Sports Photographers - How do you get paid?

[CNCO]

I am just wondering how sports photographers get paid. Do you paid per image? Do you get paid per game? How much?

 

[CCericola]

Depends on who hired you and what your contract says.

 

[SnapLocally]

Yep, what CC said. It's all situation dependent.

I've been hired by boxing and MMA promoters to shoot fights for an agreed on amount, and that's my pay. Sometimes I'll make money on the back end as well by selling pics to the fighters (I sell entire collections) if there was nothing stipulating that only the promoter reserves the right to sell the shots. On occasion I may sell an image to a magazine as well. There's also been a few occasions where websites have purchased some work as well. On one occasion I caught a Canadian boxing promotion using my work without permission, and they compensated me fairly for their "oversight".

Anyhow, I leave things open to how I get paid as to maximize profits. I'm not a fan of pay-per-image online stores, because 1) if you offer someone an opportunity to only spend $10 they often will; 2) people will steal watermarked images for Facebook, which is where 99% of images will end up; 3) different uses require different pricing.

 

[JDaves]

If your in a small area it will be shoot and pray. The best way to get your foot in the door for game or event sales is to bid on the teams picture day sessions. when you deliver the packages you send a letter and maybe a sample to each parent.

Market your goods. Ask permission (always ask permission)to hang a banner and give out business cards.

I still remember my first sale, $1 for a 4x6 action shot of a High School Softball game. Back then I was the only photog within 30 miles with a digital camera, now every mom has a rebel and trying to put you out of business.

Hanag in there, follow your dream.

 

[Sam6644]

I'm on staff at a newspaper, so the sports I shoot for them are part of my weekly hours.

When I've shot stuff freelance it's a pre-game agreed upon flat rate. I get paid for the game, or I don't shoot.

As said above, if you give people an opportunity to go cheap on you, they will. There's no way in hell I'd shoot a whole football or basketball game and only make $20 or $30 off of it.

Other than that, I base that flat rate off of the time commitment at the actual game, then maybe I'll work something else into it if it's an outdoor sport and the weather is bad. Then there's more money if I'm supposed to edit the photos and write full cutlines for them and whatnot... if so, that's going to cost more. There's a handful of variables, I guess.

All in all - when I shoot freelance, it's flat rate or nothing and it costs more depending on how much work is required of me.

 

[Formatted]

As Sam6644 says you can shoot for a team or for a paper. But these links take time to work up, you can't just walk into a local paper and offer your services as I guarantee they've already got 20 people on a waiting list.

You've got to start small, your not going to get accreditation to a big event on your own, so start off in lower leagues. I've applied for my football league media pass, and I'll sell my images through Alamy, to start off with, meet some fellow photogs and get some contacts in the local papers.

When it comes to sports photography there is no quick fix, no "that will do mentality" and defiantly no excuse to skimp on your gear.

 

[CNCO]

right now i am currently shooting minor league hockey. basically i get all access anywhere i want(i was behind the players one game - which sucked because they kept standing up and doing line changes). i dont really get paid for this, im suppose to get $ from the images they sell but not many people are into minor league sports. i take images, keep them for personal use. i also take the images and give them to the team for their website and also load the images onto facebook. fans are taking images left n right for free. i know i know, but i have to start somewhere. next year i am going to tell them 2500$ for the season which includes 25 home games and whatever we sell. i want to sell them on smug mug. this also helps me get noticed because as players get called up, they are being viewed by other leagues. i have reached out to photographers in the business and have been told nice work.

what is the average price for a game?

view brianciancio's Photos | SmugMug

 

[CNCO]

what also bothers me is that any fan can come in with any camera n take pics. now everyone is taking images with a dslr camera. the only thing i can rely on is my ability to take photos and be dynamic. if you look at my images you will see that i move around very often to capture that moment at the right angle that others do not.

 

[Sam6644]

Average price per game depends greatly on a lot of things.

The biggest thing being what it's going to be used for and if you're going to retain the rights to the images.

