toptrainer Loc: Wellington

I am shooting a Polo event on Wednesday and I want to instantly give people their photos. I want to have them #hashtag the event before I give them the photo but I have not a clue how. HELP Please!

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Use a camera from a brand that has a phone app. Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Olympus all do that. Transfer the image to the phone with the app and "share" to any social media you want. Or, use a phone with a camera in it.

Rolk Loc: South Central PA

When shooting events like this, I would take along my Sony DPP-F Picture Station which is a thermal dye sublimation printer that prints only 4x5 images, but man, do they ever "pop!"

Not the fastest printer because it makes four passes, but you wind up with a great little print that is impervious to the sun and water.

Maybe not the most convenient, but everyone loved it.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

There is a company that does exactly that with their Equine Jump competitions. They can print up to 24x36 prints on the spot. It is a two person operation though.

This may give you some inspiration:

https://www.howtogeek.com/212506/how-to-wirelessly-transfer-photos-from-your-camera-to-your-computer/
https://fstoppers.com/education/everything-you-need-know-about-wireless-image-transmission-nikon-systems-38260


I have a Sony camera that uses NFC (proximity sensing) to send images to my phone, which in turn get automatically uploaded to Google Drive and Flickr on the fly. Someone with a computer, printer and a wifi connection and access to my accounts could conceivably view, edit (crop basically) and print the images. You will need a source of power, and lots of batteries for your camera and phone (if you go the phone route). It can be done, but hard to do by yourself.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Did I miss something? The OP said he wants to give photos with a #hashtag. He didn't write prints. Doesn't that mean social media?

Skiextreme2 Loc: Northwest MA

Yes, it sounds like he want to know how to "have them #hashtag the event before I give them the photo".

Maybe go on twitter or whatever uses that and ask there.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

Shoot jpeg. Move your photos from camera to phone or laptop. Then on to whichever social media you choose and hashtag them yourself. Instagram, twitter and facebook are easiest.

Rolk Loc: South Central PA

Yes, BSPrague, you missed something. He said he wanted to GIVE them a print AFTER viewing his hashtag.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

He doesn't specify "print", just photo.
"Give" sounds like print.
If he had used "Send", to me that would indicate an electronic file but....
He should specify which in this day and age.

I use a DNP DS-40 dye-sub printer.
8 seconds for a 4x6.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

In that case the OP should consider the Canon PIXMA iP110 Mobile Inkjet Photo Printer with the lithium battery kit and a laptop with a card reader.

Rolk Loc: South Central PA

I'm not familiar with the Canon, BSPrague, but I like portable printers for this type of event. What I like about the Sony is that it has three different card readers built into it, so you don't have to attach it to a computer, and it's a dye sub printer, which gives, in my opinion, a much more durable and eye pleasing print over inkjet. The Sony gives you the ability to crop, zoom, and edit your pictures as well, without the computer.

The limitation is that I don't think you can get a battery pack for it....

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Is the Sony DPP-F Picture Station still in production? If not are there other choices? The Canon iP110 is really only a small inkjet with only two key features, it's small size and that it can be battery powered. I still have an iP100 I bought for business trips a few years ago. I got it for letter printing but was blown away when I tried photos on it.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

By "give" do you mean "free"? If so, all I can say is good luck with that! (Folks offering freebies have to a large extent ruined photography as a profession.)

If they can afford to play polo, they can afford to purchase a few photos!

But maybe that's your intention....

Not sure how you can "instantly" give them their photos. Maybe use a Polaroid camera?

Aside from that, the most instant way to provide a print is the dye-sub process mentioned. That's very limited on sizes... inexpensive dye sub printers only make small prints. Dye sub printers able to make larger cost a lot! And if you want to offer choice of sizes, you need a printer for each size offered.

To speed up printing or offer high quality digital, you'd need to do wireless file transfer from your camera. High speed and high reliability with significant range... about $300 for the cheapest I know of that works well (up to about 100 feet, if memory serves): Camranger. Canon and Nikon wireless file transfer modules typically cost at least double that, but claim greater range too. Those are only available for specific models, though. Camranger works with many DSLRs, not sure about other types of cameras. To do wireless file transfer ou'll also need a computer setup, wireless router and Internet link to be able to upload the images somewhere online. Alternatively, if your camera has built in wireless you might be able shoot small, low resolution JPEGs to pass off to their phone or other device they have with them.

You'll need someone helping by sorting and editing images, perhaps doing some fast post-processing, and dealing with customers. They'll need to be skilled and that won't come cheap (unless it's a friend or family you con into it). Otherwise, if you find a way to make it all work but DON'T have someone helping, you'll spend your day dealing with customers and fulfilling orders, instead of taking photos.

I've been shooting equestrian events for many years (though polo isn't one of them). We used to offer prints on location at large events... but that's labor intensive, the cost is too high, quality and selection of products are limited, and it's certainly not "instant". We had to set up viewing stations where people could peruse the images being taken and place orders (at first someone had to take the orders... later we had a more automated process and "digital shopping cart". At best, it was usually an hour or two after the image was taken before orders could be fulfilled. Nothing very "instant" about the.

And it didn't seem to increase sales much, if at all. Any increase was more than offset by all the added costs providing on-site printing (we weren't providing digital files).

Now I just shoot RAW, quicly edit the photos myself after the event and upload select "proof quality" images online over 2 or 3 days following an event. Folks visit my online galleries and make their purchases there. Once an order is placed for an image, I go back to it and fully finish it for the purpose selected (I'm able to offer choice of over 100 products and sizes online). I do give away small "Facebook" quality (max of 700 pixels on the long side), heavily watermarked images. Free for the taking... But the watermark is an ad driving their friends and families to my galleries. Everything else I offer costs money... which I keep reasonably (IMO) priced.

Rolk Loc: South Central PA

I don't think it is, BSPrague. Judging by Sony's web site, they must have gotten out of the printer business. I know if you google "Sony DPP-F printer," Amazon, e-Bay, even Walmart has them for sale.

I have the DPP-FP90, which is a 4x6 printer and have used it for over 4 or 5 years. When it dies, I'll have to search for portable dye sublimation printers, but I hope not anytime soon.