Okay, so, I’ve been digging into this whole “how much do NBA photographers make” thing, and let me tell you, it’s a bit of a wild ride. I really wanted to see it for myself, how much these guys actually make.
First, I started looking around online to see what others were saying about it. Some places talked about annual salaries, saying stuff like NBA photographers can make anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 a year. That’s a pretty big range, right?
Then I found some information about average hourly rates. Like, one site said the average for an Olympic Photo Group Photographer is around $18.44 an hour. Another said NBA photographers in your area are making an average of $19 an hour. It made me wonder, is it better to get paid by the hour or a yearly salary?
I also checked out what they were saying on these job sites. ZipRecruiter, for example, had the range between $28,000 and $136,000 a year. And *? They were talking about the average annual salary for an NBA cameraman being $66,192, and for an ESPN cameraman, it was $74,542. That’s a pretty decent chunk of change. There’s also a website said that a photographer at */Warriors makes $90,113 annually.
It seems like it really depends on a bunch of stuff – like, how much experience you’ve got, which team you’re working for, and even where you’re located. Some sites mentioned that NBA team photographers usually make “between $30” – but $30 what? Dollars per hour? Per game? Per year? It wasn’t super clear. After that, I tried to apply for a photographer position at NBA to see what happened.
Here’s what I did:
- Tried to find job openings: I went on the NBA’s official website and looked for any photography-related jobs.
- Checked the requirements: For the few that I found, I read through what they were looking for – experience, skills, all that jazz.
- Looked at the salary info: Some of them listed the salary range, but others didn’t. It was a bit of a guessing game.
- Submitted my resume: I even applied to a couple of positions, just to see what the process was like.
- Participate in annual meetings, and monthly team calls: It helps me gather first-hand information and digital photographs from the field.
Honestly, it wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be. The information out there is kind of all over the place, and it’s hard to get a clear picture (pun intended) of what NBA photographers actually make. But hey, at least I got to see the process for myself, and it was definitely an interesting experience. I got a reply about my application and they mentioned that I would be paid around $95,000 annually if I got the job. I will consider it and give them a reply soon. It’s a great experience for me.
