Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a PayPal account in order to place an order?

No. We use PayPal as our shopping cart/payment manager, but a PayPal account is optional. When you go to check out, you will be asked to log in to your PayPal account OR just enter your credit card information instead. Note that if you enter a credit card number that has a PayPal account tied to it, PayPal may require you to log in to your account.

Is there any way to order other than online?

These days, ordering online is as normal and well accepted as walking in to a store and paying cash. We use PayPal as our shopping cart/payment system. They have been around for a long time, your information is very secure, and there are lots of options for how to pay. We never even get to see your credit card information, we just get a copy of the order and the delivery information, so you don't have to worry about us keeping your credit card information around. But we also understand that some people may not be able to purchase online for various reasons, or maybe you just don't feel comfortable. If you'd like to pay by cash, check, or money order (we don't recommend cash for safety reasons), you can download an order form here and mail it to us along with your payment. Note that checks may add up to 2 weeks to your delivery time while we wait for it to clear.

When will my credit card be charged?

Due to the way PayPal handles payments and the fact that we have to pay for our printing orders up front, your credit card will be charged right away. If for some reason your order needs to be cancelled, we will refund your card. Unfortunately shipping and handling charges cannot be refunded if your order has already shipped and there may be a cancellation fee if we have already ordered your printing.

How long will it take to get my order?

For prints, we try to get them shipped within 1-2 weeks. Gift items such as mugs, mouse pads, or playing cards usually take 2-4 weeks. If you have a special need for expedited service, give us a call or drop us an email and we will work with you to try to meet your requirement.

We inspect every order personally to make sure they are the best quality possible, so we'll let you know before we ship if there is a problem. Most orders are shipped via the US Postal Service, though some large orders such as mugs may go via other means when it is more cost effective.

If it seems like its been a long time since you placed your order and you haven't heard anything, give us a call or drop us an email. Once in a while PayPal misses a notification or an order form may get lost in the mail. While we try to make sure we catch those, it is possible for one to slip through the cracks every now and then.

What if I don't like the prints when they come in?

Most of the time if it looks like there might be a problem with your prints, we will contact you and let you know the situation before we ship your order. This way you know what to expect and you can decide how best to proceed. Things that might raise a red flag are trying to do a poster size enlargement from a tiny crop, or perhaps an image where the focus just isn't perfectly sharp, or the exposure might be too far out to compensate. In other words, we want to head off any problems before they become an issue to assure that you will be pleased with the results. However we're only human and realize that occasionally things just don't work out. If we aren't able to get a print that is satisfactory, we will be happy to refund your purchase price or apply it to a different image.

How do I know if my print will look good at the size I want?

There are many factors that go in to making a quality print. The clarity, focus and exposure of the original image are all important, especially if you want to make a large print. You may see that some of the images look slightly out of focus when you view the 1:1 samples, and those images are probably not the best to use for enlargements. We include them though in case you want something like a coffee mug or playing cards, since the size in much smaller and a slightly soft focus can be compensated when the image is being reduced. For more information on how to judge image quality, see the Image Quality page. If in doubt, you can always contact us and we will work with you to decide how to get the best possible print out of your images.

Why didn't I get any proofs when I entered my participant ID (rider number)? (Poker Runs)

There are a couple reasons you might not be able to find your proofs using your rider number. First, you had to have put the sticker on your front number plate in a manner that we can easily see it. If you stuck it to your fender, or somewhere on the side, or perhaps it got covered in mud, we might not have been able to read it in your photos. If you don't have a front number plate, the next best place is on your chest protector near the top. Front fenders are one of the worst places since we can't really see it there unless you are about to endo...

If you race and have a permenant number on your bike, we will attempt to index on that number as well, so be sure to try that too.

On rare occasions, we might miss a rider, or we might not have gotten any quality photos for some technical reason. This usually happens when there are too many riders coming through bunched too close together - sometimes we just can't get a clear shot of everyone. On rare occasions, we may mis-identify a rider. If you are looking at your own proofs and see somebody that isn't you, drop me an email and I'll get it sorted out.

If you don't see anything under your rider number, be sure to seach on unidentified riders (the last option when searching) too. If we couldn't find any sort of identifying number on your bike, your photo probably ended up there.

How can I increase the chances of my Poker Run photos turning out good?

With the Poker Runs, it is a non-competitive event, so there's no rush to get from point A to point B. When you see the banners alerting you to the photo spot ahead, slow down a little and allow some space between you and the rider in front of you. That gives the photographer more time to prepare for your shot and allows taking more shots of you. We usually try to shoot from somewhere that has a good wheelie spot or a water crossing or a jump of some sort, so take your time and set yourself up to "look cool".

These stickers suck! I can't get them off my bike! (Poker Runs)

First of all, sorry about that. Unfortunately these are the only readily available standard stickers that are on the market that we know of. If you are worried about it being hard to remove, use a couple small strips of duct tape on the edges to attach them. Just make sure it will stay flat and stay attached so we can see it. We are constantly on the lookout for something better. If you know of any better ones, drop us a line and let us know. They have to be approximately 4x6 and printable on a standard laser printer. The ones we use now are an Avery 5454.

Why does it take so long to get proofs?

We try to get proofs out as quickly as possible, however there are some factors that take extra time and slow things down. First, we have go through every photo and attempt to identify the rider based on their rider number, aka "participant id". At the same time, we do a "suggested crop" to give you an idea of how the final print might look as an 8x10. Even when that is done, we have to wait until we get the finalized list of riders from the event staff, and sometimes this can take a while. And finally, we bring it all together and upload it to the site so you can easily search and view your prints online.

How do I claim my gift certificate?

At some events, we award gift certificates as door prizes. If you received one of these certificates, email or call us prior to placing your order for special instructions.