different idea of team shot?

I remember seeing a few here in this forum, but couldn't find them anymore. I really like to have some abnormal team shot idea especially outdoors. Instead of putting the team in two lines, or three, any idea to illustrate each individual pose but still as a group?

thanks for sharing or showing your project.

What sport are you shooting?

basketball & volleyball, But like to see all team sports group shot ideas..

any sharing?

A lot of awesome stuff on this website:
http://www.vbpics.com/​teampictures/index.htm​l

Dunno if you can come up with similar (awesome) lighting though

Wow, that's brilliant. That's the one I was looking for... Don't know how to get those lighting done though.... It must have a very good studio lighting sets..

#1 ask the coach what kind of photo he/she wants. If you're straying away from traditional shots it's best to print a sample and ask if that's ok as some coaches do not want shots like that. Personally if you printed any of those samples on the main page and brought them to my team I'd tell you no and set them up myself.

One of the schools I coach at the photog has my baseball team take the pic in the gym, and then my volleyball team took it outdoors. A$$ backwards and you never heard so many kids/parents/coaches complaining...the volleyball girls laying in the grass looks plain out stupid to me, it's not a senior pic it's a sports pic, and I'm anal about having them in there actual surrounding (baseball players at a baseball diamond, soccer players on a soccer field, etc, etc). Now if it was a beach volleyball player laying in the sand, whole lot different.

MJPhotos24 wrote in post #4776151
One of the schools I coach at the photog has my baseball team take the pic in the gym, and then my volleyball team took it outdoors. A$$ backwards and you never heard so many kids/parents/coaches complaining...the volleyball girls laying in the grass looks plain out stupid to me, it's not a senior pic it's a sports pic, and I'm anal about having them in there actual surrounding (baseball players at a baseball diamond, soccer players on a soccer field, etc, etc). Now if it was a beach volleyball player laying in the sand, whole lot different.

Couldn't agree more on that, shoot in the environment of their sport.
But if the client is paying and the client wants something else, then it's a different story.

There are many interesting team shot ideas for basketball, here is one:

Yea, it's all about what the pic is for I think (and who)...sometimes traditional is what's wanted/needed. I know if I went into one of the pro teams I shoot for and said I want to do something different I'd have 25 players and 3 coaches chasing me out the stadium with baseball bats.

MJPhotos24 wrote in post #4776151
#1 ask the coach what kind of photo he/she wants. If you're straying away from traditional shots it's best to print a sample and ask if that's ok as some coaches do not want shots like that. Personally if you printed any of those samples on the main page and brought them to my team I'd tell you no and set them up myself.

One of the schools I coach at the photog has my baseball team take the pic in the gym, and then my volleyball team took it outdoors. A$$ backwards and you never heard so many kids/parents/coaches complaining...the volleyball girls laying in the grass looks plain out stupid to me, it's not a senior pic it's a sports pic, and I'm anal about having them in there actual surrounding (baseball players at a baseball diamond, soccer players on a soccer field, etc, etc). Now if it was a beach volleyball player laying in the sand, whole lot different.

As the photographer in the referenced site, I thought I would chime in. I completely respect your point about doing what the team wanted and always do. Just for clarification, in all cases the images were taken where the team requested. Things may be different in your area, but I get a lot of complaints about *another* team picture taken in the gym. They want something different, something outdoors or somehow distinctive from their usual team pictures and I'm happy to provide it for them. It's often the coach leading the charge re: not doing the shoot in the gym. I never push my views. I usually survey the coach and team in advance providing samples of each type. In fact, my packages for a traditional in-gym team picture are about $20 lower per person than going outdoors or doing something different and this year no teams we photographed opted for the less expensive but more traditional route. To each their own. Regards, Micheal

mhall wrote in post #5263248
As the photographer in the referenced site, I thought I would chime in. I completely respect your point about doing what the team wanted and always do. Just for clarification, in all cases the images were taken where the team requested. Things may be different in your area, but I get a lot of complaints about *another* team picture taken in the gym. They want something different, something outdoors or somehow distinctive from their usual team pictures and I'm happy to provide it for them. It's often the coach leading the charge re: not doing the shoot in the gym. I never push my views. I usually survey the coach and team in advance providing samples of each type. In fact, my packages for a traditional in-gym team picture are about $20 lower per person than going outdoors or doing something different and this year no teams we photographed opted for the less expensive but more traditional route. To each their own. Regards, Micheal

Are you refering to the vballpics site?

