Taking photographs from the mountains, deep in the woods, dangling from ropes, under the ocean… the limitation to adventure photography is your mind and ability to access places. While adventure photography traditionally focused on authentic photojournalist ethics, the commercialization of the industry has changed the landscape of adventure photography. This broadening of the genre has helped build many sustainable photography careers for those who have adapted to the changing times and stories. But, what is adventure photography?
Adventure photography, originally an off-shoot of photojournalism, is the blend of landscape photography with action sports photography focused on telling a story. This combination showcases humans pushing their limits in physically demanding outdoor sports, often considered extreme sports, like rock climbing, mountaineering, white water kayaking, BASE jumping, surfing, skiing, SCUBA diving, free-diving, backpacking and so much more. The end goal of adventure photography is to tell a visual story of an adventure.
Read on to discover the types of adventure photography, the gear needed, leading adventure photographers, how to become an adventure photographer, how much adventure photographers make, and so much more.
An example of commercial adventure photography for the Ford Bronco. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
types of adventure photography
Adventure photography has grown and expanded over the years, but the overall look/feel of adventure photography remains the same. Adventure photography is rooted in adventure, which means dirty hands, sore bodies, and wonderful stories to tell. As the genre of adventure photography expands there have been five distinct types of adventure photography which are:
Documentary/editorial - Authentic stories told using a photojournalistic approach. Editorial adventure photography is considered the original form of adventure photography.
Commercial/advertising - As the outdoor industry blossomed and money has flooded into the adventure space, companies now fund content creation that sells their products in combination with the raw and real look of adventure photography. This is where the most money is at for those looking for a sustainable career in adventure photography.
Lifestyle - Lifestyle is a broader, more encompassing type of adventure photography that is more focused on travelers. The adventure stories told are less about extreme sports and more focused on adventures that do not require a high level of skill like hiking to beautiful vistas, road trips, and guided excursions.
Artistic - The artistic trend of adventure photography encompasses the concept of adventure, but does not tell a story in the traditional manner. This form breaks the barrier and pushes adventure photography forward.
Influencer - Social media is omnipresent for photographers todays and has been the foundation for jump-starting many careers. Adventure photographer influencers are often a combination of all the above, but have built an audience of their own. Often, the stories they tell are of themselves, focused on “inspiring others”.
What gear is needed for Adventure photography
Adventure photography doesn’t require much in terms of photography gear. Most beginner adventure photographers have a single camera and one lens (typically a 24-70mm). The demand is not in gear, but in the ability to “get the shot” in hard to reach places, meanwhile tell a story that will captivate audiences. But, what do you really need?
Beginner Gear:
One camera (most likely mirrorless)
One lens (24-70mm)
Intermeidate Gear:
1 or 2 cameras (most likely mirrorless)
Several lenses, most popular would be the zoom lens trio: wide (12-24), standard (24-70), telephoto (70-200)
Drone
Tripod
Filters
Advanced Gear:
Several cameras (both stills and video capable)
Several lenses
Tripod
Gimbal
Drone, maybe several
Filters
Sliders and time-lapse equipment
Who are adventure photographers?
Adventure photographers are becoming the “cool kids on the block” as social media glamorizes gorgeous landscapes that are hard to reach. The field is predominately male, however there are several female adventure photographers stirring things up. Below is a collection of up-and-coming and established adventure photographers you should know, follow, and study their work:
An example of lifestyle adventure photography showcasing a hike during sunrise while on a national park road trip. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
HOw much do adventure photographers get paid?
The career path of adventure photographs varies widely. Because of this, creating an “average pay” for photographers is not possible, however you can have a sustainable and fruitful life as an adventure photographer.
Beginners:
$10,000 - $30,000 a year. These photographers often do not understand the industry, don’t have many connection, and are typically unknown. Many will only have one revenue stream and do not know who/what they can create. Building a portfolio you can share is critical at this stage.
Intermediate:
$30,000 - $75,000 a year. These photographers are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They make enough money to get a taste of how fun being an adventure photographer can be, but they don’t have much freedom yet. While in this stage, you are constantly working, shooting spec pieces, marketing, and trying to make a name for yourself. Keep your head high and work your buns off. You can make it to the next grouping.
Advanced:
$75,000 - $250,000 a year. These adventure photographers have made a name for themselves and are sought after for their work. Most of these photographers have been in the industry for several years (7+) and have several revenue streams. While they may create good work, they might not be well known on social media. Much of their work will be commercial based. Some in this grouping will have assistants and/or agents that represent them.
The Top 1%":
250,000 - $1,000,000+ a year. These are the top of the top and have full teams behind them, supporting them. They have a diverse grouping of revenue streams and often combo photo and video in some capacity. Often these creators have large social media followings because their work has created a change in some capacity. The majority of their projects will be a combination of commercial and editorial work.
How to become an adventure photographer:
At the moment, there is no clear path to becoming an adventure photographer, but there is a general outline of milestones that can act as guardrails for your career trajectory. At the end of the day, building a sustainable career in adventure photography is not an easy path, often having several years of little, to no pay, that can be done, if you want it bad enough. A few important milestones for along the career path of adventure photography (note these are in no particular order):
First time getting paid for your work
Landing your first publication
Going “full time” as a content creator
Getting a cover photography
Shooting a small commercial project
Shooting a commercial campaign
Becoming and sustaining a full-time freelance career
Learning to license your images in your archive
Getting staffed at a magazine or company
Creating/being published in National Geographic
Growing a social media account
Making 100k in a year
Making 250k in a year
Hiring a full time assistant
Shooting personal projects to build a portfolio and name for yourself
If you want to learn how to land commercial photography jobs, check out this blog I wrote about it!
An editorial style adventure photograph of Sam while on a rock climbing road trip around the western United States. Photograph by Dalton Johnson
Now that you have discovered the types of adventure photography, the gear needed, leading adventure photographers, how to become an adventure photographer, and how much adventure photographers make, it is your turn to chase after the dream and become an adventure photographer. If you have any advice, or additional questions, about becoming an adventure photographer, please drop a comment below and I will do my best to help you all out!
