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Archive 2013 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.

  
 
kris416
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.


Nice post! I actually have an extremely similar story, but my first gig (which has lead to it being an every weekend during the winter gig) wasn't AS demanding as your requirements! Still back breaking and I typically work 10-12 hours Saturdays for $250 plus gas money if I travel outside the city. Sundays are 6-8 hours for $200 or $250.

Of course people will frown upon our work/pay ratio. I do too a bit, but as you said it's a decent pay for a looong days work. In Canada, I think sports photography is hard to make a living out of. Our system is so much different from that of the American system where sports here is treated as mostly recreational and peanuts for funding whereas in America sports is an investment and a business.




Sep 18, 2013 at 03:10 PM
SargentRay
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.


Kell wrote:
great pictures, just way too much for me to read


I understand, i have a tendency to go on for pages on end, i'll try to improve that :-)



Sep 18, 2013 at 11:23 PM
SargentRay
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.


kris416 wrote:
Nice post! I actually have an extremely similar story, but my first gig (which has lead to it being an every weekend during the winter gig) wasn't AS demanding as your requirements! Still back breaking and I typically work 10-12 hours Saturdays for $250 plus gas money if I travel outside the city. Sundays are 6-8 hours for $200 or $250.

Of course people will frown upon our work/pay ratio. I do too a bit, but as you said it's a decent pay for a looong days work. In Canada, I think sports photography is hard to make a living out
...Show more

yup that's how i see things too, i mean i'd love to have 750$/day but it's just not going to happen. So many guys try to make it as sports shooters there's always more than one photographer at every soccer game trying to sell something to the parents. By mid season folks are so fed up and they simply don't have any money left to give away for a nice glossy 8x10. That's why the boss tries hard to keep his prices low, but by doing so of course in the end the quality isn't the same.

As for sports here i suppose it's the same thing in Ontario, for the last 20 or 25 years soccer has "eaten" away a lot of the other sports. Although i completely understand the reasons; less violent, less expensive, shorter season than hockey and all that i have to say it is harder and harder to shoot anything else. Here in my little suburb for instance there are so few kids who want to play football once at the bantam level many years there is only one team, and so little players they accept everybody that shows up at spring camp. Many of those who start the season will miss games and practices to go play soccer since many play both sports. Baseball is simply absent in my area, there are a few struggling little leagues in Montreal but not many. Most baseball or football fields have been converted to soccer fields. Or are being used for both sports. There is so many lines on the fields it is confusing for everybody. I always find it odd too, to see football posts behind the soccer nets...

I have to say we had great sports years in Montreal after the 1976 olympics, it lasted a good 10 years or so, but it eventually died down. Nowadays mots adults go the the gym, you know everybody having their own little routine on the treadmill and their own private coach . Nothing wrong with that of course, but the price to pay for that is seing less and less team sports. There is also a big trend here: Cross training, it seems to be very challenging for the athletes, but man is it ever boring to watch. I went to one competition once, i didn't feel once i should have brought my camera, just to say how interesting i found the show.



Sep 18, 2013 at 11:39 PM
Rick Denham
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.


SargentRay wrote:
10-) Always have personal business cards with you on every assignments, never know who you're going to meet


REALLY! From what I gathered from your post, you work for other people as a photographer shooting minor sports around the area. If I was the person who hired you, and found out you passed along one of your personal business cards to someone, it would be your last gig you worked for me.

As for the comments on your pay, it's the business and it's how stuff rolls in Canada! $150/day is avg for event shooters, so it is what it is.



Sep 20, 2013 at 09:18 AM
SargentRay
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.


Rick Denham wrote:
REALLY! From what I gathered from your post, you work for other people as a photographer shooting minor sports around the area. If I was the person who hired you, and found out you passed along one of your personal business cards to someone, it would be your last gig you worked for me.

As for the comments on your pay, it's the business and it's how stuff rolls in Canada! $150/day is avg for event shooters, so it is what it is.


Hmm yes indeed i suppose it could be viewed like that, but so far it's not what happened. Some people recognize me from seeing me on football fields and want to know if i would also do action shots for their teams. I say "yes gimme a call" and hand out one of my cards, to be honest none have called back so far. Most times when i talk to people either before i start or during a rare occasional break getting something to eat at the canteen, folks will come up to me and ask all sorts of questions about sports photography, you know they think the "pro" will have this one magic trick to allow them to take fantastic pictures. I always try to be polite and invite them to check out the 2 local forums i attend. If the person seems interested i hand out a card too and some of them in the last year or so joined or virtual community and a couple have become personal friends.

