Sport team portraits- tips

[Rsv Mark]

Hi all
I need a bit of advice if that's ok?

I have been asked to shoot team portraits of all the mini and junior squads at my rugby club for the club calendar. Bit nervous as while I am keen, not much of my stuff is great.... So I am asking for a few tips or ideas.

My thinking is:

Decent depth of field
WB set to out doors
Get teams posed in as much light as I can and avoid squinting
Fast a shutter as I can
Get kids to smile
Shoot in bursts off a tripod
Ask all kids to make sure they can see the camera

I have 2 ideas for poses: the typical 2 rows with the front on a knee, arms folded etc, and the second taken from an elevated position looking down onto a more informal group- 3 shots with hands by sides, next with arms reaching up and waving, and last one with thumbs up.

I would welcome anyone's suggestions or experience so I don't make a hashed job
Thanks
Mark

[Morbid]

Sounds like you have this all worked out already. Honestly can't think of anything else to add.

[Simpo Two]

Essentially they are just group photos, so nothing too technical - the biggest issue is probably 'crowd management'.

'Decent depth of field' - depends on how many rows, but f8 would be a decent guess. You can always take a test shot and check.

'WB set to out doors' - I use Auto WB (RAW or JPG) but it's personal preference.

'Get teams posed in as much light as I can and avoid squinting' - avoid harsh sunlight or skim lighting (ie high contrast); cloudy bright is best if poss, otherwise take them into some shade. I prefer fill flash in shade but again it's personal preference. Make sure the background is decent.

'Fast a shutter as I can' - they're not running about, 1/125th should be fine.

'Get kids to smile' - yep.

'Shoot in bursts off a tripod' - I don't use bursts or a tripod; I just need one good one and I can hold a camera steady - but it's whatever you feel most comfortable with.

'Ask all kids to make sure they can see the camera' - you should be able to see this anyway.

Remember to check exposure with the histogram.

HTH and good luck!

[mike80]

You shouldn't need a tripod, but take quite a few of each setup, in case somebody blinks!

[Gemm]

mike80 said:

You shouldn't need a tripod, but take quite a few of each setup, in case somebody blinks!

This definitely, then you can swap faces in post production easily.

[Rsv Mark]

Thanks all
M

[Colin RedGriff]

Simpo Two said:

Make sure the background is decent.

This - if you have the space and the background is big enough might help to have them well forward of the background and use the depth of field to put it out of focus.

As has been said I think you have the bases covered.