Frequently Asked Questions

Image Quality | Purchasing | Digital Images | Shipping | Products | General

Image Quality

1. The photo on your website is small, I am concerned about the quality of the full size picture.
• If you are not sure about the quality of the image you are interested in, take a look at our extensize Samples page. If you are still not convinced that you will get a beautiful print, feel free to email us to ask about the specific image you are looking at. We can reassure you of its quality and specifically address any concerns you have.
2. I'm covered by the "PK Photography" watermark in the picture, so I can't see my facial expression.
• Email us, and we can send you another version with the watermark shifted over so you can see your face more clearly.
3. I look dark in the picture, will you brighten it up?
   • Yes, we will. We edit each image individually and optimize it for lighting, contrast, color, sharpness, focus, and overall feel. Any photo that we post on our site can easily be edited to make it brighter and more vivid. We simply cannot edit the 1,000s of images we post ahead of time...so we do it when you order.
4. How do I know that the photos are of high quality?
   • Check out the extensive Samples page, and we are sure you will be confident in your purchase.
5. There are little wavy/fuzzy lines in the image I want to buy. Is this normal?
   • Yes, it is. They are a result of us downsizing the quality of the image to be able to post 1,000s of photos on the web. Take a look at the Samples page for more detailed info.
6. How big are the original images from your camera?
• Our camera is an 8 megapixel Canon SLR. That means the images are about 3500x2350 pixels in size. About the size of 9 computer monitors! The images on the web are 450x300 pixels, and are of lower quality to make the file size smaller.
7. What do you do to the pictures from the time you take the picture to when they are put online?
   • We go through all of the images we take at an event and choose the ones that meet our quality standards that include 1) the main rider fills a large part of the image, 2) the photo is in focus, 3) the lighting is good, 4) the color is accurate, and 5) the "feel" of the photo is a good one. The images are then resized (to about 1/64th the original size), and the quality is decreased to allow us to post tons of photos on our site and keep the download times to a minimum.

Purchasing

1. Why should I buy a photo print from PK Photography?
   • We take a lot of pride in our work. Every picture we post is of high quality, and can be printed to large sizes. We are extremely picky in what we decide to present on our site. Therefore, be confident in the quality of your photo. If you buy a print from us, you can be assured that the color of your photo will be accurate, that it will be sharp and extremely detailed, and will make everyone you show it to say "Wow, that's a great picture of you". We have chosen our printing company very carefully to make sure that your prints will be beautiful, and will last a lifetime. The best reason to buy is: How often will you get a chance to get a picture of you or a loved one/friend in the middle of the action during a bike race? Probably not very often. So take this opportunity to buy one now.
2. I'm still not sure about buying a print, what if I really don't like it when I get it?
   • We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like the photo for any reason, you can send it back to us, and we will gladly refund your purchase price. Please email us in advance to arrange for the refund. You have no risk at all in buying from us...we are confident that when you see the print, you will be happy you bought it!
3. I only see one picture of the person I want to buy a photo of. Do you have any more?
• Although we try to put all of the photos that meet our standards online, sometimes we might skip over a few. Therefore, if you aren't satisfied with the ones you are seeing, you can email us and ask if we have more in the original set of files. Please include the image number that has your rider of interest in it so we know who to look for. In general, we will not find more photos, but might find a few that are "ok" and not quite up to our standards. They would still be fine for smaller prints or for sharing via email, etc...just not good enough to print posters from.
4. My prints came and had a crease/bend/knick in them. What should I do?
• Contact us and we will arrange to have the photos sent out to you again at no extra cost to you! No questions asked. Our printer takes their business seriously, and will take responsibility for damaged prints.
5. Are there any discounts available?
   • Our packages offer a great discount if you want to purchase multiple prints of the same image. You save 25% from individual print purchases, an unbeatable price! Check out the Packages page for more information.
6. Why are the prices different for different events?
• We price our products keeping in mind our target audience. For instance, we know that college students tend not to have lots of spare cash floating around, so we price photos of collegiate events lower than those for USCF/NORBA/Professional races.

Digital Images

1. Can I make prints from a Digital Image for Personal Use?
   • Yes, definitely! If you purchase a photo in its digital format, you can print it at your favorite local printer and print 100 copies if you want. Please be aware of the limitations on distribution and use of the image that we have outlined in the Product Information page.
2. Will you edit the image that I purchase for a Digital Use Image?
   • Yes, we edit all of the images that we sell, whether for print or digital use. Your image will be enhanced for brightness, color, clarity, focus, etc, before we email it to you. Please give us 1-2 days to edit it before sending it to you.
3. How soon will I get my Digital Image?
   • Because we edit all of the images we sell, give us 1-2 business days to edit the photo. We will then email it to you in its full size (2-3 Mb file size).

Shipping

1. When will I receive my prints?
   • See the Shipping page for detailed information. With standard shipping, you will receive your prints in 5-9 business days. With priority shipping, please allow 4-7 business days. For digital images, allow 1-2 business days. We are often much faster than this, but during busy times may require the full time to process and edit your photo.
2. I am buying large size prints (bigger than 12x18). How will they be shipped?
   • Oversize prints are shipped in tubes, so that they can be rolled up to avoid creases and dents in the photo. They will be shipped via FedEx. So, if possible, please be prepared to receive a large container, or leave a note for them to leave it for you.

Products

1. I can't decide between a digital image and a print. Which should I get?
   • This question depends on how savvy you are with computers and printing digital pictures. If you know how to bring jpeg files to your local printer to have them print copies, you can buy a digital print. But if you don't know how to do this, we highly suggest letting us do the work and print it for you. The other major benefit is that the printer we use provides extremely high quality prints with beautiful color and crispness. Your local printer (like Costco or Walmart) might not give you such beautiful and realistic prints. The prints we send you will be of outstanding quality and will last you a lifetime. We don't recommend printing on inkjet printers, as these prints will fade rather quickly if exposed to light.
2. I'm thinking of buying a poster, where can I find more info?
   • On the Posters page, you will find detailed info about posters.

General

1. Do you do sports other than cycling?
   • Yes, we actually shoot a ton of sports for Stanford University Athletics and the campus paper. So we have lots of experience in different venues. If you are interested in hiring us for your event, contact us via email.
2. I have an 8 megapixel camera too. Why aren't my photos as good as the ones on the PK Photography site?
   • It's not all about pixels. As we have stated elsewhere, the 8 MP sensor in our digital SLRs actually provides more accurate, detailed representations of the image. You can just take our word for it. In addition, the lenses we use are of the highest quality, and also allow us to shoot in difficult lighting conditions, such as rainy or dark days.

If you didn't find an answer to your questions here, please contact us at sales@pkphotovision.com to inquire! We are always happy to provide you with more information regarding our photos and products!