What it's REALLY like to shoot a pro event

I have to admit, I hijacked this idea from Dennis (dmwierz), but it was just such a good idea it needed a thread. So, without further ado, the question to all you pro sports photogs (or those that have shot pro), what is it really like? For those of us who never have, what don't we know? Feel free to share whatever you like. Thanks!

manutd101 wrote in post #5845282
I have to admit, I hijacked this idea from Dennis (dmwierz), but it was just such a good idea it needed a thread. So, without further ado, the question to all you pro sports photogs (or those that have shot pro), what is it really like? For those of us who never have, what don't we know? Feel free to share whatever you like. Thanks!

Free Parking

Free Food

Free Drink

Long Hours - Hard Work

Palladium wrote in post #5845295
Free Parking

Free Food

Free Drink

Long Hours - Hard Work

You forgot free tickets But yeah, a lot of hard, hard work from what I've read.

manutd101 wrote in post #5845311
You forgot free tickets But yeah, a lot of hard, hard work from what I've read.

What I did forget was

Free Weather - so be prepared for it

Shooting Pro ( I have, but I do not usually go to every game) is mostly preparation.
Getting the right connection, setting up the Pass, confirming that the credentials will be at the Will-Call Window, etc.

Day of the game, I am usually nervous. I like to go online first thing in the morning, and look to as many photos of the sport as I can, the ones I like, the ones I would shoot differently.

Then I stop looking, make sure my gear is ready, and chill. (It is much better if it happens during a working day, as it kind of sneaks up on ya, there is no chance for anticipation or anxiety).

Then there are the 30 mins of chaos. Is this the right gate? Crap, I should have come extra early to a new stadium I never been to before. Ok, gotta walk that way. Man, is this bag heavy. Why did I bring my Jacket? Hi, I am with the XXX news... Yes that's my card. Oh, the bag? Sure, have a look. Ok, I am in. Man, this is fun. Look at all these chumps, they paid for their ticket. Gotta find a way to get to the field now.. Uh, I may wanna pee first. Hang on, don't let the jacket fall in the stall or it'll stay there. Ok, on my way. I feel so good!!... Where do I get field access. Ah, middle field. Ok, let's walk that way. I am on the grass/Brick !!!! Whoo-hoo !! look at all these people. I should definitely take a photo. Well, there will be time for that. Ah, got my red vest (or not). Better set up camp. Did I charge this battery?

Then the chaos continues as you try to find a good place to park it, and sort of claim your own.

The game, whether ping pong or Baseball goes by so fast, that before you know it, your Epson has a few Gbs and your cards are full.

Leaving, you join the rest of the crowd too soon. Boy, that was some awesome crowd sound. I can see why there are many who love to be famous. I could get used to that. Ah, my car is on the other side of the stadium. Let's follow the crowd. Baah-baaah (sheep noises to amuse oneself).

And lastly, is this parking lot going to take all night to empty? Why didn't I leave earlier in the game? After all, I was told only 3-4 shots would be used. Crap, I gotta go to the bathroom and I am stuck in this stupid parking lot. Is this guy cutting me off? Doesn't he know who I am?.. Man my head hurts. I should process the photos, see how they worked out. Bah, screw it. I will do it tomorrow, my head and feet really hurt.

That's pretty much it.

Oh!!: don't talk to the players, don't stand in the way, try to be invisible, don't drop your gear, and do understand the consequences of ripping out your clothes and streaking for the one time in your life.

I read this, then saw your avatar and cracked up!!!

I did too, when I read your message. (Did not realize my mugshot and comment matched)

PhotoJourno wrote in post #5845411
I did too, when I read your message. (Did not realize my mugshot and comment matched)

Oh why did you stop writing the canon he wrote thread!?

That post was genius! Really made me laugh..

As Motorsports is seperate from Sports, I'll still contribute.

As said, free tickets, free food and drink (depending where you are), best seats in the house, free and exclusive parking. You get to go almost anywhere you want, given you consider safety and don't get in anybodies way. I like to get there before spectators, and to leave after closing time. Packing essentials like sunscreen and insect repellant, excessive amounts of memory and battery power and if it's a multiple day event, I'll charge all my batteries overnight. I'm a little excessive. In all, the greatest fun anybody can have is being a pro photographer - if you can make it there.

It's the most fun anybody can have I believe, and that's one reason I started at photography, get out in the sun and enjoy motorsports and it will pay off if you are persistant enough

However one understandable downfall is, if you mess up on the terms and conditions, they kick you out and won't let you back - and your contract will still be void unless these conditions are on the contract.

My quick recap:

Free Parking

Free Food (pre game - halftime - post game)

Free Drink

Free Suntan or

Free Weather - be prepared

Long Hours - Hard Work

pro wrote in post #5845434
Oh why did you stop writing the canon he wrote thread!?

That post was genius! Really made me laugh..

As soon as I can stop the madness here, I will continue writing. Thanks for the Kudos, more will be up shortly.

OK, I gotta go against the grain.

Sometimes free parking (Wrigley charges $30 for media parking unless you're one of the chosen few)

Sometime free food (all Chicago venues except MLS charge for food)

Sometimes free drinks

Not really free tickets since frequently you don't even have a seat to sit on.

I guess I wasn't going for "how" to shoot a pro event so much as what it's like. The "how" is really the easy part, and this is what most people see when they're watching on TV, or at the game.

Here's what it's like for me:

I'll cover a MLB game since this is what's going on right now (but most sports are similar). I'll also mention what happens if one isn't familiar with a park, as in your first time there.

Fight traffic and arrive at least 3 hours before the game. If new venue, where the heck is media parking? Why am I not on the list? Please, please let me park here. Whadya mean it's $30!

