Kidathon tagging of pictures.

[HaseebM]

One of my friends helps organize a marathon for kids once a year. During this time, there are on an average 100,000+ images taken and each kid / parent / friend want a copy or two.

Now the photographers who cover this event say naming each and every participant by name is time consuming ( of course ) and the software that identifies an image by searching by name expensive.

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience on how to go about this? Simply put, each participant will be imaged and named by the photographer and team. Then it will be uploaded on a website which will have a search engine which enables participants to search by name, get their image and order it. Searching becomes necessary due to the excessively large number of images and participants.

Your advice and help would be appreciated.

[Mike Buckley]

Now the photographers who cover this event say naming each and every participant by name is time consuming ( of course ) and the software that identifies an image by searching by name expensive.

Windows operating software conducts the search and locates all files tagged with a particular name. I understand the Mac operating system provides the same capability. The process of returning the searched images and printing them won't be as elegant as using cataloging software to make that happen, but it is at no extra cost.

The cataloging software I use to tag and search images costs $100 for a perpetual license. It should not be difficult to find someone who will donate the cost of the software. A developer of the software might even donate it.

I imagine each race participant is wearing an assigned number. It would be far faster to tag the images with that number than tagging the names. People requesting images of a particular person would provide the participant's race number. Even so, tagging each image will take considerably more time than not tagging them; there is no way to avoid that. I don't know if there is any free software that can be used to efficiently tag the images.

[Shadowman]

Is it possible for the images to be uploaded to the website and have the race participants tag their own images. Facebook has this capability.

[ShaneS]

I agree with Mike that tagging the shot and having participants search by their bib numbers seems the most efficient way to go. If only one could export the data to a database you could easily link the name and number with the existing list by bib number. I have no idea if that technology exists...maybe call the office of one of the larger races to see if they have any inexpensive ideas?

Good luck!

[HaseebM]

Thank you Mike, that indeed is food for thought. I googled searched if such a software exists and was surprised to find only one or two. Before creating this topic, I even imagined using PSE to tag by name though that would also be time consuming. Identification by participant number is an excellent idea and should surely lessen the process by almost half ( why didn't I think of that ). The sponsors are actually paying solid money to the photographers, something to the tune of $10,000. I was taken aback by such a fee but also know capturing moments of so many participants and several of each, then processing, adding tags and uploading isn't going to be easy without a team, in anycase the assignment seems to be allotted. I am just trying to find an easier way to advise one of the sponsors who is a good friend of mine.

Thanks John and Shane. I think the sponsors intend on a dedicated website as this is going to be a yearly affair with perhaps a mini-kidathon in between. Its scheduled for August 2015.

[Mike Buckley]

There is absolutely no excuse for a team of photographers being paid $10,000 to complain about having to purchase a software license that costs $100 and can be used as long as the operating software being used will run it. Most software will run on at least three generations of operating systems. Amortize the cost over ten years and that's $10 per year. Moreover, the licensee can use the software for whatever other purposes and events it chooses.

[HaseebM]

There is absolutely no excuse for a team of photographers being paid $10,000 to complain about having to purchase a software license that costs $100 and can be used as long as the operating software being used will run it. Most software will run on at least three generations of operating systems. Amortize the cost over ten years and that's $10 per year. Moreover, the licensee can use the software for whatever other purposes and events it chooses.

Exactly my thinking and perhaps my friend seeking an opinion. The photographers appear greedy unless there is something I am missing and they are genuine.

[Mike Buckley]

There will be a day that a photograph will be taken of each race participant at the time the participant picks up the bib. That photograph will be tagged with the participant's name or bib number. All of the photos taken during the race will then be imported into the cataloging software's database. That software's face recognition system will automatically tag each person in the race photos based on the tag and photo taken when the bib was picked up.

[Shadowman]

There will be a day that a photograph will be taken of each race participant at the time the participant picks up the bib. That photograph will be tagged with the participant's name or bib number. All of the photos taken during the race will then be imported into the cataloging software's database. That software's face recognition system will automatically tag each person in the race photos based on the tag and photo taken when the bib was picked up.

Sounds like a sci fi plot line, with a few big cities having video coverage of the populace perhaps soon we will.

[pnodrog]

How many participants? 100, 500,2000?

[HaseebM]

How many participants? 100, 500,2000?

I would guess much more than 2000 but I will try to get an approximate number.

[Mike Buckley]

I would guess much more than 2000

If your earlier explanation that 100,000 or more photos are uploaded for people to review is somewhat accurate, I would guess it's a lot more than 2000 racers. If it's only 2000, that implies about 50 photos on average of each racer. Yikes!