Looking For a Sports Shooter Sponsor!

So i've decided i would like to try and join the Sports Shooter community. With their new application process they require you to get a "sponsor" from an existing senior member. I'm sure there are many people on here who also frequent the SS website, and im just trying to find someone who would consider sponsoring me to get a membership to the site.

Anyways here is some of my work from this previous year. I am currently a student and photographer for Chico State's newspaper The Orion. I shoot pretty much our entire sports section and get to as many games as possible while balancing school. This is my first semester shooting team sports and it's been exciting seeing my pictures improve week to week. I have fallen in love with sports photography this semester and would love to make a career from it. Let me know what you think of the pictures or if you'd be interested in sponoring me!

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You have to get a sponsor from a senior member... not easy to do. Especially over the internet.

I suggest trying without a sponsor. It takes a strong portfolio but is very possible. Pic your 8 best images and post them here for C&C before submitting. It took me a year to get accepted on my own (3 attempts).

Also, the caption is almost as important as the image!

I looked into this about a year ago.
Thought my time would be better spent doing what I prefer to do (shoot and interact with people) than to try to find a sponsor, prove myself, etc...

Is there any real reason/benefit to wanting to join this group?

eigga wrote in post #7787346
You have to get a sponsor from a senior member... not easy to do. Especially over the internet.

I suggest trying without a sponsor. It takes a strong portfolio but is very possible. Pic your 8 best images and post them here for C&C before submitting. It took me a year to get accepted on my own (3 attempts).

Also, the caption is almost as important as the image!

Agreed on all points, especially the last. Captioning may be MORE important to them. Image wise, I'll offer some crit that may sound tough but it's what you need to hear if you are serious about pursuing this. Assuming you chose the posted images as representative of your best work, I think you need to keep shooting for those portfolio worthy shots. Of those posted, 3 and 5 would likely be accepted by the "committee" there but I doubt the rest would. They are actually getting a little tougher now after getting some flack about it. I don't say this to discourage you but more to paint a realistic expectation of what you'll hear. Just my two cents but if I were sponsoring you, I'd tell you to change the image choices up from what you've posted above. Best of luck to you.

eigga wrote in post #7787346
You have to get a sponsor from a senior member... not easy to do. Especially over the internet.

I suggest trying without a sponsor. It takes a strong portfolio but is very possible. Pic your 8 best images and post them here for C&C before submitting. It took me a year to get accepted on my own (3 attempts).

Also, the caption is almost as important as the image!

Thanks eigga, it does seem like it's going to be hard but im willing to work at it. I'd say the 8 i posted are some of my best sports shots, i have a few others in mind that might be better. So if anyone would be willing to critique them that would be great. I guess it does make sense to at least try and get accepted without a sponsor. Thanks for the advice and i'll definetly make sure i spend some time on the captions!

SMP_Homer wrote in post #7787461
I looked into this about a year ago.
Thought my time would be better spent doing what I prefer to do (shoot and interact with people) than to try to find a sponsor, prove myself, etc...

Is there any real reason/benefit to wanting to join this group?

Thanks Homer, i feel like it's a great community of those who all love the same thing. A place to share knowledge and experiences. They also have great internship program and i just feel like it is a great place to learn and grow in my photography and the business side of things!

namasste wrote in post #7789205
Agreed on all points, especially the last. Captioning may be MORE important to them. Image wise, I'll offer some crit that may sound tough but it's what you need to hear if you are serious about pursuing this. Assuming you chose the posted images as representative of your best work, I think you need to keep shooting for those portfolio worthy shots. Of those posted, 3 and 5 would likely be accepted by the "committee" there but I doubt the rest would. They are actually getting a little tougher now after getting some flack about it. I don't say this to discourage you but more to paint a realistic expectation of what you'll hear. Just my two cents but if I were sponsoring you, I'd tell you to change the image choices up from what you've posted above. Best of luck to you.

Thanks for the response, not discouraging at all, i appreciate the honesty and criticism. Just means i'll have to try harder and shoot more!

If you have other portfolio worthy shots outside of sports add those in. You don't want to create a portfolio of all studio work, but adding in some outside work helps a little. Just make sure your captions are perfect. They are very strict about it. I was denied my first time because of a wrongly spelled word. I fixed it and was let in.

Sorry forgot to give my comments. I'd take out 1, choose between five or seven, and remove 8. the rest are okay. Those just don't really measure up to the rest (well 5 and 7 are kinda alike)

I don't want to sound to harsh here either but I agree with Scott, keep practicing and working on your shooting. Some are under exposed, some are slightly oof and the backgrounds are horrible. Really keep an eye on your backgrounds, make sure they are clean and not distracting. Learn how to crop to highlight the action, but watch cutting off limbs. As the others have said make you caption the images properly, they need to be well written, descriptive, and using proper English.

I applied and was accepted on my first try without a sponsor, so it can be done. My advice to you is to keep shooting.

I really hope theyre toughening up the requirements. That place has been going downhill for a while.

I hadn't really looked into sports shooter. After reading this thread I thought I'd see if I was any chance without a sponsor. I threw a few recent images together and submitted them, I only used 8, I was hesitant to put something in to just make up the numbers.

I was accepted one day later. So it is not impossible to do, but take the time to select your better work, maybe even get a critique of each photo individually on here, if people find faults maybe it says it is one that should be omitted.

Here is my page so you can get an idea of what my submission was like - www.sportsshooter.com/​robshots


KJEphoto, are you still going to try? Happy to try and help with critiques etc if you are, and good luck too.

Rob I have to say that is some really nice work. I can see why you easily made it through the no sponsor acceptance. You have varied work that all is very good. Thats is exactly what they look for.

I tried it about four months ago. I didn't get accepted. I know they get lots of applicants but what I didn't like was that they don't tell you why you didn't didn't make it.

Don't think for one minute Sportsshooter is a requirement to enter the world of sports phototog. Don't forget it's still a paid membership.

I'd pay just to be able to buy the gear listed there.

TheShooterMIssouri wrote in post #7808944
Don't think for one minute Sportsshooter is a requirement to enter the world of sports phototog. Don't forget it's still a paid membership.

I agree completely, like I said I hadn't even really thought much about it before I'd read this threas and it hadn't stopped me from picking up work. . It is more of an information resource that you pay for. I'd be surprised if there is anywhere near the amount of available information there that there is here though.