Five spring teams, one process
Spring at Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth meant five separate media days for us: baseball, softball, lacrosse, track and field, and swim. Each sport got its own afternoon and its own gallery.
- Sierra Canyon baseball media day
- Sierra Canyon softball media day
- Sierra Canyon lacrosse media day
- Sierra Canyon track and field media day
- Sierra Canyon swim team photos
The same lighting kit every time
All five were shot on a Canon R5 with four Westcott FJ400 strobes and two lenses, the 70-200 and the 24-105. Two strobes go behind the athletes as rim lights and two go in front as mains.
Spring sports mostly live outside, so the sun comes first. We read the ambient light with the camera, bring it about a stop under a normal exposure, and then add the strobes. Faces stay soft and even, and the field, pool, or track behind the athlete keeps its color. The angle and power of the lights change with each venue and with the time of day. We do not use a light meter.
What changes from sport to sport
The order of the day holds for every team: team photo, seniors, coaches, then individuals. What changes is the action. A pitcher and a sprinter do not move the same way, and the stylized portraits should show it. Every athlete gets the standard headshot the school needs, and then we look for movement that belongs to their sport.
Media day for your whole athletic department
We can run media day for one team or an entire season's worth of programs. See how our high school media day works, or look through athlete work on our sports portraits page.
