The First Session I Got Paid For

March 1, 2026 | Ollie Piazza

During winter break in 2022, I went back to my hometown and started photographing my alma mater’s basketball games — mostly to keep practicing, and maybe (naively) hoping I’d land a job at the local paper like in the movies.

That didn’t happen. What happened instead changed everything.

After a few games, a mom wearing an Oliver Ames Basketball sweatshirt sat next to me and introduced herself. Her daughter was a senior, and she wanted photos of the team for Senior Night.This was before banners and media days were a thing. I had never posed athletes before. I had only ever shot live games. I was confused at first why she was talking to me so much. I wasn't thinking about how I had been to the last 3 games with my camera.

Then she asked, “So what would you charge?”

I panicked and said, “I don’t know… $50?” She agreed. And I immediately went home and searched YouTube for how to shoot portraits.

The next day, I showed up nervous. She told me she originally planned to take the photos on her phone but figured if I could photograph the girls running on the court, I could handle them standing still.

When I got home and uploaded the images, I realized I’d made a mistake. My aperture was too low, and not everyone was in focus. I edited carefully, hoping it wasn’t obvious, and sent them off expecting disappointment.

Instead, she said she loved them and couldn’t wait to frame them for the team.

Looking back, that $50 session was the moment everything shifted. If I hadn’t been paid for that shoot, I might still see photography as just a hobby. That was the first time I realized I could actually do this.