Who are Schlegelmilch Photography?

We are a family business with a team of dedicated professionals situated in Frankfurt/Main, offering an extensive range of services, mainly used by publishers, agencies and other F1-involved companies as a picture supplier. Before F1 finally attracted so much interest and developed a massive fan audience, the family was running a studio for advertising photography. As the popularity of Michael Schumacher and other German drivers increased, our customer base developed from advertising agencies to all kinds of publishers who wanted to take advantage of Rainer´s intensive 'hobby' � his legendary motorsport photography.

Rainer W. Schlegelmilch � senior photo designer and doyen of F1 photography

Boris Schlegelmilch � has been shooting F1 since ´97, and is responsible for administration, website developing, image distribution and other internal matters

Heide Schlegelmilch � in charge of accounting, secretarial matters and is our friendly telephone voice

Stefano Luzzatto � our passionate F1 expert, Apple wizard, archivist, layout and image processing specialist

What does the Schlegelmilch Photography archive contain?

Generally Formula 1 from 1962 to the present day, also Le Mans and other sportscar races in the 60s-80s as well as "beauty shots" recording the automotive history from all important series models and sportscars from BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and most British sportscars.

What facilities do Schlegelmilch Photography offer?

An archive of over half a million original slides covering major championship runs since 1962, provides an in-depth insight into every aspect of the pinnacle of motorsport � technology, pit and paddock action, racing and strong emotions. By utilising the latest search engine technology we will constantly expand the breadth and accessibility of the archive by adding new images to the web archive each day.

We do not only provide excellent photos in our selections, but also to try to capture some of the atmosphere of a Grand Prix weekend by showing our visitors a selection of powerful and at times amusing pictures. Our �TopShots� are examples of more than 1000 images that we add to our archive after each race � showing moments of action on the track and portraits of race drivers concentrating in the pits or relaxed in the paddock. Besides these �TopShots�, please check out the various search options in the �Extended Search�. We endeavour to update the variety of our digital archive as often as possible, both on and off season, with both actual and historical images.

With passion, dedication and enthusiasm being the driving force behind our philosophy, we have created a comprehensive and still growing Grand Prix library which is constructed to show every style of Grand Prix photography. They range from high-speed dynamic action shots to pit stop refuelling, artistic zoom shots (a technique developed by Rainer with the first zoom lens) and all other types of classic �Grand Prix action�.

We are very excited about presenting the rich contents of our 'analogue' archive to provide Formula One enthusiasts with the opportunity to purchase high-quality photographs of Formula One drivers, cars and other F1 related miscellaneous shots.

More than 40 years established as one of the world's largest independent motorsport picture agencies, we exclusively concentrate on every aspect of automobile imagery. Our technologically advanced in-house facilities provide the ability to capture, process and deliver images rapidly to our global customers.

Produce your own marketing tools with the ability to develop any of your ideas; but keep in mind the personal rights of driver, team & sponsors as usage restrictions are inherent to the pinnacle of motorsport.

What material/equipment do the Schlegelmilchs use?

At the beginning of the 2005 F1 season we made the big step towards digital photography because with the Canon EOS 1Ds MkII a camera is available which provides the detailed resolution associated with a fine-grain slide film.

Cameras: Canon EOS 3, EOS 1V

Lenses: 500mm, 400mm, 14-35mm, 70-200mm, 24-135mm etc., all Canon

Photoprint paper: 'Fuji Supreme' on an Agfa D-Lab2 machine

Scanners: Heidelberg Tango drum scanner, Nikon LS-4000 slide scanner

Film: Fuji Velvia 50 and Provia 100, sometimes Provia MS 100-1000

Rainer Schlegelmilch started with black-and-white photography in 1962 and continued to provide it until about 1970, having experimented from 1966 with colour photography with Kodachrome 25 and 64 which he used exclusively until 1990, then we switched to Fujichrome Velvia and Provia 35mm slide film which we used until the end of 2004.

How are the images being edited?

We spend considerable time with each image in the "digital darkroom", removing any unavoidable blemishes and dust bits. All high-end scans fulfill the highest demands, are colour-balanced and can be converted to CYMK if requested. In order to gain maximum quality from the digital images of the individuallly profiled Canon EOS 1Ds MkII and MkIII we take the photos in 16bit RAW file format.

Manual retouching is realised in Photoshop with some time spent depending on the motive � if requested we remove sponsor and brand logos in order to avoid personal rights infringement in case the image is used for advertising purposes.

How can I receive images?

If you are a private person you can buy our photos as glossy paper prints or posters in our online shop (prices and formats see 'shop', FAQ below).

If you are representing an agency or a publisher or if you want to publish our pictures for other business purposes, please contact us briefly by e-mail, phone or fax - we will be pleased to explain trading conditions extensively if desired. You can find the FAQ (and the referring answers) below.

BUSINESS USAGE

I am a picture editor / art buyer / art director and want to make layouts � how can I obtain layout files without watermark?

