What its Like Shooting an NFL Game - Day In The Life of A SPORTS Photographer

Day In The Life of A SPORTS Photographer: What it is Like Shooting an NFL Game During Covid
I'll show you what it's like photographing an NFL game during Covid. Photographing an NFL game is a lot of fun, but there is a lot to consider, especially when having to shoot from the stands because of Covid. Check out the sports photography gear I use, my game plan for shooting the NFL game, and a behind the scenes look at what a day in the life is like for a sports photographer shooting an NFL game.
Follow along on Instagram @paulrutherford_
Check out my images at www.paulrutherfordphotography.com
As always, leave any questions in the comments!
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[@Paul_Rutherford]

Did anyone calculate my weight?

[@NikCan66]

109.769 kg or in UK Imperial 17.28 stone with gear but minus the 40 lbs camera gear weight its 202lbs equates to 14.42 stone or 91.62kg

[@alyssagentile8479]

ah the struggles of tier protocols and access :) very similar situations here at Inter Miami

[@NikCan66]

Great video

[@Griffongob]

Awesome video man! Really loved the images.

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks for watching!

[@simonrhys]

Cool vid! Interesting ☺️

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks!

[@rblast1]

Great video!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Appreciate it!

[@streichervisual5222]

Nice Paul!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks!

[@noelchacko]

This was so well produced

[@noelchacko]

well actually one issue with the audio, the left side seems to be much louder than the right

[@Paul_Rutherford]

I really appreciate that! Video is something I'm continuing to improve and there are so many more variables to worry about. Thanks for watching!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

@@noelchacko I'll check my exporting settings on the videos. Thanks for letting me know.

[@enricoperini6479]

Well, amazing video! I just got a 400mm F5.6L and I'm the happiest man ever lol, I can't imagine shooting with a 400 2.8 ahahah

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks! I used to have that lens as well! Great for day light games. The 2.8 just hurts your back more. haha

[@enricoperini6479]

@@Paul_Rutherford I would love to hurt my back (sometimes) ahahah. Keep up with the great images and video! :)

[@seanpollock826]

Awesome to se you utilizing a cropped body for the extra reach, curious why you're shooting jpeg? Faster processing speeds afterwards to get the content to media?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Hi Sean, cropped body works well! I don't use the 7D as much in bad light, as it's older and the image quality isn't as good, but love using it still! I do use jpeg for these events because it is faster for downloading to my computer and storing the originals doesn't take up as much space. Also when I upload the files to USA Today the sizes are under 2mb so there isn't a need to have a big file size to start.

[@seanpollock826]

@@Paul_Rutherford awesome, thanks for the info! I shot my first MLS game right before covid hit and haven't made it back. Definitely gonna look at a cropped body for a second camera for those games. Cheers!

[@bquinn722]

About how many photos do you take in a half and how do you review and edit so quickly in a 15 minute half time? By the way, thought the intro was hilarious! Love your videos. Started watching because I love photographing youth baseball and enjoyed your Red Sox videos. I’m in Texas but grew up in Philly and am a Phillies fan.

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Hi Brian! Glad the intro worked out and I love Philly! I grew up in south central PA near Gettysburg area, but lived outside Philly for a few months after college. Great question and I wish I mentioned a little bit about tagging photos in camera during the game, I think I've talked about it in previous videos. I probably take 1500-2000 images during the first half. To save time, I "tag" images in camera between plays and during timeouts. So I am going through the photos as I take them, you kinda know when you get a good sequence so you don't have to check every time you take a photo. Then When I upload to Photo Mechanic it only ingests the tagged photos, around 100 maybe for the first half. Then I only need to sort through those 100 rather than the 1000. Hope that helps!

[@bquinn722]

Small world that we both lived in PA. That’s a lot of photos in a half! Super interesting and makes perfect sense that you tag them. Not that I’ll be shooting NFL games or MLB games anytime soon but I did take 1000 photos at a youth baseball tournament this weekend 😂. Keep up the great work on these videos. I enjoy watching them and always learn something.

[@Paul_Rutherford]

@@bquinn722 Great to hear you learn something from the videos!

[@angelogarciajr5356]

I was wondering why or when you will be using the 16-35? I shoot high school and in the post game posing, the parents run up close in front of me and I wondered if a 16-35 would help me compete with moms? to get the entire team and some times with cheer team added in. Up close. No choice. I was going to get a 24-70 but the 16-35 might be a better choice.

[@rickyradtke725]

What kind of dog do you have?? So cute ahaha

[@Paul_Rutherford]

She is a bernedoodle!

[@rebekahwalker3054]

Any tips for how you get into this job? I have photographed college baseball but it’s a dream to get into the NFL

[@Paul_Rutherford]

It takes time and some luck. I got lucky in my timing to get a shoot with USA Today and then it took another 2-3 years before they started giving me more shoots with them. I think the key is making as many connection as you can and to practice captioning and editing pictures quickly. You'll have to get pictures up quickly. There are a lot of different people to shoot for so try reaching out to any local magazines, websites, blogs, etc. that cover the teams you want to shoot and they may be able to get you a credential, but the pay won't be good if there is any. Hope that helps!

[@tylerHphoto]

Being lazy has gotten me more amazing shots like that than I would like to admit too.

