I’m sure I’ll miss quite a bit here, but I thought some of you might benefit from insights if you’re looking to get into the professional side of Sports Photography. Here is my latest experience for a nationally ranked D1 Football Program.
Week before game: Receive email request to work the game. Work out details regarding media credentials, photo formats/size, frequency of shoot through email. Confirm spot in stadium media room for in-game processing. Client wants photos for media at arrival, each quarter, and post-game, and any major events immediately. 3x2 JPEGS only for in game, open to other crops following the game.
Day before game: Charge all batteries, clear all cards, pack up:
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Nikon z9 attached 70-200 f/2.8 for close-up work.
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Sony A1 attached 600 f/4 for cross-field work.
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Laptop for in-game processing. Portable mouse, charger, etc.
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Additional lenses in bag: Sony 400 f/2.8, Nikon 24-70 2.8, Sony 135 mm 1.8
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Two extra batteries for Sony (has the extended grip with 2 in). 1 extra Battery for z9.
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2 512gb CF-B’s for z9 in camera, two extras. 2 1920gb CF-A’s in camera for Sony, two extras.
Confirm upload location for in-game photos is live for the team’s media group.
Night Before Game: Lie awake debating 600 f/4 vs 400 2.8. I can’t decide this, so I use both in game.
Pre-Game: Arrive 3 hours early to set up in media room. Walk about a half mile from media parking carrying way too much stuff. Some people are smarter than I am and use pushcarts. Don’t drink too much water as bathroom breaks are few and far between.
Shooting begins, Capture:
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Team arrival off bus. Take about 200 photos. Head to media room pick 5, process and upload.
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Q1. Very early touchdown, run to media room, pick 2 photos, process upload. Return to field. 3 minutes before quarter ends, return to media room as opposing team is on offence. Process 5 photos, upload.
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Q2. More of the same. Lots of touchdowns in this one and lots of running back and forth to the media room.
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Halftime. Have a couple of minutes to breathe. Process 5-10 photos, upload, return to field 2 minutes before kick-off to catch team coming back on field.
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Q3. More of the same.
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Q4. More of the same.
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Postgame: My team wins. Photographing celebrations, walk-offs, fans, etc. Run to media room, send the best 5-10 of the postgame immediately. Start processing the other photos thereafter about 4 hours in total after processing. (I keep a notebook on a fly-fishing cable in game to write down the best photos of each set of shots to help this part speed up.)
Next Day:
- Receive call asking for player specific adds inside 1 hour. Provide 8 photos of the players.
Totals:
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8,000+ actual photos. The Z9 and A1 shoot exceptionally fast and I tend to be on the high side.
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100-120 finals provided.
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15,000 steps.
Overall: An absolute riot to shoot football this way IF you don’t mind chaos and crazy speed.
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I’m curious - why is it so poorly paid? You’d think something so demanding - especially on the gear side i.e. expensive high-end gear only - would pay well. It’s not like there’s no money in sports.
I’ve always wondered how many pictures those gameday photographers took. This is awesome!
Have you ever shot golf ? Is the A1 fast enough so that can capture golf club mid swing or ball immediately post impact ?
Can you give a rough range of compensation for that amount of work?
As someone who has shot for a D1 program, all this tracks, but:
Night Before Game: Lie awake debating 600 f/4 vs 400 2.8. I can’t decide this, so I use both in game.
that one really hit hard. Happens to me all the time.
Great read
Fun one, thanks for posting.
Thank you for sharing! I’ve taken photos for a few boxing matches as an amateur and I too enjoyed reading this!
Wow, I shoot US T&F and thought 3000 photos was a bunch. I have to shoot RAW so processing time is hard between downloading and then uploading and the director wanting the tape break shots instantly and me with an hour drive home. It’s hectic but nothing like you do.
As someone who just two two high school’s games focusing on one player. There is no way I could do that as a profession. The chaos is insane. I can’t image having to run back and forth to get photos to them. God forbid while you were uploading you missed an important shot.
Honestly the in-game shots are mostly for preset graphics which are sent each quarter online. The teams will use old photos if they have to, and you can generally get the feel of the game’s situation to limit the risk. It is generally understood you won’t catch every moment, and, the games are televised so they can revert to video as well. I’ve heard many crowd eruptions when in the team room processing photos and not lost sleep over it.
Thanks for the great write-up! I’ve done some amateur sports photography with my A7IV - do you typically use the continuous shooting modes the whole game or ever go to single shot? I feel like I get better quality (sharper?) photos from single-shot, but I miss the perfect timing more often. Obviously burst mode is great because it lets you choose the right instant while editing.
Been a pro photog for 22 years. Originally got into it for sports, but it didn’t work out. How much do you make?
This was interesting to read because I just photographed my first ice hockey game and fell completely in love with it. Now, I dream of a career as a sports photographer :D
It’s super addictive and fun! The nice part is you can do it part time if you’re not wanting a wholesale change.
yeah, I enjoy it because there’s always something happening, especially in ice hockey!
Sports photography is SO cool, I tried it in MotoGP and at a rally, I noticed so badly that I need more lenses, especially if you are like 50-100 meter away from the action.
Is there a reason why you use a Nikon? I read it’s AF isn’t great compared to Sony and Canon, especially for sports.
I was historically Nikon for 20 years. Moved to Sony due to issues with Nikon as a company. There cameras are good, though I’m now much happier with moth Sony.
Awesome writeup! As a hobby sports photographer myself, shooting mostly handball and have had similar turnovers for national team games. The thrill is fun. Next week have 3 day competition with 3 games a day. Can’t wait the exhaustion!
Wanted to ask whether you shoot RAW or JPG?
RAW as lighting is often suspect. JPG is great for sports for the turnaround but you have less control over the final if conditions aren’t ideal. I’m NOT anti jpg and would suggest most photogs use it for sports.
Could the Nikon 400mm 2.8 be something for you? Because you wrote you couldn’t decide between 400 & 600. You would nearly cover both lenses inside one.
And how long do you need for processing mid game? I presume you shoot JPGs? So how does your editing look mid game and after game?
I ordered the 400 2.8 from Nikon at its release. Months later, they couldn’t ship or provide updates so I moved to Sony. Not sure if Nikon is better now. I actually shoot RAW to maintain more control of the light and run about 1-2 minutes per photo processing on the long side. If I’m particular about the shot and don’t have to crop I can run them in 30 seconds. This requires a super fast laptop that ran the same price as my cameras.