How do race and event photographers get photos online before people leave?
At a race or event, sales peak in the first hours, while people are still at the venue and looking for their photos. Collecting cards and uploading at the end of the day means the galleries fill after most people have gone home.
The short answer
Each photographer tethers their camera to their own phone with CloudTether (USB is the most reliable on a course) and points it at the event's gallery, a cloud folder or an FTP server. Every frame is uploaded over mobile data seconds after the shutter, so the gallery fills during the race instead of after it.
Why a phone instead of a transmitter
Camera network transmitters work but cost a lot and need a network at every position. A phone already has mobile data, and shots that can't upload yet wait on the phone and send by themselves when the signal returns.
Where the photos go
Your own FTP or SFTP server (the usual route for race-photo platforms that take FTP), Dropbox, Google Drive, SmugMug, ShootProof or Photohawk, which makes event galleries searchable by bib number or face. Several destinations at once if you need a backup.
Several cameras and photographers
One phone can tether more than one camera, and every photographer on the course can send to the same destination from their own phone.
FAQ
Does it work with a race-photo platform that takes FTP uploads?
Yes, if the platform gives you FTP, FTPS or SFTP details: add them as a destination and each photo is uploaded there as you shoot.
What if there's no signal on part of the course?
The photos queue on the phone and upload automatically when it reconnects.
Solve it with CloudTether
Tether your camera to your phone over USB or Wi-Fi and deliver every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.