Sports photographers snap all types of sports photographs, including individual portraits, team photos, sporting events, action shots, fitness modeling and more. Some specialize in a specific sport, and others can cover a range of sports, including basketball, baseball, football, gymnastics, martial arts, hockey, tennis, track and field, soccer, swimming, and dance. Athletes may be at any level in their sport and any age, from youth to seniors. Photos can be for editorial use, personal use, print or catalog advertising, or websites. Several factors affect the cost of sports photography.
Sports photographers who have worked with famous athletes or those with a strong reputation and long career often charge higher rates than those just starting out in the field. The geographic location of a pro can also affect their rates. Photographers in regions with a higher cost of living generally charge more for services.
Some sports photographers charge an hourly rate for their services. The rate may include some post-production work (retouching), or it may solely be for photographing the event or game. Don't hesitate to ask questions to make sure you understand what services are provided at what rate. Here are two examples of average hourly rates:
Many sports photographers offer on-site services in half- or full-day pricing bundles. A package deal can give clients a discount from the photographer's usual hourly rate, ensure more coverage of their sporting event or a more extensive photo shoot and can benefit the professional by consolidating work with one client. With Dunivant Photography, clients receive increased hourly savings for longer package deals:
Some photographers specialize in sports portraits and fitness modeling as an element of their work. Often these photo shoots are on location (yoga studio, swimming pool) to best showcase the athlete. Costs for portrait sessions can vary depending on the city, photographer background and more. For example, Keith Photography in Washington, D.C., charges a $395 starting rate for portrait sessions.
Sports photographers can also be hired to shoot a sporting event. As with taking team portraits, they will travel to the game's location, but will take action shots instead of posed photographs. Generally, the photographer will charge an hourly rate, ranging from $50 to $300 on average or more, depending on the length of the assignment, the photographer's skill and experience, and the type of sporting event. For a complex event like a tournament, it may be more cost-effective to ask for a daily rate or half-day rate. For four to eight hours of action photography, the costs tends to range from $500 to $3,000 on average, or more.
Alternatively, some sports photographers offer a per-game photo fee, such as $150 or $200 to shoot one high-school football game. They may also include a disk with all of the digital images on it as part of the fee. They may also offer a sports package to cover several games, such as a high school's homecoming game and playoffs; the package may include a print for each player as well as a coach's gift photo. This type of package typically costs about $500. Some photographers will assemble a music slideshow of the best images on disc; expect this to cost about $50 for one copy.
Before the day of the event, be sure to go over your list of desired shots with the photographer. Provide a list of the photographs you absolutely want to have. For example, at a baseball tournament, you may want a shot of each player at bat as well as each player in the field, plus shots of the winning teams receiving trophies.
Not every professional photographer is the right person to shoot a sporting event or even take team portraits. Before hiring a photographer, follow these top 5 tips for finding the best match for the job:
For more, check out our tips for smart hiring.
Photography is not just taking photos. It involves setting up the shoot properly, retouching images and perfecting final outcomes. Instead of charging one high rate, some sports photographers break down costs for different services to give customers options and make their pricing more transparent. Here are a few average pricing examples for add-on services:
Brathwaite Photography
Dunivant Photography
Photographers who use higher-grade cameras and lighting equipment typically charge higher rates to help cover their overhead for equipment and insurance. In general, better equipment also results in a higher-quality photo outcome, which is worth the extra cost. Prices for professional cameras range from about $1,500 at the entry level to well into the tens of thousands. Lenses and other equipment are also very expensive. It's critical that sports photographers have the right gear to capture the action, however. Fast action games and other sports require a camera capable of high frame-per-second (fps) shooting.
Many photographers shooting digital images will post their digital contact sheets to a private site (including watermarks to prevent people from downloading and printing them at home), then allow customers to access them. Customers can preview the prints and choose just their favorite shots to order as stand-alone prints, in bundles, or even assembled into high-quality hardcover photo books.
Of course, physical prints of photos increase total costs. Depending on the quality and size of the print, prices can range greatly. Here are some examples:
Dunivant Photography:
Brathwaite Photography
Many sports photographers offer a variety of packages that include different sizes of player portraits plus a team photo and additional products. The cost of the packages largely depends on the number of photos ordered, and ranges from $10 to $50, on average.
In addition to prints, most sports photographers offer a range of products that can have a player's image printed on them collectible mugs, refrigerator magnets, buttons, keychains, calendars and more. These products are usually ordered along with the prints as part of a bundled package.
Some photographers charge a travel fee for arriving at sporting events or photo shoot sites to cover additional time and transportation expenses. For example, Dunivant Photography charges $60 per hour for travel time exceeding 30 minutes in either direction, measured in 10-minute increments at $6 each.