Overview
It can be hard for a viewer to describe, but everyone can tell when a virtual group's scaling or lighting looks "off." Luckily, it’s very easy to ensure that the final results of group images are spot-on with proper lighting, scaling, and perspective. In this article, we'll review the keys to a flawless photo day setup for surefire lighting and scaling.
Tripod
- Locking down your camera on a tripod not only ensures that your camera doesn't move between images, but also makes your shooting station simple and requires less manual work.
No Zooming
- We recommend a fixed 50 mm lens, but the alternative is zooming your telephoto lens to 50 mm and placing a piece of tape on the lens to prevent zooming in and out between images.
- Shoot everything full-length and let the design team crop as needed.
Hit the Mark
- Frame up your background and set the camera for the tallest subject you expect, so you don’t have to move the camera during shooting.
- When every athlete hits a well-defined mark on the floor, you can be sure that the distance from camera to subject stays the same. This consistency will ensure everyone is the correct size in the final team image.
- As with foot placement charts, the mark(s) on the floor should be the same hue as the background color you choose to shoot on.
- It’s good practice to measure the distance from your backdrop to the tripod and the height of the tripod to ensure that photos from makeup days will be properly scaled with the originals.
Consistent Lighting
- Use a light meter to ensure your subject and background are properly exposed.
- If you don’t plan to use our color correction service, it’s best to create a custom white balance so that your color is accurate in the camera.
- Once you’ve decided on your lighting setup for a specific team, keep that setup the same throughout all the photographs.
- Take note of where your light is positioned and its height for a repeatable setup every time.
- Even if you do a makeup day, make sure you are staying consistent each time you set up. Changing modifiers or light direction will throw off the final image by causing a visual break between athletes.
- If you’re using more than one photography station, make sure all the players from specific teams are assigned to one station, and you’re not blending players from the same team across stations.
The Takeaway
For top-notch group pics, keep your camera steady with a tripod, keep your zoom static, mark spots for consistent sizing, and stick to a reliable lighting setup. These simple steps guarantee great team photos every time.