RaceCapture · Guides
Some race galleries let you download everything for nothing. Others show you a watermark and a price. Both kinds are on RaceCapture, and the difference has nothing to do with the photos themselves. It comes down to who is paying the photographer.
Why some race photos are free
A free gallery means someone already paid for the coverage, or chose to give it away. Often it is the event organizer, who hires a media team so every participant gets photos as part of the entry fee. Sometimes it is a sponsor. Sometimes it is a photographer who shoots community events for the love of it and relies on tips.
On a free event you search, view, download and share your photos and videos at no cost. Downloads are full resolution, without a watermark. Many free galleries have a small tip button for the photographer; tipping is optional.
Why some race photos are paid
A paid gallery means the photographer is paid by the athletes who want the photos, not by the event. That is how most race photography has always worked, and it is how a photographer can cover an event that has no media budget.
On a paid event, searching is still free. You see every photo and video of you first, with a watermark, and only pay if you want to keep them. There is no account to create and no subscription.
What you can buy on a paid gallery
Each event sets its own prices, shown on the event page. There are usually two choices:
- All your photos: one price for every photo of you in the gallery, including any added later as the media team uploads more.
- Individual photos: a price per photo, if you only want one or two.
Events with video can also sell clips one at a time, as a video package, or as a photo and video bundle. Checkout runs through Stripe, with Apple Pay and Google Pay. The moment payment completes, your gallery unlocks: full resolution, no watermark, ready to download.
How to tell which kind your event is
Open your event on the galleries page. A free event says so on its page and has no price panel. A paid event shows its prices next to the gallery. Either way, the search itself costs nothing, so the easiest test is to search and look at your gallery.
Finding your photos, free or paid
The search works the same on both. Upload a selfie, or search by bib number, and you get a personal gallery of every photo of you. On free events, if a photo was missed, you can add it yourself from All Photos; on paid events you can add up to five that way.
When you are ready to save them, downloading all your photos at once takes one tap.
Questions about free and paid race photos
Do I have to pay to search for my race photos?
No. Searching is always free, on every event.
Do free race photos have a watermark?
Downloads from free galleries are full resolution and watermark-free. Some free events show a watermark on the preview grid; the download itself is clean.
Can I buy just one photo?
On most paid events, yes. The event page lists the price for individual photos next to the price for all of them.
For organizers and photographers
Free or paid is your choice, event by event, and you can switch a gallery between them. How organizers get a free photo and video gallery explains the free side; how to sell race photos covers the paid side.
One selfie finds every photo and video of you.
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