If you have registered as a publisher or agency, you can create collections of your favourite images and download them as a ZIP file. The files contained in the zip (72dpi sRGB jpgs) are suitable for DPS-sized layouts.

How long will it take until I receive my ordered high-resolution scan if it is not instantly available?

This depends, just ask us. Usually we manage to make a drum scan on the day of the image request, but if the drums are already occupied by another project the scan could take a little longer. Please allow a few hours for disposition.

Each scan costs working and machine time (finding the original, mounting on the drum, scanning, editing and converting), therefore we charge a small cost-sharing fee for every ordered hi-res image, usually starting at 30 EUR for a 300dpi A5 RGB jpg including transfer.

Since RAW files require 'developing' by software, this fee also applies for the images which we have available in digital form as RAW since 2004. In case you want to convert our RAWs yourself, we can transfer them to you (e.g. by ftp) without further costs - but keep in mind that the RAWs coming from our newer Canon EOS 1 Ds Mark III can only be handled by Adobe Photoshop CS3, or minimum CS2 with a special plugin from Adobe.

I am a busy picture editor / art buyer / art director and have no time to search here - can you do that for me?

Yes, we offer to make a selection and send it as low-res jpgs (72dpi sRGB) by e-mail or FTP. This service costs (depending on the effort involved and searching complexity) costs from 30 EUR. Copyright fees are not covered by a selection fee and are charged separately with the help of our branch-approved German �MFM-list�.

I want to use a picture for an advertisement. Can I do that?

We can only transfer the right to reproduce our photos, NOT the personal rights of driver, team, sponsor or other brand name owners. You can either retouch the photo, ask the right owner for permission/license or have the picture edited and retouched by our Mac wizard Stefano. We encourage you to send us your finished work, e.g. as PDF, for final approval and to get helpful hints � but remember, we are not media-specialised lawyers!

I couldn´t find the right shot I was looking for - do you have more to see?

Well, if you cannot find it with the extended search engine we might have it but as yet only as an unscanned original slide. Send us a brief e-mail about what you are after and we will dive into the decades. If requested we can send you a low-res selection by e-mail.

I am a WEBMASTER and would like to use your photos on my site.

Due to a contracted agreement with Formula One Management Ltd. we cannot allow usage of our photos �for free� on any other websites. We regret this step but we fully understand and support the concerns of the authority who grants us access to the racetracks.

As a webmaster, how can I show my website visitors examples of your excellent photos? Can I link to them?

Sorry, but we do not allow linking to any files on our server except for our HTML or PHP files. Linking directly to the pictures on the server steals bandwidth and is very inconsiderate. If you want to link to the pages on Schlegelmilch.com, link to the main page or any html file in the directory so that the site gains attention and visibility on the Web. Thank you very much for your fairness and understanding!

PRIVATE USAGE

I am a private fan and want to download photo files for my own viewing pleasure - can I do that?

Yes, please feel free to do so, but remember that any unauthorised publication (without our prior written permission) on websites or distribution on printed matter is an infringement of our copyrights.

Why do some preview thumbnails seem "dusty", blueish or dark? Will the print be the same?

Of course we clean the original slide before it is enlarged, but some of the low-resolution previews are made from Kodak slides which have different colour layers, and the preview scan software was not able to take out the dust nor the lack of brightness. The Kodak material was used until 1989 and still has a perfect quality but loses brightness over the years. Your ordered print will have the same brightness and saturation as a very good high-end scan or a handmade enlargement � an image made with passion and edited with scientific precision, which we would hang up on our own living room wall.

What can I do if I receive a photo which I haven´t ordered or if I am not happy with the result?

You can send it back at our costs within two weeks. Our aim is to fully satisfy every enthusiast´s imagination and give a fair value.

How long will it take until I receive my ordered prints?

Once a week we pass on the orders together with printable files to our laboratory as soon as the payment has been confirmed. After the photo has been printed in the specified size and delivered to us by courier it will be sent directly to your mailing address by DHL airmail in safe wrapping.

SECURITY

What is the meaning of Logout?

During the Login process to our online archive, after filling in your user name and password, our data server creates a unique so-called Session-ID for you. This is used in order to identify you as a fully registered and legal user during your visit in our shopping and archive system.
As per a click at the button "Logout" this Session-ID becomes invalid which means you have to log in again with your username and password.

I have not used the 'log out' button yet - why should I care?

Please do not worry, your data is safe with us. Only if you log in from an internet cafe or another public computer it is possible that a following user obtains knowledge about your session ID - just remember to leave the computer by logging out and prevent unexpected use of your account.

What is Schlegelmilch Photography doing for security?

Everybody can forget something sometimes... therefore the session ID will become invalid automatically after a specified time - the session timeout is set to 10 minutes inactivity.

I have already had bad experiences with credit card infringements - is your site safe?

Yes, we encrypt all data before transmission (SSL), only the most important data about you is stored. And of course we do not forward your personal information to third parties, only to our partners for delivery purposes referring to your order, e.g. to our laboratory if sent directly from there.