Let me start off by saying I never hoped I would have to post one of these blogs, a blog post I'm writing because people have been using my copyrighted works without permission and/or purchase. If you're unsure what copyright infringement is here is a definition from Wikipedia: 


Copyright infringement is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission, infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works.

A common thing I have been seeing here lately is a screen shot of a photo from my website with my watermark in plain sight, i.e. :

I have been running in to this a lot lately, on Facebook and especially Instagram. Common responses I get when I question people about them posting these photos is : "oh well my friend sent it to me" "I don't know where to buy the photo" "but I'm advertising for you". First off, let me say this: If I need someone to advertise for me I will contact them directly. Second: posting photos with my watermark on Instagram with NO credit back to me is not advertising. When you post these photos it makes other people think it's ok to do the same, when it is NOT ok. 

Copyright infringement not only hurts me financially but it makes all the work I do for nothing. I spend on average 18-24 hours in a single weekend shooting, uploading, editing, printing, running around, sweating, getting sunburned. I may get around a 30 min break between moto's/race starts to get something to eat. Luckily I have an amazing husband who helps me greatly over the weekend, assisting our customers and lining out orders. Financially, photography is an expensive business to be in, with the average pro camera starting out around 3,000 dollars and many other expenses to go along with it. Let me give you a breakdown of my costs:

Cameras & Lenses:
Canon 5d Mark III- $4,099.99
Canon 70-200mm- $1,500.00
Canon 24-105mm- $1,099.00
Canon 60D- $999.99 
Canon 16-35mm- $1,699.99
Batteries- $400.00
Memory Cards-$400.00

Computers & Printers:
3 laptops- $ 3,000.00
Printers $1,000.00
Cables, routers, external hard drives- $460.00
iPad & Square Stand- $800.00
Toner,Paper- $300.00

Total Cost for equipment: $15,758.97

Monthly & Race Costs:
Internet- $80
Insurance- $75
Cell phone & Ipad- $275
Photo Hosting - $30
Websites - $ 30
Utilities & Office- $600
Fuel getting to a race - $150 (2 races per month normally)
Fuel for generator - $50

Total Cost Monthly: $1,490.00

So now you know what it takes financially to do what I do. When someone steals photos from my website and shares them repeatedly and entices others to do the same, it makes my hard work and my expenses worth NOTHING.  

Well let me start off by saying it was an awesome weekend and a great turn out for the first series race! This is the first of many race reports to come in the near future! 

Track recap: 

Conditions for the weekend were excellent, nice and cool with plenty of moisture. The track was very FAST with some nice elevation changes and long straights. Saturday the track had quite a bit of moisture with all the rain that moved through the Panhandle, the first few laps of the day were wet! Sunday light drizzling continued to keep the track nice and tacky. The total length of the track was 5.8 miles. To view a lap around the track, check out the video below!

We had a pretty good turn out for the first race and we're very excited to see all the happy faces ready to race! 

Saturday Races: 

The ATV intermediate class was won by Kervyn Poitevint, his father Brian Poitevint took the Beginner UTV win, Michael Davis had the overall as well as the win for Expert UTV. 

In the intermediate class Dillon Duncan took a wrong turn in a gravel pit, leading him off a ledge. He was airlifted to the hospital. He is in much better shape than anyone would have thought, just swollen and a little bruised! Get well soon Dillon!

Sunday Results:


Beginner:
1. Jace Davis (482)
2. Katie Ebeling (903)
3. Brody Blackwell (14)


Novice Small:
1. Ben Moss (614)
2. Adam Harding (51)
3. Benny Darnell (134)


Novice Large:
1. Jordan Polk (95)
2. Dakota Carter (17)
3. Kelly Kitchens (68)

Intermediate:
1. Josh Griffin (311)
2. Dalton Heath (120)
3. John Daniel (240)

Expert:
1. Landon Landry
2. Mike McGovern

Over 30:
1. Kelly Kitchens (68)
2. Joe Bradley (20)
3. Phillip Szydloski (436)

Over 40
1. Mike Felkins (427)
2. Paul Flatt (218)
3. Ed Landry (589)

Over 50:
1. David Johns (405)
2. Jeff Durbin (641)
3. Rich Hovden (547)

Open:
1. Brandon Hodgkins (41)
2. Jeff Durbin (641)
3. Phillip Szydloski (436)

Thinking about the perfect gift for the rider in your life? Good news, we have you covered! Get your orders in now for one of a kind custom collages, prints and merchandise. I'm sure you're wondering, can she get it done in time? The answer is YES! Have your orders to me by December 16th to get them for Christmas! (December 13th if you plan to order mugs, coasters, aprons)

Contact Lacie with your riders information and what you're wanting. To see samples visit: http://xtrememedia.smugmug.com/Sports/Collage-examples

Well another successful riding weekend has come and gone. Bowers MX in Amarillo, TX sure does know how to have a good time. Their new track layout and the addition of an atv/utv track brings new excitement for all! As many of you may know, we have taken over as the official track photography company of Bowers MX. We will be attending the races and as many practices as possible to bring you action shots year round. For now, enjoy the sneak peek of our weekend galleries.  

To view the photo galleries please visit our galleries page. To learn more about Bowers MX in Amarillo, please visit their website: www.bowersmx.com.