[@Paul_Rutherford]

It's bad because then it's easier to be lazy the next time!

[@tylerHphoto]

@@Paul_Rutherford That is so TRUE!!! I also hate it when I move and then the spot I moved from is right where the next play ends. and then I drop my head and go I should have been lazy.

[@Paul_Rutherford]

@@tylerHphoto Always hit or miss with positioning!

[@derekhuscroft586]

Do you always try and shoot full body shots? And, for upper torso shots, do you just crop the full body shots?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Great question! I don't always shoot full body shots. I like to get up close shots because I think they generally are more interesting. That said, sometimes I just have to crop in depending on the situation and you always need full body shots to get full coverage of an event.

[@samgbotoe500]

This my dream to become a sports photographer I’m a senior in high school and I really want to do this but I don’t know how to get there any tips I would really appreciate it

[@Paul_Rutherford]

You have a lot of time to get there which is great! Make sure you are photographing as much as possible and making connections with other photographers. Seems simple but honestly the best tips I can give.

[@dionserrasphoto]

What is the reason you shoot JPEG? File size and time saving? Or is raw overkill for sports?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

For most sports assignments I'm taking so many photos that I don't want to worry about space and I'm editing so quickly that the extra editing power of RAW isn't useful. Also when I export the files it is a smaller file size anyway so I don't need any extra information. I will shoot raw sometimes when it is a single game and I am not on a deadline to submit the images. Mainly if I'm shooting for a high school or college and they will use the images for promotional purposes. Then I like to have the extra editing power and size of RAW files.

[@mylz6968]

what did u major in for college? interested in doing this kinda stuff

[@Paul_Rutherford]

I majored in Economics in college. Only took a handful of art classes. A few college programs have great photojournalism programs that can be helpful!

[@NIKE12386]

How come you shoot in jpeg? I’m just curious as I’m beginning into photography myself

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Great question! For most sports shoots I shoot jpeg because then I don't need to worry about filling up cards and switching them out mid game. Also it makes importing, editing, and sending a little bit quicker. I also don't need to do a lot of editing to sports photos, so I don't need the advantages that a RAW file will bring. I do shoot raw for events, portraits, and for certain sporting events.

[@NIKE12386]

@@Paul_Rutherford that’s is very helpful thank you for replying!

[@imbarkley6983]

How do you edit your photos?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

I use lightroom for 90% of my photos otherwise I do basic edits in photoshop. Depends on the client.

[@darrenfrancis5042]

Just curious, did you get paid for the shoot? Just wondering during COVID, are Pro photographers still being paid for games during these hard times.

[@Paul_Rutherford]

I'm still getting paid. Pretty sure everyone that was getting paid before is still getting paid and those that weren't still are not.

[@NikCan66]

Cam Newton a step-down on QB

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Haha tough to replace Brady!

[@NikCan66]

@@Paul_Rutherford big time all the rest as we say here in Dublin Ireland 🇮🇪 look shit even the flies wouldn't go near the rest of the current QBs except Mahomes.

[@noahriley7335]

why do you choose to shoot jpg rather than raw? I have always believed raw is better

[@Paul_Rutherford]

For me it depends on what I'm doing with the final image and how many images I'm taking at once. I'll shoot an ultimate frisbee tournament and take at least 5,000 images in a day. That takes up a ton of storage space meaning I'd have to switch cards and back them up, but if I'm shooting jpeg I don't need to switch cards and can edit the images quicker. If I am taking landscape or portrait photos, Ill shoot raw because I'm not taking as many photos and I want more editing power in the images. Really depends on the situation, but yes RAW does give you more info and ability to edit the images, but the main downside is the space it takes up for me.

[@NikCan66]

Do use use code replacement.com or use a different code replacement that you have designed

[@Paul_Rutherford]

I make my own code replacements which I did a video on how I make them myself.

[@NikCan66]

@@Paul_Rutherford OK thanks for the Update and will check out your video.

[@antdx316]

what credentials do you need to be able to photo shoot the players? How much it cost from having no credentials but the equipment?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

You need to have media credentials to be able to photograph the game, I shoot for USA Today, but there are a lot of other people shooting for newspapers, the NFL, the teams, and other services. I'm not sure what costs you are asking about. There isn't any cost associated with having a credential as I'm there to work for a media agency.

[@antdx316]

@@Paul_Rutherford How did you get your credentials? Do you need a license? How did you apply for USA Today and how much did you make for the day shoot?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

@@antdx316 I tried applying a few times with a portfolio to USA Today, but what helped the most was meeting a few photographers that worked for them and being ready when they needed someone new to shoot an event for them. Took a while for it to happen as there are a lot of great sports photographers in the Boston area. You don't make a ton for shooting the game, a lot of sports photographers shooting these games have other full time jobs and do this for fun or to make a little extra money on the side.

[@Paul_Rutherford]

@@antdx316 You should check out my other video explaining how to get credentials if you are interested.

[@antdx316]

@@Paul_Rutherford where is it? does it cost money to get credentials or you just pretty much have a press pass from being the press of a company they are already in association w/?

[@vanessat3939]

This is really dope! You have to most definitely collaborate with Bad Friends. Their videos sorta are like Nelk Boys and a bit of Mike Majlak. Go check their YT out and give the guys a like! 👉 #BadFriendsInTheaters