In the following article, Luis Escobar shares his insights as a photographer and tips for event directors hiring photographers. We discuss the importance of photography in trail running, future trends, potential problems, and advice for navigating the world of professional trail race photography. Featured photo by: Luis Escobar.
Setting the stage
Stills capture stories in ways words alone can’t do. Born To Run, a New York Times bestseller and arguably one of the most historic running novels of all time, is not only remembered in the running community for the story told by its words but from one photograph. I am referring to the iconic image of Scott Jurek and Arnulfo Quimare, running stride for stride in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. Jurek, one of the novel’s main characters and seven-time winner of the prestigious Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run follows a motley crew of American ultrarunners who race against the Tarahumara, a largely unknown “superhuman” tribe of runners located in a remote region of northern Mexico.
In this photo, Jurek’s international reputation is contrasted with Quimare’s hidden talent. Jurek’s access to scientific training and technologically advanced gear is contrasted by Quimare’s locally made sandals and running traditions passed down by his people for generations. The image shows that two legends, from seemingly opposite backgrounds, express a passion and ability for a sport that is to some degree innate in all of us—regardless of our access to supposedly better Western shoe technologies or training programs.
Scott Jurek and Arnulfo Quimare running stride for stride in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. Photo by: Luis Escobar.
Luis Escobar, Santa Monica-based professional photographer and ATRA advisory board member, took this iconic photo of Jurek and Quimare. Escobar has been central to the photography of trail running for years. He not only traveled to the Copper Canyons with Jurek and the crew from Born To Run, but has since been hired as a photographer for the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, as well as dedicates his time to organizing trail races through his event company, AllWeDoIsRun – Running, Trail Running and leads the Road Dog Podcast, (check out our podcast resource list here).
Why trail race media needs more cooperation
I first encountered Luis Escobar in his profession at the 2022 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. I was covering the event for ATRA (read my post race recap above) with Peter Maksimow, our ATRA event photographer. The two of us descended a rough, rocky road via media race shuttles for several miles before reaching one of the most iconic points on the 100-mile race course, the American River Crossing at mile 78. After being dropped off by the shuttles, we navigated ourselves across boulders, doing our best not to slip and risk being swept down the river. Rafts and race organizers ferried us and other media to vantage points along the river to capture the action.
The American River Crossing is one of the most critical points for telling the story of the Western States 100, and the reason why Escobar and countless other media groups position themselves there year after year. Escobar describes his experience working for the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, and what it means to be hired as a photographer capturing stories from this historic event, “Ten years ago at the Western States 100, there were only a few photographers. Now there’s media centers for the race and it’s become a big thing with hundreds of photographers each year. In general, the documentation going on at trail races, especially larger important events, such as the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, is increasing. Nowadays, there’s several different types of photographers and videographers that are out in the field for every major race.”
2022 Western States 100 mile 78 American River Crossing. Photo by: Peter Maksimow.
Escobar explains in further detail that when it comes to race photography, there are generally two types of photographers races partner with:
- Those who seek to capture every runner in particular locations
- Those doing marketing work for brands or the event itself.
Escobar explains the responsibilities of each type, “For the first, you need to know these photographers are comfortable in one spot, can be repetitive and meticulous. This photographer is not usually expected to spend much time editing photos and can provide the event with a reasonably sized file that can be uploaded quickly. The second kind of photographer might take a bit longer to complete their assignment. This person will be checking to make sure each photo is beautiful and that they edit in a way that inspires people to sign up for the race.”
Escobar is usually hired as the second type of photographer, “I’m usually hired to make just a few images that are iconic, beautiful, and that are going to be used for marketing. These images are used to inspire people to register for the event. For instance, I photographed the Big Sur International Marathon on Highway One on the coast of California. The Bixby Creek Bridge, mile 19, is an iconic spot that I’ve positioned myself at. I frame the image of the mountains in the background and a whole line of runners coming down the mountain and running across the bridge. I’m not at this event photographing runners. I’m photographing landscapes with runners moving through it.”
As trail running increases in popularity, (see our story How To Be a Trail Running Fan, which takes a deep dive into trail running media outlets and the increasing ways to follow the sport), the need for race photography has also grown. It’s becoming essential for major races, such as the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, to organize media efforts.
