League Sports
PREPARATION
Stocked League Bin
One Week Prior
Walk through the location, ideally with the league contact, to determine the best location for cameras and the registration table. You’ll need to take into consideration pathways, roads, parking lots and playing fields as potential background obstacles.
Work to have a minimum of 100 yards of space between the photographers and the registration table to ensure team sign-ups, parent questions and late picture payments can be handled far away from the picture taking process. This will keep the whole shoot running as smoothly as possible.
Verify that packets have been received by the league & distributed to coaches
Take pictures to share with photographers either in-person, over video call or in the calendar event as an attachment
Two Days Prior
Collect supplies for the registration table and canopy into bins that can be restocked and taken from league to league. See League Prep Sheet for full list.
Make sure Vagabonds, Clovers and camera batteries are fully charged the night before. Designate who will pick them up prior to the shoot.
Make sure all staff are familiar with using the Clover Flex and troubleshooting issues like bad cell connection and running out of paper. Clover Flex How-To
EQUIPMENT SETUP
Arrive at location an hour before the first team
Have a team meeting to talk through the location of cameras and registration tables and how the day will run
Set up camera stations each with a single 1600 or 3200, a vagabond and a tripod
Have white drawstring garbage bags accessible to cover the lights, vagabonds and cameras in case of rain
Meter your lights and set camera settings within 30 minutes of the first team arriving and again right before photographing the first team
REGISTRATION TABLE
Registration Table Set-Up
Set up under a canopy, 100 yards away from the closest camera station
Tape down several price sheets for quick reference
Set out plenty of envelope bottoms for parents
Pens should be flagged with tape or zip ties so parents don’t walk away with them
Keep the schedule for the day easy to access and check teams off as they arrive
Fill out coach cover pads with the league information up to the number of teams scheduled
Make sure ALL staff understand how ordering works to ensure accurate communication to parents and coaches:
Online ordering is now the same as Undergrad. Players can preorder online, and up to four days after picture day. They do not need to have a packet with them if they ordered online.
Envelope Ordering is the same as Undergrad. Players will need an envelope indicating which package they are purchasing with cash or check inside.
Late Ordering - All players who did not pre-order will receive a second chance slip when prints are returned to coaches in 2-3 weeks. This slip includes their unique access key to view the image online and place an order. All late orders are shipped directly to the parent’s address and have an added processing fee for this reason.
THE FLOW
Completed Coach Cover Sheet
Coaches sign in at the registration table
Instruct the coach to do the following:
Take the completed coach cover sheet to the photographer
Collect packets from parents and players
Line up players tallest to smallest as they arrive
Select one ball to be used in the photos
Ask parents to head towards the game field
Lead their team to the next available photographer as soon as all players and coaches are present
Cashiers should direct any remaining parents to meet the team at the game field so that players are looking at and listening to the photographer through the process
Group Photo
Begin with the group photo whenever possible
Collect the coach cover and packets from the coach and rubber band them together
Pose and photograph the team
Mark the team frame on the coach cover and 5 star the selected team in-camera
Use down-time to write the selected team frame on each player's envelope
Click HERE to view the posing guide
Individual Photos
Have kids line up for their individual photos
Call out the name on the first envelope in the stack
As that player steps into position, read out the next name so they are prepared when it's their turn
Have one coach help with posing by standing 4ft to the side of the player and putting the ball in the player’s hand
Mark all individual frames on the player's envelope
Click HERE to view the posing guide
OUTDOOR LIGHTING
For indoor lighting scenarios, refer to the Activities section of sites and ACT 101, ACT 102 cards as lighting stays consistent throughout the duration of the shoot.
Make sure highlight alert is enabled and if the white information on the front of the subject is flashing, stop and re-meter, and shoot with the histogram visible using the info button during playback
Position your subjects so the sun is behind them for the majority of the shoot
Wait to start metering until 30 minutes before the first scheduled team
Leads: always call out or make settings changes at all stations at the same time
Choose a lighting scenario based on what time of day you will be starting the shoot
Morning Setup
Set your light meter to 1/125 SS and 100 ISO on Ambient
Measure the light from the brightest point of the sky (ambient highlight) and adjust ISO until the fStop reading on the meter is close to 11.3
Switch to Corded mode and meter your main light at the same shutter speed and ISO.
Adjust the power and remeter until your main light fires back at f11.3
As the sun rises and you notice highlights flashing on the bright points of the subject, re-meter by increasing the shutter speed one click at a time on your camera until the highlight alert disappears, going no higher than 1/250th.
When your shutter speed reaches 1/250 and the ambient highlight reads f11 or higher, change the settings on your meter (in corded mode) and your camera to 1/250th, f16 and 100 ISO. Re-meter your light by adjusting the light power until the fStop reads f16
If at any point during the day, a highlight appears on the subject’s nose, turn the subject slightly and move the camera until that highlight disappears behind them.
Afternoon Setup
Set your light meter to 1/250th SS and 100 ISO on Ambient.
Measure the light from the brightest point of the sky (ambient highlight) and note the fstop reading that shows.
Switch to Corded mode and meter your main light at the same shutter speed and ISO.
Adjust the power and remeter until your main light fires back one full stop above the ambient reading. For example, if the ambient reading came back with f11, adjust the power or distance of your main light until it reads f16.
As the sun is setting and you notice highlights and the background diminishing behind the subject, re-meter by decreasing the shutter speed one click at a time on your camera until the background becomes more balanced. If any highlight alert flashes on your subject, you have likely decreased the shutter speed too much and need to re-meter your light at 1/125SS, 400 ISO
If you have multiple teams scheduled after the sun has fully set, it is recommended that you set up a background light to splash light on the grass immediately behind the subject. Meter this light one full stop below what your main light is set to.
INDOOR LEAGUES - TETHERING INSTRUCTIONS
PAY
A major perk for league photographers is that they have a higher base rate. However, in order to adjust their pay rate, photographers are required to:
Ensure that punches are entered under the department for that branch’s activities (i.e. Boise Activity)
Enter the word "LEAGUE" in the notes field of their punches followed by the league's four digit account number
Print and complete a LEAGUE FORM. Send a picture of the form to kconnolly@dorianstudio.com and ship and it with the green.