(I’m back home now, so the information is slightly outdated. However, I have yet to receive more offers to use the image from the Confederations Cup)

It’s done. I’m sitting comfortably waiting for my flight with Mutsu Kawamori, the gentlemen who provided us with his own confessions during the EURO 2012.

Euro 2012 with Mutsu Kawamori

Tired legs and heat exhaustion from the semi-final match with the Italians cost them the Confederations Cup title, I think. Brasil was no slouch and they dismantled Spain in a convincing fashion behind Neymar.

Now comes the difficult part in trying to capitalise on the shots I took from this tournament. I sold one (that’s right, ONE) to a magazine for about 50 EUR. Which to me is crazy, but that’s how things are done at the moment. I’ve just contacted another magazine to see if they are interested. Hold on. Just got an email from them. “We already have enough photos from other photographers. Thanks but no thanks.”

(By the way, prints and editorial prices are different. Why? Because there are added costs to prints compared to editorial use)

That in essence is my job. Getting more rejections than acceptance. To be honest with you, trying to get magazines to use your image is flawed at best because there are more sports photographers than magazines at the moment. No matter how good a shot I take, I will continue to get no love from them. It’s grossly inefficient and there isn’t anything I can do to make them part with their money. That’s why I have taken to flickr / FB / tubmlr etc… to promote my work. By using SNS, you at least get your work public in your own terms. Potential clients may see my images, get excited, and hire me for another project. Individuals come across my images and want to buy them as prints.

These are precisely the reason why I don’t advocate any young or old people becoming a professional sports photographer. It simply doesn’t pay enough. As for me getting worried someone else will take my work? That’s not possible because I’m better than everyone else. :)

But the allure is there. Because sports photography is a bit too great not to make it into a profession. Ego is another thing as well as that when you’ve been paid to get a spread in a magazine and imagining how many people have seen your images? It’s worth all the pain and suffering.

I try not to hide too many details for you, my fellow BLFS peeps. I want to tell you like it is and this is how it is. The way you interpret this information is up to you. You might still want to become a professional sports photographer or you might want to enjoy it as a hobby. Your choice.

Ryu

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