In this area they choose the traditional images most of the time - I've tried for non-traditonal but they refused - and since I shoot mostly pro sports they always choose traditional as thats what they work with for promotional materials and are used to. I never argued that non-traditional shots are evil, just that you best ask the coach or the client what they want. I know as a coach you're doing it my way or not doing it at all - I've refused and gone at it with photographers saying it's what WE as a team want because to me my players are the most important voice in what we do in how we're represented to the public. If a client wants us to do something different for a paper or magazine spread thats fine, but they will run it by me first and I'll take it to my team to see what they want. Example was today we did our team photo for baseball - in a gym cuz it was raining which I dont like but what can ya do - but we wanted traditional all straight and serious faces (though I smile in most they didnt want that). My team wins, they want that type pic as the official one - fine. The guy tried to direct us and I refused, this is how we're doing it!

I'm not sure the images on the main page are the same (if it was that link or the home page which has obviously been updated). I know you won't catch my team in the sand (we're not a sand volleyball team and if you can find sand in this area you drove at least an hour to get there) - though if we were a school on the beach front who knows...and you won't see my team on a latter or hanging on each other in some grassy area. Does it mean it's bad - no, it means I wont allow my team to do it because I don't want it as our official team pic - if they want to order that on the side thats fine and I've recommended it, or if it fits the article being written thats fine - but for the usual team pics I won't allow it. Ironically I had the convo about that tonight with a couple other coaches and they don't either.

Now, as a photog ONLY - I dont mind changing things up and seeing where it goes, but when a coach says "I want it this way" then I know to say "yes sir/ma'am" and do it that way cuz I'm just as anal about it.

MJPhotos24 wrote in post #5263689
Are you refering to the vballpics site?

Yep, that one's mine.

MJPhotos24 wrote in post #5263689
In this area they choose the traditional images most of the time - I've tried for non-traditonal but they refused - and since I shoot mostly pro sports they always choose traditional as thats what they work with for promotional materials and are used to.

Sure, I completely understand that. I don't think my shots would go for the USA Womens Volleyball team official promotional shot. But, that's one more reason I'm not particularly interested in shooting pro-level sports.

MJPhotos24 wrote in post #5263689
I never argued that non-traditional shots are evil, just that you best ask the coach or the client what they want.

Absolutely - it makes no one happy to come in with a pre-conceived idea of what to do based on nothing but your own thoughts without reference to what your client actually wants.

MJPhotos24 wrote in post #5263689
I know you won't catch my team in the sand (we're not a sand volleyball team and if you can find sand in this area you drove at least an hour to get there) - though if we were a school on the beach front who knows...and you won't see my team on a latter or hanging on each other in some grassy area. Does it mean it's bad - no, it means I wont allow my team to do it because I don't want it as our official team pic - if they want to order that on the side thats fine and I've recommended it, or if it fits the article being written thats fine - but for the usual team pics I won't allow it.

Ah, the sand. That was in Hawaii. The team is from Clovis, CA (central CA, major farming area) and they flew me to Hawaii to photograph them competing in a tournament in Honolulu. If you don't like them in the sand, then you wouldn't have liked them in their sarongs (wrap around dresses) in the sand, or the image with the Hawaiian fire-dancer with flames in front of them either. Actually that last shot posted was taken because they wanted a dramatic sky on the beach, but wanted to be in uniform. It was our last day and Waikiki beach is packed at sunset, which we wouldn't be there for anyway. So the girls all got up before dawn to have that picture.

They printed it as a 20' banner and hung it in their gym and built an entire team spirit theme around it including posters, t-shirts, etc. Would I have done that if the coach didn't want it? Not a chance! But the coach was into it as well and was happy with anything that would get the girls to gel as a team and motivate them to play harder.

(The ladder was the club director's idea. Don't know where she came up with it, but she absolutely didn't want them in a traditional three row pose - flat refused.)

I totally agree that some people will find what we think of as "fun" as being absurd or silly. But, then again, we don't take it too seriously and I'm photographing almost exclusively teenage girls who are high spirited and want a bit more personality in their images, and they get completely excited about images that are different from the norm and make them look good.

I think we mostly shoot in different worlds and with a bit different mindsets and I'm glad we can both do what we like and what the client likes.

Regards,
Micheal

OK - Hawaii - I dont think you'd get a pic of us indoors period, I'd be coaching from the beach over a walkie talkie or something, ha. For a trip like that I would definately like the images as it's telling the story of our teams trip to Hawaii - that's what I meant about fitting the spread or what not, guess situation is a better word. Definately would like shots like that on those trips. I guess I'm leaning more towards the official team shot. Of my 17 seasons, 14 have been teenage girls and not any wanted anything but traditional, now for individual shots they did, but not team for some reason.

As for pre-concieved - every time I go for a T&I day I hope someone has a non-traditional thing to do but usually they just want traditional and all the parents are in the background "oh do this, do that". There's always one soccer coach who has some good ideas and fun to watch her set them up, we've done some weird pyramids with her....but they all looked A) fun B) different

i have to do also a team pic, unfortunately there are about 30 people in it. Is a rugby team, and i'm searching for examples but also tips and gear. i do use a canon 40d and probably i will use 50mm f1,8. is that the best choice?