p.1 #1 · What size of muslin backdrop for team photos?
Hey Guys,
I've been asked to photograph 55 teams at a tournament next week (short notice, I know) and I'm definitely going to need a decent sized muslin backdrop to pull this off as I'm being relegated to an indoor track/sports facility for the photos. The teams will be using this facility as a staging ground and the teams will be marshalled along to where I'll be taking photos. I'll be in the corner of the building & there's a white(ish) exterior wall but it's not smooth ... kind of like galvanized steel and then there's the green artificial turf that extends from the cork track to the exterior wall. I REALLY want to hide the turf & track. I've got the background stand & it extends to 12feet but I've only ever used (as in the past week) a 9ft roll of white paper ... but I'll need something wider for this shoot. Will the standard size 10x12 muslin be sufficient to allow for up to 15 people in a group shot? I'll have access to benches so the players can sit & those in the back row can stand ... I just want to make sure the hideous track & turf can be covered by the muslin train. I really don't want to clone out the entire floor area for 55 teams!
p.1 #2 · What size of muslin backdrop for team photos?
I'm assuming that the tournament teams are NOT field and track? Therefore you don't want the track and turf in the shot?
15 people (in two rows)... are we talking pee-wee kids, 6ft+ basketball players or sumo wrestlers? 10-12 ft might just work... to nowhere near enough for comfort and cloning afterwards.
A simple solution for the floor may be 1-2 4x8 sheets of material from a home improvement store. I was thinking some cheap plywood painted, or some drywall (but may get damaged too easily) or some shower paneling that is durable. This would give you a more solid foundation that people walking over your muslin on the ground. Being indoors, the turf should have a relative 'flatness' for some panels to be under the bench to provide stability and a good clean surface to be your base.
That frees up your 9ft roll to roll out wide (9ft tall) as your backdrop.
This would be a relatively cheap (and simpler) investment on short notice. But if you need to cover 8 people wide (2ft each or less with smaller kids or angled), 7ft tall and roll forward under two rows including a bench - then it sounds like you need at least a 10x12 and then be careful with you're setup and alignment of each team.
But depending on how much time you're supposed to fly through all these teams, I think you'd want a much larger backdrop to make your setup of teams less demanding.
Comfort and ease (and therefore efficiency and timeliness) would dictate a larger muslin about 20(w) x 16(t) for plenty of width and more depth behind the back row.
I'm sure others with more experience will chime in.
p.1 #3 · What size of muslin backdrop for team photos?
Hammy,
Thanks for the input - I appreciate it.
These are girls ringette teams and ages range from 12 - 19 yrs and the photos will be taken in a staging area before each team is marched into the opening ceremonies. I will literally have about one minute per team to get the photos taken so it's going to be pretty hectic.
I do have white tile board that I've been using for my white seamless photos but I don't really want to lug these things around. Paper might be the best solution as having the players walk on the muslin might be problematic ... I just can't see how a 9 foot roll will be wide enough for 8 people, including adult coaches ... I'll definitely need 12 feet across.
p.1 #4 · What size of muslin backdrop for team photos?
Brent,
When we shoot T & I we use 9 foot rolls of paper and tape it to the back wall. This allows us to roll it out as wide as we need it. When we are done we remove the tape and roll it back up to reuse it again and again.
p.1 #5 · What size of muslin backdrop for team photos?
Hey Brian,
So you can fit approx 8 people across using the 9ft width? I'm hoping to go with two rows of players/coaches. Most teams will have 11-12 players plus up to 4 coaches/bench staff ... so two adults in the back row at the ends with 4 players in the middle & that leaves 7-8 players sitting on the bench in the front row ... this could be really tight but rolling the paper out will help cover the hideous turf & track. I've got some plywood that can be placed under the paper to keep it from being destroyed by the kids walking on it.
p.1 #6 · What size of muslin backdrop for team photos?
Brent he means to roll it sideways, so you have a 9 foot high and make it as wide as you want. This is what I do with T&I for a wrestling club I shoot. I did them last friday and had 26 athletes and 6 coaches. So 31 total.
p.1 #8 · What size of muslin backdrop for team photos?
I would be more concerned about the one minute time span you have to shoot each team. The backdrop is of lesser concern. Do you have people assisting you? With these time constraints... I would have at least two assistants. One to stage a team "on deck" while one team is being shot, and the second assistant as gopher or whatever needs to be done... fix a light, check alignment, get coffee, etc. Then when one team is done, the other, which has been lined up by your assistant, just walks in. With that system, your one minute time span "may" work.
But... be prepared for no one to arrive on time, typical teenage or small child hysteria, girls that will take forever to do their hair, venue logistical problems... etc. I hope it will be worth your while financially because it can be a major headache if it doesn't go right and unfortunately, in our business, non-photographers have no clue what it takes for us to do a professional picture. They just think it's point, shoot, done.
p.1 #9 · What size of muslin backdrop for team photos?
Brent,
My original intent for your roll of paper was to roll it out sideways also. 9ft tall is all you need, the width is where you roll it out to your needs.
When it comes to the flooring, yes, the tile may be a pain to move (twice...setup and teardown) but having to fix muslin, or torn/dirty paper every other team is not going to make for an easy shoot with 15 ppl per minute to shoot. Having a solid surface to get ppl on and off will make your day go by easier. (along with an assistant as Paul mentioned)
p.1 #10 · What size of muslin backdrop for team photos?
Thanks Everyone,
Duh ... my bad ... been a long couple of days.
I will have gophers/staff to get the teams organized prior to them stepping in for the photo. I'll also have a person to collect the team order form & payment. This way, I can worry about taking the photos. I've got about 50-55 minutes or so to get through the 55 teams ... the people calling the shots are organized (so it seems) and we are emailing the teams the schedule so hopefully it will minimize any complications.
@ Paul: Hopefully it will be worth my time! My daughter is also participating in this provincial tournament (ranked 4th in Ontario) so I'm going to offer the team photos both as individual orders or package them up with my action shots. I'm photographing the tournament but only teams that hire me as I'm not interested in trying to cover games at 6 rinks, shoot random teams & then hope someone visits my site and orders a photo. No thanks. Rather, teams wanting photos pay me a flat rate to shoot a game and then they order photos from me ... now it's just about getting my flyer & website out to the teams.
Again, thanks for the responses, I appreciate you all taking the time to help me out.
