Take your photos

Two kinds of photo sell your spots: a profile photo that shows sponsors who they're sponsoring, and body photos (front, back and both sides) that your spots are placed on. A phone is all you need.

01 Body photos for your spots

Sponsors see their logo on these photos before they pay, so they're worth ten minutes. Take a front, a back and both sides, standing the same way in each.

Phone on a tripod, timer or video

Best for: Shooting on your own
Cost: Free, or about $15 to $25 for a phone tripod
Time: 10 minutes

How to do it

Stand in front of a plain wall in even light: daylight from a window beside you, not behind you. No mirrors, and nothing busy behind you.
Set the phone at chest height, 2 to 3 meters (7 to 10 feet) away, in portrait, so your whole body fits with a little space above your head and below your feet.
Wear what you'll race in, or just shorts for skin spots. Stand tall, feet hip-width apart, arms relaxed and slightly away from your sides so they don't overlap your body.
Use a 3 or 10 second timer, or burst mode, and take the front. Turn a quarter at a time for the left side, back and right side without moving the phone. Or film it instead: start a video, turn slowly in a full circle, then pause it and screenshot your front, left side, back and right side.
Pick the sharpest of each, then upload them when you set up your campaign: front, back, left and right.

Watch out for

Selfie cameras stretch whatever is closest. Use the main (1x) camera from a few steps back, not the front camera at arm's length.
Keep the same distance and pose in all four, so your spots line up from view to view.

A friend takes them

Best for: The sharpest, straightest photos
Cost: Free
Time: 5 minutes

How to do it

Same plain wall and even light.
Ask them to hold the phone level at your chest height, not tilted down from their eye level, and step back until your whole body fits in portrait.
Take the front, then turn a quarter at a time for the left side, back and right side. They stay put; you turn.
Check every photo zoomed in before you finish: sharp, and nothing cut off at your head or feet.

Watch out for

Shooting down from a standing height makes legs look short and shifts your spots. Keep the phone level with your chest.

02 Photos of your kit

/Lay each item flat on a plain floor or bed, or hang it on a door, and shoot it straight on.
/Shoot every side a sponsor can buy: a tee usually needs a front and a back, a cap the front.
/Smooth out the creases first. Logos are placed on these photos, so wrinkles make spots look crooked.
/Or skip the photos: the editor has sample kit in several colors you can sell spots on.

03 Your profile photo

/Your face, clearly: head and shoulders or waist up, looking at the camera, in daylight.
/A race or training photo works well if your face is clear. Sponsors back people, so skip sunglasses, helmets and group shots.
/It has to be a real photo of you. Sponsors need to know who they're sponsoring, so no avatars, logos or AI images.
/Add a cover photo too: a race, your gym or your sport. It sits behind your photo on your page and on the athlete wall.

04 Race-day photos

These are your proof, and what gets you paid.

/Get a clear photo of every logo: close-ups for each sponsor, plus action and finish-line shots. The delivery guide has the full checklist.
/Ask a friend to shoot you on the course, or check whether your race sells official photos.

More resources

Find sponsorsYour campaign is live. Check your prices and terms, then who to send it to first, how to find brands around your race, and what to say.Temporary tattoosFour ways to put sponsor logos on your skin, and make them last the race.Race kitPrint on demand, transfers, embroidery and team kit: getting logos onto what you race in.Deliver and get paidFrom the first sale to money in your bank: proof, photos, timing, and what to do when things go wrong.