "The paper or magazine does not have a correspondent covering your area. Would you be interested?" I forgive you for thinking this should solve the problem. It does not. Even If they wanted to, people have a tendency to think the worst and back-off. They envision some Idng editor reading thelr materlal then falling on the floor In a fit of the laughing rollovers. This Is where I step In with more than you ever wanted to know about the secret occupation of photojournalism, or free-lancing for the cycle publications. The motive here Is to save you a bit of grief without laying the textbook on ]IOU. Since you are nodding In agreement to my purpose, and filled with tbat Cbristmas-llke anticiPation, let's begin with how the editors deal with this charge at. gross negligence. I am' assuming, at. course, you are well llP on the game enough to know tbat due to the printing time dlfference the men of the montbl1es (magazines) are not In the business of tossing out Cnotes for loea1 bt-weeldy bare scrambles results. Let's face It, you aren't paying 75 ~ a copy for tbat If you live a thousand m1les away. However, If.any local event Is of s1gn1f1cant Interest to, say, 300,000 readers you have a mucb better chance of getting thro~b. DependIng on bow you present It. In trying to do business with the magazines It Is best for you to call or write the edltorlal ot!1ce ouWnlng the subject matter you wish to sell theln. Getting a "Go ahead" by phone or letter does not mean money In the hand. You are paid after the publlshlng but you midnight market. Please don't forget the man. He wouldn't like It: Keep all sales receipts of photo sDPPlles, equlplJlent purchased and travel expenses. Find out what Is deductible before f1l1ng your taxes. BuYIng color slides or prints from freelance people Is quite rare for the magazines. Same goes for the weekl1es, only more so. BuY your B/W fllm In bulk 100ft. rolls, only If you like roll1ng your own cigarettes. Or, Kodak's "Pro-pack", I.e. 20 rolls of Trl- X (whatever) In a pack without metal containers, yellow boxes, and Information • sheets. Use 36 ellPOsure rolls. During terest lies with jOurnaUsm and tile camera Is a btt repugnant to you. form a partnerslrlp with a pbotograpber. Wustrator or cartoonist tr1eDd. Make friends. That Inft1nabIe source . of inside Information comes by way of mecbanlcs, racers, dealers, AMA otflclals, etc. - On tile subject of covering National races: Like It or not, weekl1es and monthUes will have them pretty wen covered. SelUng your story outside club papers will be tough duty, but you can learn how their teams operate. Ftrst: The best way to get that elustve Press pass Is, the right way. Have your editor wUl be notified long before. Unless you can meet tIIelr criteria right at.! the bat, you will net enough rejection letters to paper your bedroom. Remember, editors sometimes aren't sure about what they want. Believe me, they do know what they don't want when they see it. The best training ground for motorcycle freelancing Is the weeklies, blweekl1es and cycle club newsletters and newspapers. Thelr racing and other related news coverage depends primarily on reports sent In by a virtual network at. local correspondents. The weeklies are a bit sensative on the subject of holes In their dike. This is their format, so you can see the opportunity it offers. No plug, this. You have to start somewhere, and besides, you can earn while you learn. Speaking of earning, you will find most club papers cannot offer monetary exchange for your service. Try to work something out. I know a chap who edited a club paper for a new dirt bike each year as payment. His publisher 15 a cycle dealer. Most people Interested In journalism are pretty sophisticated on the subject at. camera equlpment and technique. Here, I will touch on the less obvious. Find, and make friends with, a reputable photo store which allows a discount to professional pbotographers. As groovy as it looks, do not play "match-camera" with the "Pros". Some of those motorized Penlaxs and Nikons actually belonged to the equlpment department at. some newspaper. Insure your gear. Cameras, like XLCHs, are hot Items on the the winter months, it's better to use one camera and keep It warm Inside your coat. Exposure to the cold elements long enough will slow your 1/500 sec. shutter speed to somethW like 1/6Oth sec. For your flrst letts. think about a Zoom, preferably late model. Expen-' slve? Yes, the more the better. It allows you, say, wide angle 45mm to medlum-tele 135mm without carrying, or changing lenses. Join a local camera clUb. In most cases they can teach you film and paper developing faster tban you can teach yourself. Check also radiation angle and distance claims when buying flashguns. In photographing the race events, shoot more tban one roll of film. Leave room for error, you might lose a roll. Wrong exposure setting, mistakes In developing, etc. Beware at. sponsors wanting 25 or so 8xlOs of "Thelr Boy." You could get burned on-this deal. Send them C.O.D. only after obtaining written conflrmation. Shooting and reporting National motocross, miles and half-miles from the spectator's area Isn't as bad as you may think. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said at. roadraces. A very long lens here. For motos and half-miles try earring a small aluminum stepladder. Trying to take peak-action photos and, at the same time, concentrate on the race and racers' progress, (or lack thereof) In order that you might write a more comprehensive report. Well, It doesn't come easy. You may be busier than you want to be. And, If your in- write, not call, the promoters of the event for credentials well in advance. U no reply, try your luck with a written introduction. Second: The entry list you had better get from the reglstrat10n pe0ple is, in most cases, notcomplete.Lots at. top riders sign in late, or fall to show. The llst Is printed by tile AMA weeks before the event. Third: Dump the "DaIly Planet" approach. Do not ask a SuPer Star, nor anyone else for tbat matter, "What's it like out there?" whilst sald racer Is flat on his bike looking at you through the spokes. And perhaps some SUPer Stars do not give the type of intimate answers or interview you seek. Mostly, it's because they don't know you. However, there Is no rule that says you cannot llP-date your notebook nearby when he (SUPerstar) talks a bit more freely with well known editors and writers. By the way, may I suggest using a tape recorder. There are some on the market which are subcompact, justa littie bigger than the cassettes it uses plus a built-In mike. Remember. misquotes and Inaccurate reporting can get everyone concerned Into trouble, and shorten your career considerably. In conclusion: ExcePt for road tests, of course, the machines themselves are not so much the real story as the mortals who buIld, tune, repair, race, and watch them. The "Movers and Shakers" of the sport and industry, or/and those you's and me's riding b&ck and forth to work. The People. That's wbere tile stories are. They are below the sUl'face and you will have to scratch for them.

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