Tracking Cards

What is your method for tracking cards and ensuring the proper images go with the proper game at events? I'm talking to those who use multiple cards, not just 2 or 3. I have some idea, but know there HAS to be a better way. Just wanted to get other's input.

My cards are numbered. My largest event is a cheer/dance competition which has over 100 teams competing. I take an event program and mark it when I change cards. I also shoot a dark frame between teams to make seperation quicker when in LR.

I take a laptop to the event and during intermissions, (usually 3 of them) I copy the images to folders on it. I have folders which are named as the cards are numbered.
Example. 161, 162, 81, 82, 83 etc... 161 is 16GB card 1, 162 is 16GB card 2, 81 is 8GB card 1......

Thanks, Mike. Good information.

Same as Mike, all mine are numered and I also shoot a frame, if outside it is usually grass so I can tell when i switched games

Thanks guys. Great advice. Another great feature of the 1D is the recording feature as to exactly what teams are being shot. Thanks again.

We handle sports photography for large events using some 17 4gig cards of our own, plus cards brought by additional photographers hired when needed.

For a big event, most games are known, scheduled.
So these get organized in a list in Excel with columns for: Game ID #, Game Time, Field/Location, Photographer, Team1, Team2
The Excel file is then read into Word as a mailing label merge data set and printed to business card stock (Avery #5371). The resulting cards are stacked and rubber banded together before the event.

At the event, each shooter gets their stack of cards and goes off to shoot ... taking a picture of the card before each game ... like a movie "slate" at the beginning of each take. These show up clearly in any photo browser, and not only mark the start of a new game, but lists all the details for each game covered.

NickJushchyshyn wrote in post #8729586
We handle sports photography for large events using some 17 4gig cards of our own, plus cards brought by additional photographers hired when needed.

For a big event, most games are known, scheduled.
So these get organized in a list in Excel with columns for: Game ID #, Game Time, Field/Location, Photographer, Team1, Team2
The Excel file is then read into Word as a mailing label merge data set and printed to business card stock (Avery #5371). The resulting cards are stacked and rubber banded together before the event.

At the event, each shooter gets their stack of cards and goes off to shoot ... taking a picture of the card before each game ... like a movie "slate" at the beginning of each take. These show up clearly in any photo browser, and not only mark the start of a new game, but lists all the details for each game covered.

Nick,
It's funny that you bring that up. I actually created a spreadsheet today to track cards. My biz partner is in IT and is buying us a bundle of 4GB Sandisk cards. He gets them at a fantastic rate. They will only be used for events. Thanks for the tips.

The key for us is that we don't track the memory cards themselves .. we just pre-plan what we will shoot, then "slate" each game shot with the business card prints as the shoot progresses. This way, each photographer doesn't have to be concerned about which memory card they use for each team, game, league, etc.

The photos themselves essentially self-document the day.

I shot a big regional soccer tourney here a couple of months ago for a large photo company out of Minneapolis. They were fantastically organized.

They had sheets printed out for every game for the day. They'd put the sheets in plastic bags and hand them to us along with a pocket full of 512mb memory cards. Before we started shooting the match we'd put the bag on the ground and take a shot of the sheet in the bag. Shoot about 100 photos of the match, take the memory card out of the camera and seal it in the bag. Go to the next game and repeat.

We'd be shooting 2-3 games at a time. They'd come around and get the bags with the cards from us and take them back to the tent. There they'd burn the card straight onto a CD.

This was a 200+ team 6 day tournament with 3 days of shooting.

Here's what the sheets looked like:

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

DDCSD wrote in post #8731071
I shot a big regional soccer tourney here a couple of months ago for a large photo company out of Minneapolis. They were fantastically organized.

They had sheets printed out for every game for the day. They'd put the sheets in plastic bags and hand them to us along with a pocket full of 512mb memory cards. Before we started shooting the match we'd put the bag on the ground and take a shot of the sheet in the bag. Shoot about 100 photos of the match, take the memory card out of the camera and seal it in the bag. Go to the next game and repeat.

We'd be shooting 2-3 games at a time. They'd come around and get the bags with the cards from us and take them back to the tent. There they'd burn the card straight onto a CD.

This was a 200+ team 6 day tournament with 3 days of shooting.

Here's what the sheets looked like:

Thanks for the sample Dereck. I like that idea. When I shoot marathons, we get a small baggie of numbered cards and the baggie is assigned to a particular photographer and location.

DDCSD wrote in post #8731071

| Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Total number of rolls shot???

Oh wow, there must people still shooting film at these events or this is left over from years back and nobody changed it to 'cards'

If you are using as many cards as I have for an event, 10 CF cards at a time, you would have to have a system. I number mine, formatting before any event so the cards are in sequence. I carry the CF card wallet with me as I shoot, putting the used on in the same spot, but backwards and that tells me I am done and need to move on. You can get a small index card with the information about what you are shooting before getting started on a card, as suggested above. That really helps. I upload all my images in order so my PS or LR have them in order in the organizer.

Derek, et al;
An off-topic question. When you folks work for these kind of large sporting events, is there a minimum gear requirement that is expected of you to bring? For example 1D bodies versus xxD bodies, L glass, and so on.
Also, are you folks told how to set up your cameras for consistency across all the photographers? Simplest example would be shooting JPEG vs RAW, and if JPEG, are you dictated on the parameter settings?
In general, how do the photography companies work out the cocnsistency matters across all the hired photographers?
I'm just curious.

Sibil wrote in post #8740127
Derek, et al;
An off-topic question. When you folks work for these kind of large sporting events, is there a minimum gear requirement that is expected of you to bring? For example 1D bodies versus xxD bodies, L glass, and so on.
Also, are you folks told how to set up your cameras for consistency across all the photographers? Simplest example would be shooting JPEG vs RAW, and if JPEG, are you dictated on the parameter settings?
In general, how do the photography companies work out the cocnsistency matters across all the hired photographers?
I'm just curious.

Yes. I shoot for a couple national sports companies and they require certain gear requirements. Nothing too outlandish, though. They do require you to set up your files in camera a certain way (ie. image dimension w/ a specific sharpening setting). That helps them when they upload them. All are required to shoot JPEG. There are various camera models being used and shooting only JPEG eliminates RAW file conversion.

SuzyView wrote in post #8739900
If you are using as many cards as I have for an event, 10 CF cards at a time, you would have to have a system. I number mine, formatting before any event so the cards are in sequence. I carry the CF card wallet with me as I shoot, putting the used on in the same spot, but backwards and that tells me I am done and need to move on. You can get a small index card with the information about what you are shooting before getting started on a card, as suggested above. That really helps. I upload all my images in order so my PS or LR have them in order in the organizer.

Thanks Suzy. I currently have 5 cards and do the same thing. I turn them around so that I know they're used. I haven't had a need for all 5 cards yet. I also format the card just prior to using it. On a side note, I have 2 512KB cards that have my camera settings saved on it. I've never needed to use them in an emergency, but they're there if I need them.