Backgdrop size for youth basketball team

[jdouglas003]

Does anyone know what a typical size backdrop would be for around 10 kids between 8 and 12 years old?

I'm starting to shoot some youth basketball T&I and will probably need a backdrop large enough for the average youth basketball team.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[rabidcow]

I use 2 12x20 one for the background and one for the floor for team shots. A nice looking 10 foot bench rounds out the set nicely as I can have kids sitting and some standing behind.

[MJPhotos24]

If you can get the gym do it in the gym, personally I hate backdrops and so do 99.9% of parents I've asked (actually all of them have said they do - but leaving that .1% just in case :) ). However, in some of the big leagues it's impossible to get gym space and backdrops are a necessary evil.

[chris clements]

Why would you want to go to all the trouble and expense? Backdrops are out of fashion even for small groups. Can't you identify a reasonably uncluttered part of the gym and/or throw the background out of focus?

[RangerRick]

Does anyone know what a typical size backdrop would be for around 10 kids between 8 and 12 years old?

I'm starting to shoot some youth basketball T&I and will probably need a backdrop large enough for the average youth basketball team.

Thanks for any suggestions.

You need something at least 10 or 12 foot wide. I do team pics for our church b-ball leauge. Can not use the gym. Had to shoot up against brick wall last year. Yuck!
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e382/RangerRick56/Youth%20Basketball/Tues-3BasketBallPhotoshop-nameblur.jpg

There are sooo many things wrong with this pic... don't even comment. The parents loved them though! Just wanted you to see the layout.

Gonna use 12' wide blue drapes this year in a room where I can control things a little better and get a back light going.

[jdouglas003]

Why would you want to go to all the trouble and expense? Backdrops are out of fashion even for small groups. Can't you identify a reasonably uncluttered part of the gym and/or throw the background out of focus?

Thanks Chris,

But you make the assumption that the gym will always be an option, which it's not.

Many times in my situation the T&I pictures are taken while other games are being played, so you won't have access to the gym.

[MJPhotos24]

Being in TX, and maybe a warmer climate than here in Buffalo (just a little warmer? ha) is outside an option? For indoor sports I'm not a fan of outdoor pics as I like to have them in there element as much as possible, which it isn't as you said. One school I coach at did outside pics before because there's a really cool natural background just outside the gym doors so it was easy. He picked a day with 30MPH winds though and the girls hair was in there face non-stop so ruined the pics. But wasn't a bad idea, just a bad day to do them...

[dave13]

Sometimes when shooting on a muslin, you're limited by space, or the lack of 2 matching muslins.Of course the team is going to be too close to the edges or run off the sides a little. One thing that we do at the company I work for in either case is:

Once you set up your crossbar and muslin and get the light metered etc. Zoom out as far as your lens will let you. We usually use a 28-135. Then we shoot the muslin by itself at say, 28mm. That way in pp you have an uncluttered background shot in the exact same lighting conditions as the team.. Cut the team out of the original, move it over to the background image,resize the team as needed, , crop and save.