If you’re waiting for someone to give you permission to pitch sponsored projects, here it is: you can start today.
You don’t need to be a world-famous photographer or have a massive following. What you do need is a strong idea, the ability to communicate that idea, and the willingness to do the work of putting yourself out there.
For me, sponsored projects started as a way to fund personal ideas that I already wanted to create. I’d have a concept I was excited about—maybe a road trip, an expedition, or even just a photo essay about a story unfolding in my own backyard. From there, I’d build a pitch deck that explained what I wanted to make, why it mattered, and how a sponsor could be involved.
Once I have that in place, I start sending it out. On average, my sponsorship success rate is about three percent. That means I’ll get three yeses for every 100 cold emails or messages I send. It’s a low number, but it’s enough. All it takes is one good sponsor to get a project off the ground.
This is a numbers game. But it’s also a timing game. Sometimes, the idea is great, but it just doesn’t land at the right time for a brand. That’s okay. I’ve had projects get picked up months after the initial pitch simply because someone came back around when the time was right.
You don’t need permission, a huge budget, or even previous sponsorships to begin. You just need to believe in the story you want to tell and be willing to pitch it. I break this process down step-by-step in The Adventure Photographer’s Playbook, including tips for cold outreach, deck design, and structuring deliverables.
Offering sponsored projects isn’t reserved for top-tier professionals. It’s a tool anyone can use to build their body of work, tell meaningful stories, and make a living doing what they love. So if you’re asking when you can start, the answer is simple.
Right now.
This lesson comes from my ebook "The Adventure Photographer's Playbook" and it costs $10. Why so cheap? The goal is to help as many new to mid level photographers as possible go from nothing to getting booked in 18 months:
