Sport Photographer
As a Sports Photographer you will cover all types of sporting events and provide your images to publications like newspapers, magazines or websites for them to use with news stories.
What the job looks like
Salary expectation
starts at $34,613 up to $153,291+
The good
- Being paid to do a hobby
- Going to sporting events and matches
- Meeting sports stars
- Seeing your pictures published
- Being creative
The not so good
- Unusual hours
- Working weekends
It is exciting and challenging to capture sporting action and it can come down to just a split second between capturing or missing a shot. Photography involves getting many different aspects right to take the perfect shot.
You have to consider how the lighting, weather, speed and the subject of your photo will all impact on the shot.
Getting the lighting and shutter speed right are two of the biggest factors which is a mathematical exercise. Once you know how the manual settings work, you can distort lighting to create unique and striking pictures.
Learning about photography is almost a different language so a good handle on English will make it a bit easier. You will also be editing images and emailing the best shots through to media so good communication skills will come in handy to make sure no mistakes are published. You might also move into blogging or developing your own website to promote your images so you will need to make sure your writing skills are up to scratch to appear professional.
If you are passionate about sport and enjoy being creative, then a career as a sport photographer could be for you.
It’s about learning the craft of your camera and it is glamorous, it’s my dream job.
Pathways to this career
Subject suggestions for the HSC
Choosing your HSC subjects from this list could really help with your career. Think carefully about what you want to study after school as you might need to choose specific HSC subjects for that course and to count towards your ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank). An ATAR is your academic rank in relation to other HSC students and helps with University admission.
HSC subjects
Some subjects will count towards your ATAR, others will not. Check with your career advisor before making subject selections.
- English (Standard or higher)
- Mathematics (General 2 or higher)
- Visual Arts
- Information Processes and Technology
What can I do after I have finished school?
University degrees
Studying one of these degrees can help with your career.
- Bachelor of Visual Communication Design
- Bachelor of Communication
- Bachelor of Fine Art
- Bachelor of Arts
Courses and qualifications
Courses and qualifications can give you a great start.
- Certificate IV or Diploma of Photo Imaging
Suggestions
Check out the Australian Centre for Photography for inspiration and more information
- Go to galleries for inspiration
- Enroll in a photography course
- Read photography books and magazines to broaden your knowledge
- Do work experience at your local newspaper
- Start following photographers and companies like GoPro on Instagram for creative ideas
- Go to career expos and events like university Open Days for information about what you will study
