Tips for team photos...

Hey everyone,

My sister is a competitive cheerleader and I will possibly be shooting their squads team photos. Any tips as this will be my first time.

My biggest obstacle will be the parents choosing the prints and such. Does anyone know of a website that I can upload the photos to and they can go on and pic which ones and the amounts of what they want.

Any sort of pricing guide?

I really want this to go smoothly and I'd obviously love to make a great impression, as it may lead to some side gigs as well!

Your biggest obstacle is one you might not face at all. Most team and individual (T&I) photographers dont give parents any choice in poses. They offer a package of 1 team photo and 1 individual portrait and thats the choice. You are likely not getting paid enough to let parents review proofs and pick poses like its a senior photo session. Its far easier to do a reprint for an unhappy parent than it is to invite too many people into the creative process.

Just make sure you are the only one allowed to shoot the squad. Keep the parents well out of it. Let them do their thing AFTER you've set up your pics. That way, your well done pics will be more desirable than their iPhone snaps.

I don't let the parents choose their photos. I just tell them I'll pick the best pose. It's easier and stress-free. They usually just say they trust me.

This is great advice !!
Parents get in the way, have flashes going off but likely the worst is distracting the attention away from your lens. Kills a shot when kids are looking away at Mommy and her iPhone.

Have backup equipment that you know how to work.
You never know what can happen when you take a team photo.
Most times everything goes smoothly, BUT some times Brad Pitt makes a movie and almost, sort of, kinda ruins the team photo.

http://ksimonian.com …-oakland-as-team-picture/

I used to work the opposite way to Hannya, I would let the parents shoot first, then while they were uploading to the book of faces or wherever I would rearrange the team and shoot the pic I wanted.

bildeb0rg wrote in post #17991454
I used to work the opposite way to Hannya, I would let the parents shoot first, then while they were uploading to the book of faces or wherever I would rearrange the team and shoot the pic I wanted.

Chaps I know often shoot into the sun with the kids, so the parent's stuff is poor and theirs is proper. I don't currently have that problem. I'm the one who shoots the pics if I'm asked to.