OK, where is media will call? Oh, there it is. Got my credentials, now where is the photo work room? How do I find the team photographer (whose name you found out before you left home, and whom you have either already called or at least emailed)?

Check with team photog or media relations to see if there are any special shooting position assignments. Find out how they want you to travel from first base to third base - some parks don't allow you on the field once the game starts and you either have to go through the stands or they have tunnels under the stands. Some parks let you walk on the field between innings. Ask if you can shoot from in the stands, and if so, where?

Check for line-up (probably not out yet) and get game notes to see what the developing stories are. Decide if you want to start off on first or third base - IMO, decision made by whether starting pitchers are RHP, LHP or both. Any big name hitters you need to get? This could also dictate which side to start at. If ESPN is there, figure out where they have all their gear and if Erin Andrews is working the game. Decide if it's worth it to shoot from the ESPN side (very crowded) in order to be close to Erin Andrews.

Try to reserve your shooting position, but be prepared to be bumped by bigger fish. Cover home team's batting practice from on the field. Make sure to get stock shots of all the stars and any players "in the news". Cover visiting team's batting practice. By now, lineups should be ready so go get one (or several - make "friends" by giving them to other shooters). Get something to eat at media dining room (or some parks, buy yourself something to eat from one of the vendors). Go back to your "reserved" shooting spot to find out who's bumped you. Choose another spot. Make sure your wireless is working. Call your wire service to see who is working and to make sure they have your cell number. Decide if you want to shoot the national anthem/first pitch. Find a chair to sit on in the photo well (or some places, you can't sit so you'll stand).

The game starts. Get stock shots of both pitchers, preferably from their "front" sides. Get as many batter shots as you can. If any interesting action happens get shots of this, As soon as you get good action, or after an inning or two, load your first CF card onto your laptop and start to edit and caption the first set of shots (laptop is on your lap, or if you're really lucky, you have a table-like thing to put it on - good luck seeing the screen if it's daytime, even with a laptop shade - some photo wells are open with no roof). Edit pictures and caption them fully, but don't miss any action while you're doing this. Transmit shots of starting pitchers, high-profile batters and any early game action. Normally this is around 5-10 shots. Deadlines can be tighter for night games as the daily papers need stuff by a certain time to make the morning editions, especially if the visiting team is from the East Coast as their deadlines are an hour earlier than Midwest dailies. Cover a couple to a few innings from one side, then go to the other side and do the same thing. Load your second CF card, review the shots, choose the ones to send, edit and caption them and send another 5-10 or so shots. again without missing any action on the field. After another few innings, if you're allowed, find an alternate shooting position to get some unique angles, like up high, or from center field. Review latest shots, edit and caption keepers and transmit these. Be prepared to get a phone call from your wire service that something is wrong with your shots so could you please re-transmit (or that they need a shot of somebody in particular whom they're writing a story on - hopefully this person is still in the game).

Choose where you're gonna cover the last couple innings from (good to have easy sight lines to the winning team's dugout). Be in position to catch the winning pitcher's jube (normally he'll jube towards his dugout). Shoot post game jube. Go to post-game presser if your credentials allow or if there's anything worth shooting, otherwise load next CF card into your computer, review the next set of images, edit and caption these and transmit them. Normal haul from a game is 20-30 images. This last set can be sent from the photo well or back in the media room - some parks turn out the lights soon after the game and the photo wells can get pretty dark.

Say good-bye to Erin Andrews.

Check with wire to ensure they have what they need. They'll definitely know by now who is the subject of their stories and if they need any other images you haven't sent. By this time, it's probably an hour or two after the game (depending on how long it takes to eidt and transmit your last set of shots) so traffic should be thinning out. Finally get to use the head. Pack up your stuff and roll out of the ballpark.

So, in summary, arrive around 4PM for a 7PM game, and normally leave around midnight or later for an extra inning or rain delayed game. All in a day's work.

Drive home. Go through remainder of game shots to see if there are any more shots worth sending. Edit and caption these and transmit. Get to bed around 2 or 3AM.

If this sounds like "fun", well it is, but it's also a lot more work than anyone ever realizes who doesn't do it. Notice I hardly said anything about where to shoot from, nothing about what settings to use, what equipment, etc. This stuff is assumed to be second nature to anyone covering a game at this level. Being able to shoot the game competently is a given. Being able to do it while editing, captioning, transmitting, moving around, dealing with adverse weather, sitting on hard chairs or standing for hours on end, humping all your gear around the ballpark, etc., this is where things get can get a bit challenging.

Not every game requires live transmission. A couple of my clients allow me to review, edit and caption once I get home or even the next morning. However, the real wires all compete to get images in the next day's papers, so there is tremendous pressure to not only get the shots, but get them sent out on time, during the game while maintaining your coverage of the game. Think about shooting while you're editing. And not just editing - you're also writing detailed captions for all the shots you transmit.

Phew, I'm tired just writing this.

Free Parking - Yes

Free Food - Lunch usually - Yes

Free Drink - Yes

Free Suntan - Free Sunblocks - Yes

No time to enjoy the game - Yes

Long Hours - Hard Work - Yes

Late night work - choose pictures/PP/submit pictures/writing - Yes

Some days feeling like crap - Yes

Thanks guys, this is really interesting to those of us who never have shot a pro event, just to figure out the workload you guys have

Good read. Thanks all especially Mario & Dennis for the long posts on the view from the pro insiders.

Mega-logistics that don't really get considered when you see a shooter on the sidelines and think - 'great spot , wish I could shoot from there'. Not to mention you still must get superb shots.

Nobody mentioned fans other than part of the pedestrian crowd - any spectators ever get confrontational or try to grab some of your gear with all the commotion going on during a big league game?
Darcy