How sports team photography was done in the good old days!
When you are photographing a sports team, the most important aspect to get right is how you pose the players. Even if you get the exposure and focus perfect, a poor composition will make the finished image seem unprofessional. Here are some tips to ensure that you get the photo right.
Use Posing Diagrams
Whatever the size of the team, you should use a posing diagram. Having a number of diagrams for different situations and sizes of teams will be highly beneficial, as you could be photographing anything from 6 to 16 players. There are several reasons why posing charts are so important.
First of all, it saves a lot of time. You do not need to put significant thought into where people should be standing. This is essential if you have several teams to photograph, or are photographing a youth team with younger players who may become restless quite quickly.
Posing charts also help you to achieve consistency across all of your photos, which will convey a greater impression of professionalism. In the case of youth teams, where parents may have numerous children in different teams, the consistency will be appreciated for its aesthetics. Clubs will also prefer the pictures to be harmonious when putting team photos on the wall.
Placing The Coach
Placing the coach can be more challenging than the players, as there may be differences in the number of coaches. In youth sports teams, there may also be a noticeable disparity in the height between coaches and players. Often it looks better to have coaches flanking the team, but if there is an odd number of players and a single coach it can look better if the coach is in a central position.
Following these basic tips will help you to achieve a professional looking finish on your photos. With experience, creating a great photo will become second nature to you.