Sports Photographers

The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment of photographers overall will decline by 6 percent through 2028. The outlook is not good for those who work for news publishers, with about 33 percent employment decline predicted in the coming years. Self-employed photographers will do best, with 10 percent job growth expected through 2028. The coronavirus pandemic has caused most sports competitions to be cancelled or postponed, reducing the demand for sports photographers and related professionals. As games and matches resume and the pandemic comes to an end at some point in 2021, there will be increased need for sports photographers. In general, talented and experienced sports photographers will continue to be needed by popular media outlets and top-selling newspapers and magazines, but competition will continue to be intense for this work. Sports photographers who have a varied portfolio, are experienced with the latest digital camera equipment, and have a mastery of digital photo editing software and capturing digital video will have the best job prospects.