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:

  1. Nikon z9 attached 70-200 f/2.8 for close-up work.

  2. Sony A1 attached 600 f/4 for cross-field work.

  3. Laptop for in-game processing. Portable mouse, charger, etc.

  4. Additional lenses in bag: Sony 400 f/2.8, Nikon 24-70 2.8, Sony 135 mm 1.8

  5. Two extra batteries for Sony (has the extended grip with 2 in). 1 extra Battery for z9.

  6. 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:

  1. Team arrival off bus. Take about 200 photos. Head to media room pick 5, process and upload.

  2. 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.

  3. Q2. More of the same. Lots of touchdowns in this one and lots of running back and forth to the media room.

  4. 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.

  5. Q3. More of the same.

  6. Q4. More of the same.

  7. 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:

  1. Receive call asking for player specific adds inside 1 hour. Provide 8 photos of the players.

Totals:

  1. 8,000+ actual photos. The Z9 and A1 shoot exceptionally fast and I tend to be on the high side.

  2. 100-120 finals provided.

  3. 15,000 steps.

Overall: An absolute riot to shoot football this way IF you don’t mind chaos and crazy speed.

  • troddingalong@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Thank you for sharing! I’ve taken photos for a few boxing matches as an amateur and I too enjoyed reading this!

  • jeeperjalop@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Great read and thanks for posting! Go through something similar with car racing pics but you’re way more efficient :)

  • giraffejiujitsu@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    How much were you paid for your endeavor? I have no interest in shooting stadium sports - but learning more about pricing models vs work volume interests me greatly.

  • i_drink_corona@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Interesting write up - wild on the turn around times. I never had to do that, but have done FTP transfer in the field from my selects to a server which an editor who sorted things out from there.

    Why do you run the Sony and Nikon set ups and not just invest in one lens ecosystem?

    I run an A1 and an A9 for the minimal rolling shutter, good autofocus, and highburst rates. It’s a good combo.

    I don’t do sport (much) but work in another fairly high-speed industry.

  • wizzzapizzza@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Thanks for this great post! Love to hear the process as someone that wants to get more into sports photography! Do you have any hints or tips you’d be willing to share?

    • BlacksmithM@alien.topOPBEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      Get out there and start doing it. Volunteer for high school or less sought after sports initially. Use the highest shutter speed you are capable of with a reasonable ISO. I shoot soccer at 1/5000 in daytime at an ISO of 250-500. I start lowering shutter as needed to keep ISO under 2000 and start ti be more picky about shots that don’t require the faster speeds. Makes for a great game catalogue. You can have much higher ISO and get away with it but lower is always better when possible.

  • Frobombs@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    I shoot just kids sports (lax and football) and can relate to the number of shots. My daughters last lax tournament I shot around 2000 frames, this is for 9 year olds. My wife thinks Im nuts, but its so much fun!

  • bradleysballs@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    When I shot college basketball, I would use a function in my Canon to “star” my selects as I shot them. When I’d go into Lightroom at halftime I could quickly filter to just my selects

  • H0RIZ0NMEDIA@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    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

    • BlacksmithM@alien.topOPBEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      It’s super addictive and fun! The nice part is you can do it part time if you’re not wanting a wholesale change.

  • Flor_blad@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    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?

    • BlacksmithM@alien.topOPBEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      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.

  • FlightOfTheDiscords@alien.top
    BEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    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.

  • capn_untsahts@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    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.

  • WillSmiff@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Been a pro photog for 22 years. Originally got into it for sports, but it didn’t work out. How much do you make?