In a situation where I'd just be shooting, not editing, no writing – just shooting and handing off some files, I'd personally start my quote in the $100-120 per game for editorial use clients (newspapers, blogs, websites, etc.). I'd also take into consideration how often they plan to have me shoot for them. If it's a one or two time deal, I'd probably add to the price a little bit.

Pricing can be quite a game in itself... I definitely don't have it perfected and I wont begin to lie to you and say I don't base a fair amount of my pricing based on "feel" for the event and client.

 

[Kenny32]

Good thing about the college newspaper I work for is that I have a stipend. So twice a semester I get a pretty nice check in the mail. Plus I get travel expenses that are about mileage plus one half...Again, being on staff is AWESOME

When I do freelance it's on a per game basis. I have sold individual shots for a flat fee to newspapers before, but I don't like to do that...

Depending on your portfolio, you can really get anywhere from $50 to over $300 per game depending on who you shoot for. You have to establish your contacts, shake some hands, give out your business cards...Even though I'm still in college, I rarely have to work for free anymore...If I do it's because it's an unbelievable opportunity on a big stage that I can't pass up...And I also like to do charity work on occasion to make myself sleep easier at night and also get the additional contacts...

It's not an easy business, that's for sure...A lot of research and hard work has to be done to be successful.

 

[dnavarrojr]

Most of my "editorial" stuff is sold through Microstock and it's an excuse to get out of the house and shoot something (practice, practice, practice).

I did get the attention of a local college football coach who liked my stuff and gave me a media pass for the remainder of the season in exchange for pics. I have also sold quite a few to area newspapers who didn't send any photographers of their own (our biggest local newspaper fired all but two of their photographers and handed out P&S cameras to the reporters). I also make it a point to shoot video and I've sold video to local media outlets as well.

Primarily I've been doing it for practice and network opportunities. I'm now being paid to shoot stills at local hockey games for a radio station (they use them on their web site for promotions) and I'm talking with a local team about shooting video of all their games this spring and summer at a flat rate per game.

 

[Formatted]

You have to establish your contacts, shake some hands, give out your business cards...Even though I'm still in college, I rarely have to work for free anymore...If I do it's because it's an unbelievable opportunity on a big stage that I can't pass up..

Why do you work for free? If you work for free your giving them something for nothing, and they'll abuse it. No opportunity is worth getting walked over.

 

[Kenny32]

You have to establish your contacts, shake some hands, give out your business cards...Even though I'm still in college, I rarely have to work for free anymore...If I do it's because it's an unbelievable opportunity on a big stage that I can't pass up..

Why do you work for free? If you work for free your giving them something for nothing, and they'll abuse it. No opportunity is worth getting walked over.

Like I said, it's either an incredible opportunity, or charity (they CAN'T pay, but they really need some photos)

Examples: One of my good contacts asked me to shoot a Boston University hockey game for him. He, of course, offered me money which I accepted...But I also thought to myself, if he said he couldn't pay me, I'd be down for going for free because that opportunity isn't going to come every day. The deal ended up falling through because the other event he was getting hired for ending up getting canceled...But I know that since I've helped this guy out in the past, he will offer me opportunities in the future.

Second example is a friend came to me and said he had a friend that ran a non-profit organization where they took kids in the community and taught them music (instrumental, singing, etc). I happened to be doing absolutely nothing on the day of their performance so it wasn't a huge deal, and I ended up making some money off of the parents...And I've gotten a few referrals from him for portraits because he knows a lot of people.

I don't do it very often, but sometimes it's necessary...

 

[Sam6644]

I turned down shooting a giant tennis tournament here in Cincinnati this past summer because the person who contacted me had no money.

Had I realized how big the tournament was at the time, I probably would have done it for free or in trade for something.

I work for free on extreeeemly rare occasions, but like Kenny said, sometimes the "opportunity" is worth your time. Sometimes the shoot will introduce you to a lot of important people, or get you a lot of exposure in a new market.

 

[MichiganFarts]

I'm guessing check, money order, or cash. Maybe some can run credit or debit, but if I was to guess...probably check and cash is most common.