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Job outlook for sports photographers in the United States
Are sports photographer jobs in demand?
Sports photographer job and salary trends over time
Sports photographer jobs over time
Sports photographer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 263 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 285 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 347 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 340 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 338 | 0.00% |
Average sports photographer salary over time
Sports photographer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $27,958 | $13.44 | +13.8% |
| 2024 | $24,572 | $11.81 | +6.7% |
| 2023 | $23,028 | $11.07 | +4.6% |
| 2022 | $22,005 | $10.58 | --4.6% |
| 2021 | $23,075 | $11.09 | +7.4% |
Sports photographer jobs by state
Most common states for sports photographers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 11 | 2% |
| 2 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 61 | 1% |
| 3 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 55 | 1% |
| 4 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 42 | 1% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 29 | 1% |
| 6 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 29 | 1% |
| 7 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 16 | 1% |
| 8 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 11 | 1% |
| 9 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 11 | 1% |
| 10 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 8 | 1% |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 7 | 1% |
| 12 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 7 | 1% |
| 13 | Vermont | 623,657 | 4 | 1% |
| 14 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 56 | 0% |
| 15 | New York | 19,849,399 | 43 | 0% |
| 16 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 17 | 0% |
| 17 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 14 | 0% |
| 18 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 5 | 0% |
| 19 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 3 | 0% |
| 20 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 2 | 0% |
Sports Photographer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of sports photographer experts
Michigan State University
Georgia State University
Murray State University
Birmingham-Southern College
Columbia College Chicago
George Fox University
Johnson County Community College
Peter Glendinning
W.J. Beal Distinguished ProfessorMichigan State University
Fine And Studio Arts
What general advice would you give to a Sports Photographer?
Peter Glendinning: More photographs are made in 2 minutes today than were made in the first 20 years of
the medium's existence, from 1839-1859, but the markets for professional photography are endlessly greater today than they were at the beginning as well. While everyone with a mobile phone camera can make photographs, it has raised the awareness that there
is a big difference between professionally made images and amateur ones. A photographer who can demonstrate their expertise is as much in demand today as at any time in the medium's history.
What Sports Photographer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Peter Glendinning: In my experience, people like being a photographer for reasons that often have to do with what they like doing in life, what their personality is, what their passions outside of photography are. The "people person," the "quiet poet," the "analytical type," and more, all can find a field in photography that suits them well, whether fashion photography, landscape photography, architectural photography or other. Someone who is lazy, disorganized, feels they already know everything, undisciplined, lacking in courage, will probably not like this field.
What will help Sports Photographers increase their earning potential?
Peter Glendinning: More photographs are made in 2 minutes today than were made in the first 20 years of the medium's existence, from 1839-1859, but the markets for professional photography are endlessly greater today than they were at the beginning as well. While everyone with a mobile phone camera can make photographs, it has raised the awareness that there is a big difference between professionally made images and amateur ones. A photographer who can demonstrate their expertise is as much in demand today as at any time in the medium's history.
What general advice would you give to a Sports Photographer?
Paul Runyon Sr.: The single most important thing that young photographers should do is to develop a good network of other photographers and industry professionals. Photography is a small field and having good working relationships is critical to success in the field. The importance of this cannot be overstated. In addition to the development of good networks the following list includes the other key things that we tell our young graduates to work on.
Build a strong portfolio.
Invest in quality equipment.
Develop a business mindset.
Market yourself effectively.
Keep learning and evolving.
What skills stand out on Sports Photographer resumes?
Jill Frank: The ability to use all camera functions and fully understand the tools, both analog and digital. Having an artistic vision and creative drive that makes your portfolio unique and memorable. Confidence with lighting, managing large photoshoots, awareness of the current trends in photography, ability to handle deadlines and difficult situations.
What soft skills should all Sports Photographers possess?
Jill Frank: Listening, being observant, trusting your vision. It is always important to work well in teams and have the patience to be a good collaborator.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Sports Photographers?
Jill Frank: There is an expectation that material and technique are mastered. For example, if you want to photograph an event at night, you should know how to handle the resolution, the iso, the lighting, the speed of the shutter, etc., so that the images work for their intended purpose. If you are not ready to handle the technical elements, you are not ready for the photoshoot.
What skills will help Sports Photographers earn the most?
Jill Frank: This is probably too abstract a question for the field of art, but I will try my best: the better you are at taking photographs and marketing yourself & the better you are at moving seamlessly across different media and speaking to the relevant issues, the greater your success will be.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Sports Photographers?
