Sports Photographers

Employers

Sports photographers work for newspapers, sports magazines, Web sites, social media sites, sports card companies, photo stock agencies, and wire services. Like many other types of photographers, sports photographers are often self-employed and sell their photos to various sources for use in print and online publications. Approximately 64 percent of photographers are self-employed. 

Starting Out

Beginning a career in photography can be an uphill battle. The equipment and materials are expensive, a great deal of risk and competition is involved in getting the right photo, and the pay may not be enough to support the photographer's craft. For this reason, many photographers hold other jobs in related fields, such as journalism or editing, and shoot pictures on the side. Others start out as assistants to experienced photographers in order to hone their skills. 

Starting out, the photographer's main responsibilities should be to build a portfolio and make contacts in the area in which they would like to publish work. College internships with newspapers or magazines are a great way to accomplish both these tasks. An internship with a newspaper or sports magazine is a good way to meet potential employers and build a body of work.