I work for 3 regular guys; Guy, Claude-André and James. All sports shooters and all doing big tournaments which i am not equipped to do. I often refer clients to them as soon as i find out the gig is out of my lead, by the same token they will refer clients my way who have little one or two game stuff to do. Not enough money in it for them or they already have a gig lined up on the same date.

last year i did a soccer tournament with guy, it was a 3 day event, photos were taken the first 2 days and on the 3rd day shots were sold under several tents scattered on different fields. I went to meet Guy on the 3rd day to get my paycheck and while we were talking this lady came to us explaining her son couldn't play for the first 2 days so she had no pictures of her kid. Guy was trying to explain he had no shooters on hand that he was sorry. Then i intervened and told Guy i had my stuff in the car. He said do you mind taking a few shots, you can work it out between you 2 ? I said no problem and i went and got my rig and took maybe 50 shots (in RAW for once) of the kid. Gave my card to the lady and showed her the shots through my web site the next day. She bought 3 11x14in prints plus a CD of the best 15 shots or so. I made another 150$ for 20 minutes of shooting and everybody was happy especially since i got the prints done at Guy's lab to start with.

So i understand what you're saying but the goal is really not to steal any of Guy's clientèle, but ore to get everybody working in their own field of expertise, besides Guy is well aware i hand out my cards on occasions, but this only once i have handed out Guy's leaflets when i take the group shots.

As for the daily rate, then i suppose i am lucky to get 300$/day when i work. Personally i am happy i don't work for nothing anymore, i mean like many i started to do action shots with my kids football team. Showing the parents the pictures on the iPad or sacrificing a few of them after the games on the teams FB page. it didn't take long before i started getting orders for prints. This is why 2 years later some parents recognize me on soccer fields since many players play bot sports.

Once i retire i'll have a choice to make; either continue doing sports shooting for theses guys or go solo and do exactly what they do. I spoke with Guy about the possibilities of teaming up with him when that time comes. He's not against the idea hoping he could have more free time by taking an associate. We'll see in 3 years :-)

Here's one of the shots i sold the lady, she was very happy :-)
1-)



Sep 20, 2013 at 10:44 AM
markedman
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.


Interesting story on the "glamorous " life of a freelance photographer.
After 13+ years of doing this I have learned:
1. Good help is VERY hard to find.
2. You have to be a little nuts to do this for a living.
3. Time is the enemy - efficiency is vital to make money.
4. If it was easy - everyone would do it.
5. Leave your ego at home.
6. Have a proven method to get consistent shots of everyone.
7. Do more than the "other" photographer.
8. Be friendly. Interact with your subjects ( the ones with the money). Be sure they know who you are.
9. Don't under value your work/lower prices - give more VALUE.
!0. Encourage a team effort. Praise good work.
11. Get out of your comfort zone. Try different events that don't get much attention. Big or small. You never know. Could be a new revenue source with little competition.
12. Every event will teach you something.
13. Weather will be bad and things will go wrong. Learn from it Live to fight another day.




Sep 30, 2013 at 08:58 AM
John Patrick
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.


14. Things break, bring a spare. Of everything.



Oct 01, 2013 at 07:15 PM
Jefferson
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.


Some track shots in morning light ... some paddock shots at lunch ... hanging out in vendor tents with a grill ... bar ... and games .... and getting shots of chance ... girls and cool cars passing by ... etc., 'till light is good again ... then back to track shots ... then home ... a couple cold ones ... my grill ... and look to see if I got any decent shots ...


Repeat as needed ...

And don't call me "SportsShooter" ...



Oct 01, 2013 at 07:36 PM
SargentRay
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.


markedman wrote:
Interesting story on the "glamorous " life of a freelance photographer.
After 13+ years of doing this I have learned:
1. Good help is VERY hard to find.
2. You have to be a little nuts to do this for a living.
3. Time is the enemy - efficiency is vital to make money.
4. If it was easy - everyone would do it.
5. Leave your ego at home.
6. Have a proven method to get consistent shots of everyone.
7. Do more than the "other" photographer.
8. Be friendly. Interact with your subjects ( the ones with the money). Be sure they know who you are.
9. Don't
...Show more

Dude i love the way you put it. I agree on every point. I still got a lot to learn no doubt but it all resonates deep inside. Thanks for your input :-)



Oct 01, 2013 at 07:51 PM
SargentRay
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · A day in the life of a sports shooter.


Jefferson wrote:
Some track shots in morning light ... some paddock shots at lunch ... hanging out in vendor tents with a grill ... bar ... and games .... and getting shots of chance ... girls and cool cars passing by ... etc., 'till light is good again ... then back to track shots ... then home ... a couple cold ones ... my grill ... and look to see if I got any decent shots ...

Repeat as needed ...

And don't call me "SportsShooter" ...



not a sportShooter hey ? Seems to me one has to be in pretty good shape to be able to follow you just for one day Jefferson.

Thanks for dropping by, now i want a cold one myself for some reason :-)



Oct 01, 2013 at 07:53 PM
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