Yuki Soda Wire

Prospective photographers

Shoot for the Wire

The Yuki Soda Wire is always looking for skilled, experienced photographers who can cover sports on deadline. New contributors are added based on need: a city or region we don't cover yet, or a team or sport you know well. If that sounds like you, read what we ask for below and apply. You don't need an account.

What you need to be able to do

  • Shoot, edit, caption and send photos from the venue, on deadline, while the event is still going.
  • Work with professional camera bodies and long telephoto lenses (see the gear list).

What we expect from contributors

  • Follow the Wire's assignment notes, style guidelines and contributor agreement.
  • Take feedback well and adjust your shooting and camera settings to meet the Wire's standard.
  • Treat captions and IPTC metadata as seriously as the pictures: names, spellings, dates and places checked every time, in AP style.
  • Act professionally on every credential, with teams, venues, officials and other media.

How portfolios are judged

We may ask for a portfolio, and sometimes for a few full takes (raw and edited) from games you've shot, to see your in-camera exposure and framing, your edit and your captions. We look for:

  • Sharp focus on the right subject
  • Good use of light
  • Strong composition
  • Control of depth of field and shutter speed
  • A thoughtful edit
  • Action, emotion and movement
  • Creativity
  • Consistency from picture to picture

Gear

Bodies: professional Canon, Nikon or Sony mirrorless or DSLR cameras, no more than 10 years old.

Long glass: a 300mm prime or a pro-grade constant-aperture zoom that reaches 300mm, whatever the sport. A 70-200 with a teleconverter, or a variable-aperture zoom, doesn't count as your long lens. Pro-grade super-telephoto zooms (like a 200-400) are welcome for every sport.

SportLenses you'll need, at least
Football300/2.8 (400/2.8 or longer is better), 70-200/2.8, 24-70/2.8
Baseball and softball300/2.8 (400/2.8 is better), 70-200/2.8, 24-70/2.8
Soccer300/2.8 (400/2.8 or longer is better), 70-200/2.8, 24-70/2.8
Basketball and volleyball70-200/2.8, 24-70/2.8
Track, cross country and golf300/2.8 or longer, 70-200/2.8, 24-70/2.8
Motorsports70-200/2.8, 24-70/2.8, and longer glass depending on the track and your position

Computer and software: a laptop with Wi-Fi and a current operating system; Photo Mechanic (the Wire's captioning and sending workflow); Lightroom or Photoshop; and a way to send photos from the venue, such as Photo Mechanic's upload to SmugMug or FTP.

Apply