Escobar explains the importance of race media working together and following more organized protocols, “Logistically, race media needs to start working together. The 2024 theme for ATRA is ‘We are Better Together’ and this applies to photographers who are always much better working together than independently. Photographers should be aware of their surroundings and other people who are working in front of them and behind them. We need to be working in cooperative ways that help each other get the images we need. The more that media increases, the more we need to be cooperating.”
Photographers using a variety of cameras for the perfect shot at the 2022 Western States 100. Photo by: Peter Maksimow.
How to hire professional photographers for trail races
Photography is an essential part of organizing trail races, yet it can place large burdens on race budgets. Escobar argues for the importance of hiring photographers for races, “I think that photography should be part of race budgets, but also as a race organizer, I understand the need not to spend too much on photography alone when there’s so many other expenses from putting on events.”
Escobar continues, detailing his process of hiring photographers, “There’s different ways to hire photographers. Race management could pay photographers flat fees to document their events. These day-rates should be $1,200 to $2,000 USD depending on the photographer, skill level, professionalism, and ability to turn their work around quickly. These photographers are working on a day fee and giving all of the files to the race, not charging for pictures after the fact.
“The other way is for the race to cover a small amount of the photographer’s expenses to their event, potentially paying for their travel or housing. The photographer then works to put images on a website where customers can purchase them directly from the event. It’s up to the runners to decide if they want to buy photo files or not.”
The size of the event also determines its investment in photography. Smaller, local events with fifty to two-hundred people may be able to hire only one photographer for their event. Larger events with several hundred to several thousand people should be expecting to hire multiple photographers.
Who owns the images?
For both smaller and larger events, “photo poaching” can be a major issue that deters races from investing in professional photography. Photo “poachers,” or those who provide free images of races (usually on social media platforms) without permission from the races can hurt the photography business and complicate the process of productive media collaborations.
Photographer at the 2022 Western States 100. Photo by: Peter Maksimow.
Escobar warns on this point, “Anybody on the race course or affiliated with the event should have a media pass or permission from the race organizer to be on course. It is then the race organizer’s responsibility for that person’s actions. It’s a major liability to have uninsured people on course taking photos without explicit permission.”
Photo poaching is becoming increasingly important with drone photography and videographers, many of whom steal content from events with the event’s permission or professional licenses. Escobar continues on this point, “When it comes to hiring drone pilots, the first thing you need to ask is if the pilot is licensed with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). If that person is not licensed, they have no business flying commercial cameras at commercial events. It’s against the law…I would guess that most drones that are flying around at races are not licensed.”
Read more about registering drones and unmanned aircraft system conduct at the FAA website here.
In addition to image poaching, image copyright is another critical issue for photographers. Unclear upfront agreements between events and photographers, as well as outright theft of images from the running community have exacerbated this issue. Most runners don’t understand basic photography rights and the simple question “Who owns the race photos?” is often not clearly understood or communicated to race participants.
The question of who owns race photos largely depends on the photographer’s agreement with the event. Whether the photographer has given ownership of the photographs to the race or chosen to sell directly to race participants, photo ownership rests either with the event or photographer—not the participants. Only if the race has given photos to its participants or when the photographer has directly sold the photos do they belong to the participants. If the photos still have the “watermark,” (logo, text or pattern that identifies the photo belongs to a particular source) these photos still belong to either the event or photographer and should not be downloaded.
Escobar explains why the running community should place more value in photo ownership,
“Downloading photos for free is disrespectful to everyone, including your fellow runners, the event directors and volunteers, and of course the photographers. For roughly $15 (maybe even less), you can have beautiful photographs of yourself. These photographers took the time to get out on course and provide a service that is well worth the small upfront cost.”
Luis Escobar, Santa Monica-based professional photographer and ATRA advisory board member. Photo by: Nancy Hobbs.
Photographing trail races, which usually involves late nights, hiking/running on trails that have little to no road access and often encountering difficult weather is a job deserving of more respect than most give to it.
The future of trail race photography
Increasing race media budgets have placed more importance on quality in order to stand out and attract viewers/readers. This means a focus on better storytelling and more professionalism in media, including photography.
Escobar comments on these changes in the sport, “Documenting events is better than it’s ever been before. The trail running community has the strength and technology to get the work out there and share stories quickly and beautifully. This growth is good and we’re seeing more types of people drawn to the sport. People from different communities, with different thoughts, and different expectations are blending with the established groups in the sport. These are not bad changes, they’re just changes that need to be addressed and better integrated. Ultimately, we need everyone to work together instead of competing against each other.”
Enjoy Escobar’s photographs at his website here.
