Why hire professionals for your sports event?

With the increasing numbers of parents out there with dSLRs, as an event coordinator, why should you go with a professional photographer/company rather than ask a parent or two to shoot your event? Let's count the ways:

1. Experience - While a parent may snap a few shots at every competition, the sheer numbers of shots a professional has taken hones their skills. At a very large event I recently shot, I took over 20,000 photographs over the three days, and I was one of 12 photographers! Professionals know when to take the shot, how to take the shot, and how to print the shot later.



2. Dedication - Will the parent be able to provide coverage for the entire event? Professional sports photographers have the ability and resources to provide complete coverage of your event, not just shoot "when convenient."



3. Equipment - No, equipment doesn't make the photographer, but the professional photographer will have the right equipment and backups when required. Here's a shot taken from my camera after a recent meet.
   
   This is a broken shutter. This happened to one of my cameras in the middle of a gymnastics meet. As a professional, though, I have more than one camera, any of which are capable of capturing the event as required. Your average parent won't have a second camera, let alone a third or fourth. Your average parent won't have the lenses required to capture fast action in low light, either.
   
   The camera is currently on its way to be repaired, but I can still photograph an event with the equipment on hand. If I find that I'm short necessary equipment, then rental equipment is always a possibility, and is an expected expense as well.