Contract Event Photographer - Chicago

Freelance Photographer

Get paid to travel and photograph some of North America's largest dance competitions.

DanceBUG is hiring experienced photographers for our February–June competition season . If you have experience shooting sports, concerts, dance or other fast-moving live events, we'll train you on our workflow and the world of dance photography.

You shoot. We handle the editing.

Why You'll Love It

• Starting at $25/hour
• Guaranteed minimum daily and event pay
• Paid travel days
• Flights, hotels and rental cars paid by DanceBUG
• Private hotel room
• Meals or per diem provided
• Up to $700 equipment stipend
• Paid training
• No editing required
• Consistent weekend opportunities throughout the season

Season: February–June
Typical Travel: Thursday/Friday through Sunday/Monday
Events: Throughout the United States

What You'll Do

• Photograph fast-moving dance performances under changing stage lighting
• Capture sharp, well-timed action images
• Work alongside DanceBUG's media team at live competitions
• Back up, transfer and upload images using DanceBUG's workflow

We'll Train You

Dance photography experience is not required.

Every new photographer receives virtual training in January followed by at least two live training events alongside experienced Senior Photographers before working independently.

If you know how to photograph action, we'll teach you dance.
Photography Experience

We're looking for photographers experienced with fast-moving subjects such as:

Sports • Dance • Concerts • Theatre • Gymnastics • Figure Skating • Cheerleading • Live Events

You should be comfortable shooting in manual mode with continuous autofocus (Servo/AF-C) under changing lighting conditions.

Portrait, studio, real estate, landscape, product or architectural photography alone does not meet the action-photography requirements for this role.

Requirements

• Authorized to work in the United States
• Live within approximately one hour of a major airport
• Available for regular weekend travel throughout the season
• Valid U.S. driver's license
• Passport or REAL ID-compliant driver's license
• Comfortable driving 5–6 hours when required
• Able to work long production days and lift approximately 25 lbs
• Able to successfully complete a criminal background check

Equipment

Photographers provide their own professional equipment:

• Two Canon, Nikon or Sony mirrorless camera bodies
• 24–105mm, 24–120mm, 24–70mm or 35–150mm constant-aperture zoom
• 70–200mm zoom
• f/2.8 preferred; f/4 accepted
• Four 64GB+ memory cards and compatible card reader
• Minimum three batteries and two chargers
• Monopod

DSLR cameras and other brands are not compatible with DanceBUG's proprietary photography system.

Ready to Apply?

Please include:

• A link to your live-action photography portfolio
• Your current city and state
• A brief overview of your relevant photography experience

For nearly 25 years, DanceBUG has been a leader in dance media and event technology. Join our team for a season of travel, live events and photography across the country.

Apply today — we'd love to hear from you.

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Compensation details: 25-25 Hourly Wage

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