Growing a portrait business in today's saturated market is a challenge. An understanding of current consumer trends and factors that influence the market greatly betters the chance at success. While some photographers struggle to grow in very mature markets such as school portraits, others are finding there are still areas with great potential--namely, sports photography.
More than Little League
Youth sports encompass much more than just children playing traditional sports like baseball. First, an expanded view of what a 'youth' is broadens the market. According to the National Council of Youth Sports, Stuart, Fla., there were approximately 38 million children, up to age 19, playing sports in 2000. Students are playing sports through middle school and high school, and photographers need to remember to capitalize on all ages and not just elementary school participants.
Broadening the definition of what is included in sports leagues also reveals a much larger market. According to the PMA 2005 Professional Portrait Survey, the most popular sports portrait packages in 2005 were soccer (20.8 percent), baseball (16.5 percent), basketball (12.6 percent), football (9.0 percent), softball (5.7 percent), and cheerleading (4.6 percent). Gymnastics, golf, and hockey make up another 3.7 percent. So what made up more than a quarter of the rest of the market? Interestingly, 27.5 percent of sold packages were of 'other' sports. There are more recreational activities available now than ever. Photographers need to find segments whose needs are not being met and fill that void.
Market potential
How large is the sports market potential? There are more than 38 million youth sports players, and many of them play several sports throughout the year. Taking that into account, there are actually 52 million sports participants. According to PMA Marketing Research, there were only 8.7 million sports portrait packages sold in 2005. So there are underserved areas photographers can target.
Redefining the portrait
Taking advantage of digital imaging benefits, action photography is a growing segment of the portrait industry. Photographers can capture large volumes of photos during sporting events. Then they can display the photos on screens and either print on site or hand out cards with a website to place orders. While in the past, ordering portraits online would have been impossible or very foreign to customers, consumers' growing familiarity with online photo sites now makes it a viable option. Online ordering is one of the fastest growing digital print methods for consumers' photos. According to the 2006 PMA U.S. Consumer Photo Buying Report, 17 percent of households making prints of their digital images placed orders online for some of their prints. Parents are even more likely to own a digital camera and make prints online than the overall population. To implement an online ordering system, photographers can set up their own websites, or they can partner with specialty sites that will even handle the printing for them.
Another positive of shooting action photography is slightly higher spending by consumers. In 2005, purchasers of sports packages spent an average of $25.95 on still photos, but spent $28.39 on action photos. Also, unlike still photos, photo opportunities are not limited to a one-time session. Photographers can make additional sales through the same team during the same season if they shoot several games or events.
Action photography requires an investment in equipment and time; but with the right mix of capabilities and marketing, photographers can successfully sell photos from the events.
There is little room for growth in other segments of photography, such as K-11, family, and senior portraiture. They are areas highly dependent on outside factors, such as enrollment, population, and economic trends. The sports market, on the other hand, still has room for growth; and savvy photographers can find success in the business. PMA Marketing Research will continue to track this growing business and bring members up-to-date information.
Sports Participants and Portrait Purchasers in 2005 Millions Participants 52.4 Unique participants 38.2 Sport packages purchased 8.7 Note: * Participants are counted as many times as the number of sports in which they participate Source: PMA Marketing Research and National Council of Youth Sports Note: Table made from bar graph.
