Advice on shooting a team photo...

[TheKingInYellow]

Maybe I'm over-thinking this, but are there any specific rules or advice for shooting a team portrait?

This is a small soccer team, than I am shooting for a friend in exchange for him building a websit for me. There are thirteen players, four coaches, and it's to be taken at an indoor field. For lighting, I have my 580EX II and a LumoPro LP-120, both with stands and convertible umbrellas, PWs for triggers, and I will likely shoot with my 50mm f/1.4 on a tripod. I hope to have enough light to shoot at 1/200th, ISO 200 and hopefully drown out the awful sodium-vapour lights that the arena uses.

I have done some paid portrait work over the last few weeks, with good results, so I think I know my camera and lenses pretty well at this point, but it seems like posing a team is just 'tall people in the back row, shorter kneeling in the front row, coaches on the sides'. There has to be more to it than that, right?

[OsmosisStudios]

Pick an interesting spot on the field, if you can, for shooting.

The trick here is that you want some background (so that we have some context) but you also dont want the sodium vapour lights or the (likely) messy background. It's a tricky one

[TheKingInYellow]

Right, I forgot to mention that all the walls are reflective white plastic panels so that's one more layer of difficulty to deal with.

The other background I could use is the stands, but I'm not sure that's an ideal solution either.

[no.absolutes]

Bring a ladder and shoot from above the team so you have the "ground" as the background? I'm not sure how an indoor soccer field is, but if it's attractive that may work?

[TheKingInYellow]

Hmm, that's an idea. I could shoot from the stands also...

The field is pretty standard astroturf, so not incredibly attractive but better than those hideous white walls.

[no.absolutes]

Originally Posted by TheKingInYellow

Hmm, that's an idea. I could shoot from the stands also...

The field is pretty standard astroturf, so not incredibly attractive but better than those hideous white walls.

I remember when I played indoor soccer it pretty much just looked like a basketball court... maybe with the astroturf you could get them near some of the goal lines or the lines at mid-field and shoot from above so you can more tell they are on a sports field.

[aprillove20]

Just pick an interesting spot on the field.