Sports photography encompasses far more than simply taking pictures of games or headshots of the players. Photography is a central component of successful branding and marketing efforts for athletes and teams.
How can photography strengthen the performance of a team or an individual athlete? Through effective storytelling that helps build a connection between a brand and its followers. In this case, the power of branding enhances the public perception of teams, athletes, leagues, and clubs.
Sports Photography for Every Athlete
Our professional photographers can help you build your own athlete brand through successful marketing strategies. A portfolio of photos showcasing your role as a successful athlete can highlight your accomplishments and demonstrate what sets you apart from the competition.
Our professional photographers will work with you to identify the coherent story you want to tell about your athletic career. Your overall personal brand marketing strategy can include portraits, action shots, styled photos, in-game photos, or a combination of these.
Photography for Sport Teams
Individual athletes can use professional branding to enhance their careers and showcase their accomplishments. Building a brand is even more crucial for teams and sports organizations. Branding helps a group form a cohesive identity that communicates its history, values, and attitude.
Our digital marketing experts at SEO Design Chicago have years of experience working with athletic organizations at all levels and a deep understanding of the current marketing landscape. We’ll work with you to develop an effective marketing strategy that engages fans, sponsors, and recruits.
Sports Photography Services We Offer
Sports photography takes a versatile skill set. Our team has the sport-specific knowledge and the specialized equipment required to capture pivotal moments in any kind of weather conditions.
Along with high-quality athlete branding and advertising services, we handle photography for different levels of an athlete’s career. Whether you’re just starting out on your professional journey or searching for the next step, we have you covered.
Sports Photography Services We Offer
Sports photography takes a versatile skill set. Our team has the sport-specific knowledge and the specialized equipment required to capture pivotal moments in any kind of weather conditions.
Along with high-quality athlete branding and advertising services, we handle photography for different levels of an athlete’s career. Whether you’re just starting out on your professional journey or searching for the next step, we have you covered.
Amateur
SEO Design Chicago can help you capture key moments of games and practices. Whether you’re hoping to play professionally, impress college recruiters, or just memorialize a great season, our professional photographers have the skills needed to create sharp, clear images of pivotal moments.
Professional
Our team knows the sports world deeply, especially around Chicagoland. We work with a number of professional teams, including the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and WNBA. Our photographers can work with your branding team to develop high-quality images for merchandising, advertisements, or social sharing.
Vernacular
Sports fans don’t just follow teams; they follow athletes as well. Vernacular photos show the day-to-day side of professional and college sports, from training to team-building. This photography builds a personal, emotional connection with your audience. Build investment in your athletic success through storytelling images that show the struggle and determination behind each victory.
Athlete Marketing for Social Media
Building an athlete brand requires a strategic approach. Fans are increasingly engaged with their favorite athletes and teams on social media. Among young adult sports fans, 43% follow their favorite league on social media.
Incorporating social media can help raise a team or athlete’s profile, but only if it’s handled well. Adding professional photography and videography to your social media accounts can convey your achievements and professionalism while still providing opportunities for fan interaction.
As a full-service digital marketing design agency, SEO Design Chicago is well-qualified to handle all elements of your marketing strategy, from photography to social media strategy.
Schedule a free call with us today to learn more about our custom marketing packages and how we can take your business’s brand to the next level.
Sports Brand Strategy
A well-developed portfolio of official athletic photography can help the ongoing promotion of athletes, teams, and organizations. When news coverage or sports blog articles are published, professional photography can boost your public profile.
For maximum effect, all your photography should follow a cohesive strategy. Our marketing experts can work with you to develop a strategy for your public presence.
Partnerships and Endorsements
Branding efforts can also help secure athlete partnerships and endorsements by establishing a strong personal brand.
Building your brand is a serious consideration in the future of sports. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Planning Committee now even provides programs to help athletes develop a personal narrative and brand story. This helps Olympians attract brand partners and parlay their success in sports into future career successes in marketing.
Creative storytelling through images is a key way to craft your personal brand. By integrating high-quality photography and videography of your career, you can communicate your personal values, goals, and accomplishments to key stakeholders.
Photography Styles for the Sports Industry
There are a variety of styles to consider. Each affects your personal brand perception in different ways. We help athletes and teams determine the best path forward to create a brand that resonates with their experience, goals, and values.
Many athletes choose to craft a portfolio with a variety of styles and expand as their careers gain traction.
Portrait Photography
Most of us are familiar with this classic style. Professional portraits can capture far more than your basic photo-and-jersey, though. They can serve as the basis for a solid personal brand by capturing the personality, style, and energy of your team.
Everyone from a college athlete to a veteran of professional sports should have updated professional portraits to use in news pieces and official marketing content.
Portraits should also be updated regularly throughout an athlete’s career. Even a few years can change styles and appearances dramatically. Using an outdated portrait in your marketing can do more harm than good.
Graphical Photography
Our photographers can use artistic styles like graphical photography to provide variety to your team’s photographic portfolio. Graphical photography is a more abstract style that emphasizes color, design, and line to tell a story.
Our teams are experienced at working with athletes and teams to convey emotion and achievement through evocative, emotional styles. A single helmet held up in triumph, starting flags, or field lines can all be effective elements in this kind of photography.
This style can be a good way to build excitement among a team’s fans for an upcoming match or to celebrate a victory.
Emotion Photography
Athlete branding and marketing are all about telling a story that connects emotionally with the audience. Emotion photography can capture triumph and defeat, camaraderie and competition. Our photographers can be on hand at sports events to capture these charged moments.
Emotion photography can showcase a wide variety of events, including iconic moments like Michael Phelps gasping for air between strokes or Brittney Griner dunking during an intense game. A great sports photographer is always ready for a defining shot in the moment.
Action Photography
Action shots are key to successful marketing strategies in the world of sports. Our team is highly skilled at capturing split-second shots that capture the essence of a strong athlete. Amateur photography simply cannot compare to a crisp shot of that game-saving goal or basket.
If you want even more of the action on record, consider incorporating our videography services into your marketing plan.
Close-Up Photography
A variety of shots contribute to the overall story that your personal brand tells. Adding close-up shots can convey the work and effort that goes into each game and practice. Close-up shots of hands, facial expressions, or a drop of sweat can all creatively indicate the years of effort that go into a successful sports career.
Editorial Photography
Though distinct from branding, editorial photography plays a crucial role in both media and digital marketing. Editorial photography accompanies a story in a newspaper or magazine. As such, it’s a creative opportunity to tell your athletic story through a series of connected images.
