Stringing Machine Photos Request

[varuscelli]

Hi,

I am working on a "new" site (initiated November 2006) that is dedicated to photos of tennis racquet stringing machines. The site is tentatively called the:

Tennis Racquet Stringing Machine Photo Reference Library (http://www.photostringer.com/)

Web address is:

www.photostringer.com (http://www.photostringer.com/)

The site is very much a group effort with contributions of stringing machine images already on an international level.

We would like to request digital photos of stringing machines from individuals with all levels of stringing experience and of all types of machines. We make this request in order to expand the image base (photo library) that we hope to be a very useful resource for anyone needing to do research on stringing machines (whether for new purchase, upgrade, or general reference purposes).

Please do visit the site and see what you think. It's very much a work in progress and most contributors thus far are Tennis Warehouse forum members. (We have both manufacturer stock photos of machines and photos that have been submitted by individuals of their own machines.)

We really hope anyone reading this message might want to contribute photos to the effort. And if you are someone researching stringing machines, please visit too! You'll find a LOT of photos already there. We already have photos from 20 different manufacturers and counting.

We want this site to be a resource of value to all levels of stringers, from professional to amateur, and we think it's already happening.

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me.

Thanks! :)

Al Ruscelli
vruscelli@houston.rr.com
www.photostringer.com

[Double-fault]

Welcome the the board Al.
Great site you working on, When i get a chance i will try to take few picture
the LaserFibre and email it to you.
Keep up the good work.

[varuscelli]

Welcome the the board Al.
Great site you working on, When i get a chance i will try to take few picture
the LaserFibre and email it to you.
Keep up the good work.

Thanks, Double-fault, I appreciate that.

That's exactly the kind of response we need (and have been getting from quite a few stringers). I really do believe it's going to make a great reference base and be another good resource for tennis players/stringers to go along with some of the others that are out there.

But, too, it's one of those things that without contributions from other people won't grow much. I'm doing all I can as an individual, but it really has to be a group effort (in a way, kind of like a forum).

This whole thing just came up about a week ago and I was seized by a kind of epiphany that said "this should be done." I started work on it, put the word out on the TW forums (for starters) and got immediate response in terms of photo submissions.

Even though I've worked hard on it for the last week (it's used up nearly all of my spare time), I've got a ton of stuff in the queue from other people and still many more of my own ideas to incorporate. This thing ought to grow significantly over the next...well...week, month, year (name your time period... :) )

For some really cool stuff, check out the Exotic / High End page:

Exotic / High End Stringing Machine (http://www.photostringer.com/exotic_high_end.htm)

Some unbelievable machines have been submitted for that page (the stringer might even be a member here, but you'll see the credit to him as a TW forum member on the page and maybe you'll know him). But I haven't even been able to break all those out into their proper categories yet. Working on it, but early submissions have surpassed my ability to keep up with them (that's a good thing, though, in terms of success of the effort -- I'll get there).

Thanks for the response and I'll look forward to the LaserFibre photos. (They're one of the sites that even though they have some great machines and a nice "flash level" setup to show features, it's hard to find large images of their machines. Images on their site are very small and good photos from any individual owners will be needed for our LaserFibre category.)

[Double-fault]

Hi Al
Please let me know what picture are you looking for?
It's better to focus on the thing you need for your project than random take a picture of the stringer.

[Double-fault]

Al
Email Send.
:-)

[varuscelli]

Hi Al
Please let me know what picture are you looking for?
It's better to focus on the thing you need for your project than random take a picture of the stringer.

Thanks for the question! It's a good one.

I'd ideally like to have a rather broad range of shots. For instance:


Full length, to show the entire machine.

Relative close-ups of components/mechanisms (crank or electronic motor area, clamps, support arms, turntable up close, etc.)

The machine with a racquet being strung (optional, but a nice extra to have).

Someone working at the machine (another optional but nice to have shot).


What we tend to be able to see when we find photos of machines on the Internet are the full-length, manufacturer provided images. Rarely do we get looks at components close-up (especially a full set of shots from any given machine). So ideally, for any given machine we'd do a "set" of photos consisting of full shots and at least a few close-ups.

Here's a set I did for my Gamma 6004 -- but be warned that this is really a case of "photo overkill" and I was a bit . . . overzealous in my approach. :)

Gamma 6004 (http://www.photostringer.com/gamma_6004_01.htm)

That link and the associated shots represent WAY more than I would typically expect anyone to do. But a handful of shots or even a couple of dozen for variety (more choices of what to post to the net) is something I consider desirable.

The flip side of that is that if I can get even one photo from a machine user, that's much better than having nothing.

Thanks for that question -- and by the way, I got your e-mailed shots. Nice! Great addition to the collection.

[Double-fault]

Al
I took a look at the Gamma 6004 site, great photo.
A new digicam is on the work (xmas), I will work on those detail ideal when the new cam is open, so more picture to come.
Thanks Al for the project, glad i can help.