How to: Get your Sports Photography Published

What does it take to become a published sports photographer? 2Point8 magazine co-founder and editor Michael Owen shares his tips on how to get featured in a professional sports magazine and work with some of the top photography brands. 

In 2021 and 2022, Michael acted as a judge for the World Sports Photography Awards (WSPA). In this interview, Michael also talks us through the must-haves for a winning image. 

Over to you, Michael.

MPB: Can you tell us about your journey and how you got to where you are today?

MO: I fell into photography as a career. I had always been someone who looked at The Sunday Times magazine as a kid. But when I started working, straight from college, at PhotoDisc—a company that would eventually become Getty Images—I didn’t realise the size and scope of the industry. Leaving Getty led me to Canon, where it became more than just a job. It became a passion. I went to the biggest sports events and met with some of the world’s best photographers. As a sports fan, getting to photograph a World Cup match was an incredible experience.

I’m proud of being part of the development cycle of the products used by some of the top photographers, who have shot some of this century’s most iconic images. And I’m lucky that I am able to call some of these photographers my friends. 

Last year, when I left Panasonic, I wanted to help sports photographers recover from the impact of the pandemic on their careers and livelihoods. Thanks to Scott, my co-founder, who came up with the concept of 2POINT8, we’ve managed to deliver something that hopefully lifts the lid on sports photography.

MPB: When you worked for those brands and you chose between photographers and ambassadors, what did you take into consideration?

MO: We started by looking at their work, their awards and their history. And we would then spend a lot of time talking to them. At the end of the day, there has to be a personal link. I wanted to like the people that I was going to work with. We had to like the photography and we had to understand their strengths. As well as their photography, we’d ask the photographer if they enjoy public speaking—this is crucial if you want a photographer to do talks and seminars. But I would always look at the photography first, regardless of their social media following. 

MPB: Can you tell us about 2POINT8 magazine?

MO: From the research and feedback we gathered, most photographers wanted a magazine that showcased the work and also told the stories from the photographer’s point of view. We wanted to give sports photographers a platform to describe how they got to where they are, the ups and downs, and the process they use with the equipment they have. 

MPB: Can you tell us about being a judge for the WSPA? What do you look for in a winning image in sports photography? 

MO: Sports photography offers so many opportunities because sport covers so many different areas. Is it telling a story of a moment of sporting importance: a goal, a celebration or a miss? Does it show us something that has not been captured before: a new location, a new sport or a new champion? Does it show something visually interesting, is it in focus, does it have good light? Now, the best sports images will generally have all of these factors. Some of the images will be more graphically interesting, have great composition or even a little mystery. 

At the end of the day, it comes down to a personal opinion on what is good and what is not. There was one image that I remember from the competition last year. It was visually stunning and well constructed, but the image had been badly processed and therefore looked odd and artificial. So I couldn’t select it.

The images tend to get judged blind, so we do not know who shot them. But there are some you recognise from stories of awards they may have won. But I have to put that all aside and judge the images in relation to each other against the criteria I’ve been given.

Sometimes it comes down to my particular mood, the image that resonates with me at that time. I will always look at the images in the sequence both forward and backwards to make sure I am not building up a bias toward an image. And I never judge an image on the first viewing, because I do not know what will be next. 

But, most importantly, the image has to speak to me. It has to appeal to me, interest me and intrigue me.

MPB:  What advice or tips do you have for photographers who want to get published?

MO: The world of sports photography is vast. We always want to retain the interest of our readers, so it’s great to get recommendations from colleagues and subscribers alike. We have to be careful not to go over the same ground too often, so it can take a while to decide who to feature. We don’t want our readers to turn each page and see the same kind of images from the same kind of photographers. So variety is key—not just visually, but the stories too.

We already have many names pencilled in for future issues, and receive a lot of messages from photographers around the world asking to be featured. We compile this list of requests, along with the recommendations and indeed our own favourites, before the long discussions begin months before the pages are built. 

The range of photographers, along with the equipment they use, plays a big part. So, with every issue, the list of future features grows. We are extremely lucky to have so many of this industry’s talented photographers reaching out to us. 

Thanks, Michael. Read more interviews on the MPB content hub, or read about the past winners of the World Sports Photography Awards.