Starting off as a freelance extreme sports photographer - advice?

Hello, I'm just starting off as a freelance extreme sports photographer. I'm based in England, UK and I'm

shooting mountain biking, snowboarding (indoor and outdoor slopes) as well as other extreme sports like

streetboarding.

The question that I have is how I can make money from photography. So far I've sold a few images

informally to various companies but have given away more of my images just to get my name known and

to build up contacts.

In terms of the amount of time I can spend on photography due to having a high powered full time job I

am limited to evenings and weekends but hope as time goes on to spend longer on the photography side

of things.

Any advice for an aspiring freelance photographer?

Andy

I never considered mountain biking extreme, nor ice climbing or rock climbing.

I suppose you mean downhill mountain biking and not XC though.

Extreme sports are where the participant is at best margininally in control, and at worst never in control as the norm for the sport.

I tend to be in control of my mountain bike 98% of the time, the other 2% i'm bouncing down the trail on my face.

<p>Visit <a href="http://www.wheelsandwax.com/">wheelsandwax</a>, read the forums,

read the tutorials, lurk, look at the photos.</p>

Giving your images away isn't a good way to make money. Give images away once and that is exactly what people will expect every time. This isn't a portrait studio, you don't need to "get your name out there".

If you shoot good images, magazines will publish them. Particularly if they are shot in an area where they do not regularly get images from. Once magazines publish your images, you'll get the attention of companies.

What makes a "good" image? Photographic skill, athlete skill, and a good background.

Can you make money shooting "extreme" sports? Yes, some people do, including me at one point. But when I was shooting BMX full time, I was on the road all month and making less than minimum wage for the hours I put in. It's more of a lifestyle than a career unless you are working directly for a magazine or company. And those jobs are rare.

I agree with Kevin wheelsandwax is a great place to start for this type of shooting.

I guess you could make it a full time gig a lot of us have, but you need a business plan and the sums will have to add up before you think of leaving your high powered full time job.

My thinking is, if you have enough photographic skill, a good enough business sense and can write and follow a business model you should be ok but like anything you start small and work up. I know heaps of guys that are successful now because they hit a niche but for everyone of these guys there are just as many or more that make very little money, like Josh says you can put in a lot of hours for little return at first, most of us doing this full time did and we are better for it i guess. Don't limit yourself to income streams like only mags look at every opportunity to make dollars, this could be from web sales to memorabilia stuff for competitors or as simple as snap shots for parents.

Remember that this is a business and a pretty cool one if you love what you shoot, people tend to say to me all the time that I have the best job in the world with out knowing the time and effort it has taken to get to where I am now, countles hours in the heat and cold standing in the bush at the side of an MX track in the middle of no where getting bitten by all sorts of critters sleeping in my van, then days with out sleep doing post pro work and sometimes asking is it all worth it. IT ABOLUTLEY IS A LIFESTYLE THING at first but solid results and good planning can take it much further.

Extreme sports are where the participant is at best margininally in control, i have never thought of it that way but it's true, nice one.

Good luck mate, this is always a good sounding board and there are a lot of good shooters here that can help you just ask.

I am not a photographer but saw this thread and thought Iwould put my two cents in as the Founder of an Extreme Sports Community. I would agree with the post that said it is a life style. It is life style that will put you at the right places, events and the like, that will scoer the right pictures. I would also suggest pairing the pictures with brief write ups, as much web content is shorter and easily enhanced by cool pictures. Then shop it out to some companies that you have already made introductions with. Smaller organizations are more likey work with you as you establish yourself. Hope my two cents helps.

Lucas

Sack Up Sports

www.sackupsports.com