Being a specific branch of journalistic photography, sports photography requires that those who practice it have a good understanding of the sport they want to photograph, to know what the best angles and shots will be.
Steps
Step 1. Love sports
It doesn't make much sense to want to engage in this business for purely financial reasons. An enthusiastic sports photographer will find it much easier to capture the true essence of the sporting gesture because natural instinct will help recognize the moments that deserve to be immortalized.
Step 2. Prepare to be ambitious
Sports photography is competitive and requires both excellent photographic and human skills to work with the people who can help you get to the position from which the best shots can be taken.
- Improve your photographic skills. If you are a beginner, take a few courses to learn as many technical elements and special techniques as possible. If you can find a specific course on sports photography, so much the better.
- Improve your ability to interact with people. The best places that guarantee a great view of the action in professional sports are those where the best seats are, or the VIP sectors. If they allow you to stay in those areas, you will need to be very professional, discreet and courteous to the people around you.
Step 3. Practice your sports photo shooting skills by photographing amateur competitions of any sport
From ice hockey to football, swimming to horse riding, try out every sport you can to develop your skills and become versatile.
Start with a sport that is easier to photograph and move on to more difficult sports with time. For example, a sport in which there is less action is easier to start than one with quick and sudden movements. It is easier to photograph a rower than a goalkeeper, for example
Step 4. Make sure you have the right equipment
Invest in quality cameras and lenses. Sports photography requires that you use in many cases powerful telephoto lenses (they bring you closer to the subject), with very fast autofocus (to adapt to the movement). It is important that the lens has a very high aperture, in order to isolate the subject and not focus on the details of the background, to have a good response in case of rapid movements, and to have very fast shutter speeds allows you to freeze action.
Step 5. Create a portfolio of your best photos using photos from different sports
Consider making a print and a digital portfolio to post online. Always choose the best ones and discard the others, even the ones you are fond of (you can always look at them after you finish the job!). Show only the best of your skills. The portfolio should bring out your following skills:
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Your ability to capture movement
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Your ability to capture speed
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Your ability to recognize the moment that deserves to be immortalized, such as the suffering on the face of a goalkeeper who misses the ball, or the pain of a cyclist trapped under his bicycle after a fall, or the euphoria of the swimmer who for first reaches the wall of the pool with his hand and wins the race.
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Your ability to use the background or other elements that contribute to the big picture
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Your ability to capture the mood of the crowd.
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Step 6. Apply to work as a photographer at major newspapers, local magazines, websites, etc
and specify the specific fields of your interest in sports photography.
- It may be some time before you manage to land your dream job. If you have a bit of a streak working as an assistant, be grateful for the experience you can get and the suggestions you can get. You will reach your goal, with patience and skill.
- Read the wikiHow article on how to become a professional photographer.
Advice
- Print business cards with your name, your qualification as a sports photographer, and the web address of your website.
- A good sports photographer will be comfortable with indoor and outdoor sports, and night and day photography.
- It is always helpful to be a member of a local photography club when you decide to start a career as a sports photographer. You will make some useful connections, you will learn a lot, and you will have many opportunities to show your photos and receive constructive criticism.
- In some cases it will be of benefit to you to know how to play the sport in question, or even to be able to play a competition. The adventurous spirit can help - it can be easy, for example, to film a camel race if you're willing to ride one!
Warnings
- Sports photography is a job that involves many technical difficulties. Just pointing and shooting will not produce excellent results in the sports field: you know very well the photographic technique and know how your camera really works.
- If you want to practice photographing children, ask their coach first to find out if this is possible. Although the races are always easily accessible, do not violate their privacy by posting their photos on the internet without permission. In some countries it could be considered an invasion of privacy.
