Today we’d like to introduce you to Phil Vitek.
Phil, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been a sports photographer in various capacities since the late seventies. Having held other full-time jobs during that period of time I always gravitated back to photography mainly to exercise the creative part of me. Both of my kids took to athletics at an early age so I became the team’s photographer by default. As they got older I realized nobody was doing anything creative, they were simply taking snapshots and occasionally putting names and a number on the print. So what’s a parent to do. Well, I decided that as a parent of athletes myself I wanted more. I set out to become proficient at Photoshop so I could produce a keepsake that wouldn’t end up in some box within a few weeks. In 1999 I made, looking back on it, a very simple template that included the kid’s name, number, team and mascot on it. This allowed me to take an action shot and dress it up a bit. It also was the basis of my tag line, “Creating Art from Action”. I bought the cheapest frames I could find and some matting and made a custom print for each of my daughter’s softball team members and just gave it to them. The response from the parents was overwhelming. Several of them said this is so good you should do this for a living. Insert “the light goes on” and the rest is history. To this point I’ve produced keepsakes for over 2000 athletes from little league to professional athletes. Today the majority of my business is High School athletes and teams. I also photograph the majority of the Southern California Golf Association’s major golf tournaments and do select golf course photography.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Initially the business took off and I had more work than I could handle. Some of the problems were with me and the misguided belief that nobody else could take the photos I could, consequently my growth was limited. Once I got over that incorrect assumption things picked back up and my business grew for a while till the early two-thousands when affordable DSLRs and every cellphone began having a camera in it. Ultimately this gave just about everyone access to a camera. It also created what I call “good enough is now truly good enough.” This acceptance of marginal photographs pushed me to become more specialized to set myself apart. My business now consists mainly of low light sports like High School football, lacrosse and soccer under the lights. This requires some pretty expensive camera gear so the inexpensive DSLR and the cellphone camera just don’t work. The balance of my business is teams or schools that have been clients for over a decade and the SCGA where I was once a staff member. Couple this with my expanded use and expertise in Photoshop and I now fill a niche segment for athlete photos.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Activity and Sport Photography or ASP – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are primarily a sports photography business. We are known for creating unique, one of a kind keepsakes for parents and athletes alike. I believe what sets us apart from other companies is the final product. We start by simply taking great photos. From there the photo is transformed into a one of a kind custom print using frequently created templates. On average, we develop 8 – 10 new templates a year. If the customer has a specific request or idea we will work to make that a reality. All of our prints are framed and double matted in either school or team colors. The thing I’m most proud of is that many of our clients have been loyal to us for more than a decade. Over the years we have produced products for siblings going through the same athletic programs. Several of our clients have gone on to professional careers in the NFL and MLB. We also do a fair amount of pro bono work for select non-profits.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The future is sort of muddled right now as I’m rapidly approaching retirement age. I’ve already begun letting some of my clients know I’ll be riding off into the sunset at the end of 2018. I am hoping to find someone as passionate about sports photography that I could mentor and eventually either sell or turn over the business to for a portion of future profits.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.activityandsportphotography.com
- Phone: (818) 415-4068
- Email: [email protected]
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