Current jobs related to Sports Photographer - Hamilton - Top Shelf Media

Contract Sports Photographer / Photo Editor

Location: Hamilton, ON (October – April)

About Top Shelf Media:

Top Shelf Media is a sports-focused all-in-one media solution, helping teams across the GTA achieve their goals through professional photography, video, design, and marketing. We work with clients in hockey, baseball, cheerleading, volleyball and basketball, producing high-quality content for both social media and web platforms.

We’re seeking a Sports Photographer / Photo Editor on a contract basis from October to April.

This is an exciting opportunity for a photographer who has a passion for capturing high-intensity sports action and creating visually compelling team portraits.

The Role:

As a key member of our team, you’ll be attending local sports events at rinks and gyms around the Hamilton area, capturing action shots during games and practices. You represent Top Shelf Media. You’ll also be on-location for team portraits and media days with our team,, ensuring that each session meets our high standards of quality and creativity. The role requires a strong understanding of Canon cameras (or similar), shutter speed, ISO, Jpeg and raw, and basic lighting knowledge.

We’re looking for someone who is at an entry to intermedia level and can quickly turn around content for promotional use. You might be someone in your first or second year of school who is able to fit this into your schedule or you are looking to build your portfolio a bit further after school, or trying to get your foot in the door for sports and are past the volunteering your time stage. You understand there are many different types of photography from action, portrait, high volume and creative work specifically meant for graphic design. You don't have to be skilled in it all.

Key Responsibilities:

• Capture live-action sports photography at games, practices, and events throughout the Hamilton area.
• Conduct team portrait sessions and attend media days for various teams.
• Perform on-location photography with a variety of setups, including action and portrait photography.
• Edit and retouch photographs (RAW) for social media, websites, and print, ensuring images are delivered in a timely manner.
• Work with clients to fulfill specific photography needs, whether it’s action shots, milestone photos, or promotional imagery.
• Adapt to different sports environments, ensuring lighting, angles, and timing are optimized for each event.

Skills & Qualifications:

• Proficiency with Canon cameras (or similar)and basic flash photography.
• Experience with sports photography, able to capture high-speed action shots with precision.
• Proficiency in Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC for post-production work.
• Knowledge of RAW photo editing and photo retouching.
• Understanding of sports environments to anticipate key moments and capture the perfect shot.
• Ability to edit on-location during events using tethered setups.
• Strong organizational skills to manage and archive large volumes of photographs.

Schedule & Compensation:

• Contract from October to March, on-location at local sports events / tournaments / media days and at 270 Sherman St N studio for in-studio sessions, development and editing.
• Hours: are 30 - 40 hours per week, most on-location photography occurs on weekends and after 5pm on weekdays. Schedule is provided 2-4 weeks in advance for planning and flexibility.
• Compensation: $25/hour.

Portfolio Requirement:

We’d love to see your work Please include a link to your public portfolio via social media or website that demonstrates your sports photography and editing experience along with your resume.

About Us:

Top Shelf Media delivers high-quality sports content through photography, videography, and design. We work closely with teams across a variety of sports and leagues to create content that resonates with their audience and elevates their brand. We're a small office of 3 people with several freelancers who are brought on to shoots regularly. We're dedicated to helping grow talent with our sports background and knowledge. If you’re a photographer who is creative, has spent a lot of free time capturing and editing sports photos for friends, family, teams or school and wants to expand that portfolio through paid work, we want to hear from you