Q: How did Darren Moore Photography start?

A: A couple of years ago I went out to see a friend competing at Eryeton ODE. As usual, I had a camera with me when one of the competitors asked if I was taking photos. After having a look round, seeing no offical looking photographer and then checking with the organisers I said I'd give it a go. What a start - it was raining and windy, but by word of mouth alone I made quite a few sales. Since then, things have grown a bit..........

Q: What equipment do you use to take the photos?

A: All my camera equipment is Canon. 1D MkII and MkIII bodies, and lenses ranging from 17mm through to the 400mm f2.8 monster. Mixed in is a variety of flashes, macro equipment and wireless gear. All the lenses and bodies are professional level equipment, this provides me with the reliability and quality needed to consistently take great photos. Using professional camera bodies and lenses provides for fast focusing and quick response for the highest speed sports.

Q: Do you do your own printing?

A: Yes, most of the time. All the prints from 5x7's through to the 17x25's and canvas prints are done in-house. This allows me to maintain the highest quality as I can instantly reprint any prints if necessary. Prints up to 8x12's are made on dye sublimation printers, the same type found in labs and photo kiosks. The larger prints are made on a wide format 12 colour pigment based inkjet printer, the type typically found in graphic design departments. All of the printers use the latest technology and the prints are rated to last as long, if not longer than traditional silver halide prints (photos from film).

Q: Is this a full time job?

A: No. Though taking photos is great fun and brings in some money, I still need a day job to pay the bills. The photography is supposed to be a fun, relaxing break to my weeks. During the week I'm a computer Network and Security Manager for a national company which can be rather full on, so it's nice to get away from the computers and office and out into the fresh air.

Q: You take a lot of horse photos, do you own one?

A: No, though my flatmate has two. I do spend alot of time down at the paddock though, working with the horses, fixing fences, etc. It's so much better than sitting behind a desk all day and the horses are a lot of fun.

Q: How long does it take for me to get my order?

A: Normally I try to do a mail out once a week, the day varies and sometimes I have to miss a week, but most of the time you'll get your photos within 2 weeks.

Q: What if I need a photo 'now'?

A: Email me, I check my email regularly at work, but can't have my phone therer, thus phone messages aren't checked often. The best form of communication is Email. Usually I manage to get the photos to you for when you need them. But please try not to leave things to the last minute, I make no guarantees that I will get your message in time let alone the photos to you, but I do try.

Q: Do you print any other size photos?

A: I am always interested in hearing your thoughts on this. The minimum size is 5x7, this will not change, but other larger sizes may be accommodated either as one offs or as a new size. Email me to discuss options.

Q: I left you a message/emailed you and haven't heard back, whats happening?

A: Due to the above mentioned day job and spending time with the horses I don't have much time in the evenings. Due to this and the fact I try to have a life as well, I only respond to my email and phone messages weekly as this takes quite a lot of time. I do however tend to read my mail and listen to my phone messages regularly so I will usually pick up on anything urgent, other than that, please be patient. I haven't forgotten you, I'm just quite busy (or sleeping).

Q: When will the photos from xxxxx event be on your website?

A: Again, due to time constraints from having a day job this takes some time. On average I take 500+ photos and in extreme cases alot more (Grand National Show 5500+). These take time to edit, then they have to be converted to a gallery and watermarked. After this I upload them and create an index page. There is 4+ hours work in doing this of my time, plus 8+ hours of computer time. I try to have an event up within a day or 2, but it has been know to take a week if life intervenes. Please be patient because they are coming. Emails asking when photos will be up won't be responded to.

Q: Can you email me my photo?

A: No. I used to offer this as a service, but due to the large amount of abuse that resulted I have had to stop doing this. Remember, it doesn't cost the club/event anything for me to cover an event, I make my money solely from sales of photos. I have to buy equipment, pay wages, buy food, petrol etc from this. If sales drop too far due to people reprinting or using photos without paying for them, then it is no longer viable for me to cover the event.

Q: Can I use a photo on my website/profile/email?

A: Maybe. If you have purchased the photo then feel free to scan it and use it online however you wish for non commercial usage only. However, you are not entitled to make extra prints. If you haven't purchased the photo then NO, this is a breach of copyright otherwise known as theft. If in doubt, email me and we can sort something out.

Q: I want to use a photo in a magazine/paper, can I?

A: Contact me and we can discuss it. If you want to use a photo you've purchased to sell the subject of the photo (e.g. horse) then you're welcome to as long as this usage is for a personal ad. For any usage in a magazine/paper/etc in anything other than a personal ad (e.g. magazine article, business related ad, etc) contact me to arrange pricing.

Q: What about copyright?

A: Copyright of all images remains with Darren Moore Photography at all times unless directly specified in writing. Changes in copyright will only happen with full purchase of copyright of an image or usage rights for an image. So unless specified in writing images are copyright Darren Moore Photography and may not be copied, reproduced, etc except for personal use as specified in the previous two questions.

Q: How do I order a photo?

A: There are two ways to order a photo:
1) Download an order form from the ordering page, fill it out and mail it in with payment.
2) Email me the details and deposit the payment into my bank account (I'll provide when asked). Sorry, I don't accept eftpos or credit cards at this stage.
It is important to include the photo number (a description of the photo and placement on the page isn't enough!) The photo number can be found underneath the large photo or by holding the mouse over the photo.
Please don't ring me and read out a number, I'm usually not near pen and paper and either won't remember or will misplace it.

Q: I can't download the order form, what do I do?

A: Use option 2 above. You can still mail in a cheque if you wish. The most common reason is that you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Try downloading it from the ordering page by clicking on the Adobe icon before clicking on the order form again.

Q: How long do you keep photos for?

A: I keep all photos as long as possible, I've had to remove 2005 from the website due to lack of space. Eventually I will have to take down old events, so don't leave your ordering too long. I will try to have at least one years worth on display.

Q: Are all your photos on the web site?

A: Yes. You may sometimes see me take a photo and it isn't displayed. I edit all the photos and keep only the top quality images. I edit out about a third of photos on average, these are not up to my standards and aren't for sale or display and are thus deleted. If this means there are no photos of you, sorry, but maybe next time. I do not display really unflattering images or ones involving falls etc (unless requested by the competitor!) as I believe this to be in bad taste.

Q: Do you cover any sort of event?

A: No. I focus my photography around sports and specialise in horses. I will consider most types of sports and have the appropriate equipment to cover almost anything. If in doubt, ask! I will consider most sports events, but they do need to be of a reasonable size to be worthwhile (50+ participants).

Q: Am I able to see my photos at the event, or are they only available online?

A: For smaller events I only display the photos online. However, for the large events I often provide an on-site service where you can view your photos from the day's event and order photos which are usually printed on the spot so you can take them home with you.