From the Stands to the Sideline: Intro to Sports Photography w/Howard Lao

Sports Photography is one of the most dynamic and demanding types of photography. Howard Lao, a Portland-based sports photographer, will cover what it's like to photograph some of the best athletes in the world and how to improve the efficiency of your photography skills on and off the field.

This event will consist of 1 or 3 parts depending on the ticket purchased. Please see details below.

Sports Photography 101 Lecture

June 9th, 2025 7 PM @ Pro Photo Supply Event Space

(~60 minutes speaking / ~20 minutes learning editing/workflow / ~15 minutes Q&A)

The lecture portion will cover the following topics:

• What makes a good image (Howard will discuss this in detail for Track & Field but also mention a few other sports like basketball, soccer, football, etc
• Behind the scenes of working game day
• How to find the best angles at events * Camera gear & best settings to use
• Sports Photography etiquette on and off the field
• Remote cameras
• Editing (lightroom), workflow (Photo Mechanic), and file storage.

Hands-on Workshop (limit 10 students)

June 15th, 2025 Time TBD Lewis and Clark College
Come watch the hottest track meet in Portland this year at the Portland Track Festival at Lewis & Clark. Featuring multiple Olympic Athletes and World Champions this is a World Athletic Certified meet. This is a distance focused only event! (https://www.portlandtrack.com/ptf-schedule-2025)

Get exclusive access onto the track and be taught in real-time by Howard Lao!

More information about this portion of the class will be provided at the conclussion of Howard's presentation on June 9th.

Hands-on workshop attendees will receive a 25% discount on rental gear from Pro Photo Supply - details for this will be inlcuded in your order confirmation email.

Virtual Image Review

June 20th, 2025 7 PM to 8:15 PM - ONLINE

Attendees from the hands-on workshop will submit 5-10 photos from the workshop to be reviewed via a virtual platform(Google Meet) during a group session. This image review will take 75 minutes and allow participants to discuss what went well, and what can be improved on for their next shoot. Howard will also field any of your additional questions during this review session.

ABOUT HOWARD LAO

Howard Lao is a freelance photographer based in the Pacific Northwest.

Howard combines his unique background as an NCAA Division 1 athlete with his photography, capturing the essence of athletes and the moments that bring fans closer to the competition. He has covered a variety of events, including;

• 2024 Gangwon, Korea - Winter Youth Olympics
• 2016, 2021, 2024 Olympic Trials
• 4x World Athletics Championships (Beijing/Portland/Eugene/London)
• 5x NCAA Track & Field Championships
• Major League Soccer and National Women Soccer League
• 2023 XFL League Photographer
• Boston, New York City, and Chicago Marathons
• Pan Continental Curling Championships for the World Curling Federation (Calgary)
• NBA and NCAA March Madness
• and more!

He currently freelances for The Oregonian & The Associated Press (AP) with his work appearing worldwide, in the Wall Street Journal, and countless other newspapers. He has also done commercial projects for Nike, Nike Snkrs, Oiselle, Brooks, and Sketchers. Howard’s images have won multiple awards and made shortlists; including the World Athletics 2020 Photograph of the Year, Sports Shooter Academy 2022, World Sport Photo Baseball (1st), Diamond League 2022 (1st).

See more of Howard's work on his website and on Instagram under his handle @howlaophotography

ABOUT REGISTRATION

The in-person workshop part of this event is limited to 8 spots with a minimum of 4 registered attendees needed. In the event the minimum isn't met, the session will be canceled and registered attendees will receive full refunds.

Attendees will be required to sign a waiver in order to join us for the in-the-field portion of this class.

This event has limited space, as a result, registration is required for each attendee. If you are on the waitlist for this event, you will receive a notification, via email, if a space becomes available for you.

PRICING, FEES & REFUNDS

In the event of a refund, Eventbrite Fees are not refundable. Eventbrite fees are only refunded if an event is canceled.

Refunds are only available within 24 hours of a planned workshop.

Refunds are unavailable post-event date.