Sean A. Marin

Working With Pro Athletes: Sports Photography & Videography

Throughout my career, I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to work with some of the world's greatest non-team-based professional athletes. Taking photos of and producing movies and ad-based videos with Kelly Slater, Meb Kefleski, Richie Jackson, Alisa Diomin, Aurelien Giraud, Logan Paul, and more. When all this began to unfold I could have never anticipated who I would meet and how it would take me all around the world. During my professional career, I've learned a few things that may help you when it comes to working with celebrity sports talent.

As a media professional, never forget the keyword “professional”. If you get to work with someone at the top of their game, you need to be at the top of yours, from execution to presence. Keeping a cool head when meeting people you may be a fan of can make you feel Starstruck. There’s nothing wrong with admiration but you can’t let that lead to things like talking nonsense, fumbling around on set, or losing confidence in the work you do. I’ve been fortunate that every person I've worked with was down to earth, kind and understood the task at hand. There were no egos and everyone stayed in their lane. For me, it also helped that I had no idea who half of the world-famous pro-surfers I was working with were.

When you’re doing sports photography or producing sports video content with an athlete, you’re working with a highly agile and competitive individual. So when you want to get a specific shot that best helps the story, make sure to speak up. I can bet you 9 out of 10 times they will rise to the challenge, even if it takes several attempts. For skateboarders, the world I come from, it’s not uncommon to hear them say “One more try” 100 times to land a trick and achieve the goal. That dedication and never-quit attitude is something every athlete has developed and you should too as a professional videographer or sports photographer.

I’ve mentioned before that you need to be confident in your work on set. That also means being competent. No one is perfect. As a creative, you may get down on yourself when you make a mistake or don’t bring your A-Game. But you must rise to the occasion as best as possible and learn from your mistakes. I’ve seen talented photographers and videographers lose opportunities because they had the skillset but not the discipline and only brought their A-Game 50% of the time. If a business is hiring you, or you’re hiring someone else, you are making a business decision, and you need someone you can count on to deliver what you need.

In the pursuit of that great final product, you may find yourself at the top of a mountain about to snowboard down a Double Diamond slope with a camera following Olympic snowboarder Karly Shorr as I did. Or Strapping a $250,000 RED camera to the hood of a truck as you follow professional downhill skateboarder Josh Neuman down Malibu Canyon at speeds up to 60mph. There is risk in this work. You need to be measured and operate as safely as possible for you, your team, and the athletes you’re with. The reality is people get hurt all the time. You don’t want to be the reason for someone getting hurt or worse. Have on-set paramedics if you can. Don’t let pride lead you into a bad situation. Consult with your team about comfortability and safety strategies. I also like to encourage a little prayer for wisdom and protection.

I hope these little notes are helpful for you as you get out there working with talent.

Remember your work is your business card. Do good work, communicate, be respectful, humble and most of all remember how lucky you are to be doing the work you do! Have a blast doing it.

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