Okay, folks, let’s dive into how I tried to become an NFL photographer. It’s been a wild ride, I gotta tell ya.
First things first, I got myself some gear. You don’t need the fanciest stuff starting out, but a decent DSLR and a couple of good lenses are crucial. I picked up a used camera body and a 70-200mm lens, which seemed like a good starting point for sports photography. I also grabbed a longer lens, something like a 400mm, because, well, the field is HUGE.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Next up, I hit up every local sporting event I could find. High school football, college games, even some semi-pro stuff. I wanted to get the feel for shooting fast-paced action and, honestly, just get comfortable with my camera settings. I experimented with shutter speed, aperture, ISO – all that good stuff. It was a lot of trial and error, lots of blurry shots at first, but slowly I start getting the hang of it.
- Shutter Speed: I learned pretty quickly that you need a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. Think 1/500th of a second or faster.
- Aperture: I usually shot wide open (like f/2.8 or f/4) to get that nice blurry background and make the players pop.
- ISO: This depended on the lighting. Bright sunny days? Low ISO. Night games under the lights? I had to crank it up, which sometimes meant dealing with some noise in the images.
Building a Portfolio
As I got better, I started putting together a portfolio. I picked my best shots, the ones that really showed off the action and emotion of the game, then started a simple website to show them.
Networking (The Hard Part!)
This is where things got tricky. Getting access to NFL games is tough. I mean, really tough. I started by contacting local newspapers and sports websites, offering to shoot games for them. That, and try to find some media related friends, and ask them if they know anyone from NFL.
I sent out tons of emails, made some phone calls, and honestly, got a lot of rejections. It’s a competitive field, and everyone wants to be on that sideline.
Small steps, big learnings
Even though I didn’t get the access immediately, I kept shooting, kept building my portfolio, and try to get more connections. Every shoot is an opportunity to learn something new, about lighting, positioning, or even just anticipating the play. Eventually I got credentialed for some smaller college games, and those photos helped me build a stronger portfolio to show the NFL teams.
