>Given your comments about how little you've made, this begs the question:
>Why would anyone DO sports photography for a living, especially given the
>hideously expen$ive gear sports photographers have to use to stay
>competitive?
Good question. It's kinda like a husband/wife that decide that she needs
to go back to work after the second child is born inorder to make financial
ends meet. By the time you figure in automobile costs, child care, higher
tax bracket, lunches, clothes, maid, etc., etc., she is either making less
than $1.20 per hour or actually going backwards. (Please, no flame
war--this was what happened to us a couple years ago).
Same with professional photography. Few sports photographers "own" their
own equipment. They are buying their big lenses the same way we buy cars
and houses--only with higher interest rates. One thing has changed in
their favor the past year or two--digital photography. With a digital
camera, laptop and cellphone-modem they have reduced the costs of runners,
film/processing and FedEx. Unfortunately there is more competetition than
ever and publications/newspapers are paying less than ever. A stringer
for, say, Associated Press might make $200 for an image that makes
nationwide distribution. A unique and high demand photo such as Dennis
Rodman NOT getting into trouble might draw a bit more. Poster sales don't
come very often and you run into all sorts of trademark issues so sports
stock photography is a specialized and brutal business.
There is an increasing number of part-time sports photographers. These
include school teachers that shoot during summer months, self-employed
computer geeks, etc. The bulk of sports photographers are young, college
grads, and living a dream while they can, hoping for their big financial
break that may or may not come. I think they all end up, eventually, as
art directors.
Ken Norton
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