Michelle Burdine: If I looked at the history of economic downturns to guide me for this answer, I would have to say yes. However, our current situation is different, giving some reason to hope that our economy will bounce back more quickly than in the past. Despite the myth of the isolated genius artist, toiling alone in his studio, the arts are, at their core, about engagement. A vast majority of careers in the arts rely on public interaction, many of which are not possible, or not best experienced, via video. My hope, then, is that we continue to mask-up and stay distant until we reach herd immunity. With the vaccine, this could be as early as late summer 2021. If this happens, the impact will significantly lessen for graduates in the arts, as communities will be eager to get back into a social routine which includes the arts. It's actually easy for me to imagine a creative boom to balance the stifling isolation of life during this pandemic. My optimism, however, hinges on reaching herd immunity before we are overrun by new variants, in which case we could slide back to square one. A potential upside is that business may be looking to hire new employees at wages that would be manageable for recent graduates, but not for their more-experienced competition.
What soft skills should all Sports Photographers possess?
Pamela Venz: Observation: all artists have highly developed skills of observation, attention to detail and applying their skills of observation to whatever task is at hand.
Creative Problem Solving: it's title clearly connects this skill with artist of all disciplines. Successful creative problem solving involves the ability to be flexible, to be open to many different interpretations of everything, to seek resolutions from seemingly unrelated sources and apply those resolutions in innovative ways.
Communication: One cannot succeed if one cannot communicate. Communication skills include not only verbal communication but written communication and for photographers and other artists visual communication as well. The ability to articulate one's ideas to a varied audience is crucial for success in any field.
Individual initiative: No one's path after graduation will be easy regardless of the field of the degree attained. The desire to achieve and the discipline to work towards that achievement cannot be understated.
Teamwork: We all must be able to work alone and to have the discipline to work alone towards a goal. But we are social beings and the ability to work as a member of a team is also crucial for success regardless of the field. Teamwork requires one to compromise, to communicate one's ideas in a diplomatic manner, to accept roles one may not want to do and to delegate roles to a group that reflect each individual's strengths and weaknesses.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Sports Photographer job market given the pandemic?
Verser Engelhard: There can be no question that the pandemic has had a profound impact on the photography market currently, but I do not see lasting trends as a result of the pandemic specifically. No one can be certain of the timing, but I feel like vaccines and therapies will allow the world to start to return to normal sometime in 2021. That said, the pandemic has solidified many of the trends the photography market was experiencing pre-pandemic. Trends like downward pressure on photography budgets, smaller crews, more shots per day, less travel, etc. On the bright side, pent up demand for all types of photography created by the pandemic should make for a strong job market going forward.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Sports Photographers in the next 3-5 years?
Verser Engelhard: Artificial Intelligence and how that is driving innovations in-camera software. The biggest advances being made in cameras are not hardware but software. The investments in research and development at companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google are propelling photography forward in ways that will fundamentally change how photographs are made. Imagine wanting to take a picture of the moon. You point your camera at the moon, and your camera immediately knows what you are trying to photograph. Your camera will assess everything about your chances of success, things like your specific point of view, time of day, lighting, weather conditions, everything. Your camera will then search the internet for everything it needs to create the "perfect" photograph for you, one that could only be made under ideal conditions. Scenarios like this are just the beginning. AI will make the seemingly impossible possible.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Sports Photographers in the next 5 years?
Verser Engelhard: Most definitely an increase. We live in a world that is consuming more and more online every day, and photography makes much of that possible. As demand for content increases, so too will the industries that it relies on. Although technology has seemingly made it possible for anyone to become a photographer (or has made everyone believe they are a photographer), expertise will always have value and be in demand. The photography market is no exception.
Adam Long
Assistant Professor of Art and DesignGeorge Fox University
Department of Art and Design
How do you envision technology impacting Sports Photographers in the next 5 years?
Adam Long: Resolution continues to increase into greater and greater detail. The impact on the field is linked because photographers need to be on the forefront of acquiring the technology that the industry demands. Many people rent gear, and I could see that trend increasing as rapid technological advances continue. Software also continues to make crazy shifts with abilities to automate and analyze through facial recognition and image analysis for automatic masking and layering of content.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Sports Photographers to find work opportunities?
Susan McSpadden: I don't think there are specific places in the U.S. that are better for photography professions. Photography is needed everywhere, so I think just finding places that aren't already saturated with photographers is the key.