Space Required. Lighting. Power Supply. Access. Marketing – Registration Area.
Photographer. Photo Day Marketing Products. Photo Day Admin.
Green Screen. Camera & Tripod. Measure & Mark Out Your Studio. Lights.
Create Test Images. Lighting Overlay. Access the Lighting Overlay in Photolink. Framing Overlay.
Posing Sample Images. Posing Guidelines. Using the Green Mats. Focal Length. Common Photo Problems. Common Photolink problems & Tasks. Correction Sheets & New Player Slips. New Player Slips.
Admin Role. Example Team Sheet.
Safe Environment. Controlling the Flow. Hazards of Working with Children.
Backing Up. Leaving the Building. Sending Us The Photos
IT Problems. Photography& Other Problems.
Set Up Quick Check List. Posing Check List. Studio Layout.
1. What You Need From Your Location
Space Required
| Meters | Feet | |
| Width at green screen | 3.60m | (11ft 8”) |
| Width at camera | 4.30m | (14ft 11”) |
| Length of full studio | 5.30m | (17ft 4”) |
| Height of full studio | 2.40m | (7ft 9”) |
- 75cm a walk through at the green screen.
- 90cm behind the tripod for the photographer.
- Sloping ceilings.
- Low hanging lights.
- Items already in the room that cannot be moved, large tables/cupboards.
- Pillars running through a room.
- Thoroughfares or fire exists that must be accessible.
Lighting
- Large windows may affect the lighting throughout the day. You may need to take further meter reading.
- Ceiling lights will impact on the overall lighting of the studio, especially around the green screen area.
- Lighting behind the green screen from signs, windows etc. that affect different area of the green screen.
Power Supply
- Adequate power sockets with correct voltage for lights and laptop.
- Ideally at the Camera end of the studio.
- Extensions can be used but we should ensure wires are not running through a busy area.
Access
- Will anyone need access, ensure your studio is not a throughway for toilets/kitchen etc.
- !Never block an emergency exit!
Marketing – Registration Area
- Adequate space for banners.
- One or two tables with black table cloth to layout products.
- Space for parents and children to queue safely.
2. What You Need To Build Your Green Screen Studio
3. Studio Set Up – Green Screen
Green Screen
- Open the Green Screen lay it on the floor.
- Fully extend both stands, ensuring the leg are fully extended so they are parallel to the floor for stability & safety.
- Lay the stands down either side of the green screen. With the crossbar along the top.
- Attach screen to stands and the crossbar with Velcro fasteners whilst screen is on the floor.
- Stand the Green Screen up into position, this may take two people.
Camera & Tripod
- Ensure camera is ready before you attach to tripod.
| Club Legends Camera Settings | |
| Camera Type | NikonD7200 |
| ISO | 160 |
| Aperture | F9 |
| Shutter Speed | 160 |
| White Balance | 5560k |
| Quality | Jpg, Large, Fine |
- Attach Skyport trigger to hotshoe.
- Plug in shutter release trigger and tethercable for laptop.
- Set up tripod with legs extended using the lowers extenders only.
- Camera height should be approximately 1 metre from the floor.
- Attach the camera to the tripod.
- Flip tripod head to portrait position.
- Do not increase the height of the centre pole, this reduces stability of the tripod.
It is VITAL that the camera does not move or focal length is changed during the shoot, this will cause inconsistencies making the group photo automation impossible.
Measure & Mark Out Your Studio
When you are happy with a suitable area for your studio, you can start to measure and mark out the floor plan.
To start, measure 13ft from green screen to camera. Use masking tape to mark the position of the green screen and lights when in position.
- Mark the bottom of the green screen horizontally (3ft piece will do).
- The centre of the green screen.
- Where the stands are located (the markings will help retain the correct position when turning to screen to blue).
- Mark 3ft in front of the centre of the green screen where the foot-mats will go.
- Also mark 2ft in front of the centre of the green screen (for tall subjects).
- The position of the foot-mats.
Lights
- Open out the light stands with leg support parallel to the floor for stability.
- Extend the light stand to approx. 1.82M (72”) (floor to light)
- Place lights slightly wide of the green screen and forward of the camera.
- 70M (5.6ft) Lights to camera
- 3M (10ft) lights to green screen
- 6M (8.5ft) lights to subject
- Direct the lights to the outer side of the screen, left side to left and right side to the right.
- Careful not to angle lights to floor, keep them tilted at approximately half way up the green screen.
- Mark the position of the light stands with a small piece of masking tape.
4. Lighting and Test Images
Before you take any photographs of the children you need to create a Test File and check the lighting of the Green Screen.Create Test Images
- Open your current job
- Go to New Group, create a new group called Test
- Create a new subject within the Test group and call it Test 1.
- You can use the Test Images to check your lighting and check the framing within the green screen.
Lighting Overlay
- The lighting of the green screen needs to be correct for the photographs to be cut-out in our software.
- Use your light meter to get the correct lighting and take some images.
- Use the lighting overlay in Photolink to check the green screen is lit correctly.
Access the Lighting Overlay in Photolink
- Double click the test image, this takes you to the image check tab.
- Click on the crop symbol and select the relevant overlay (green or blue lighting overlay) from the drop down box to the left.
- Check that the lighting of the screen falls within the acceptable range, adjusting lights if necessary.
Framing Overlay
When setting up, make sure you allow for your smallest to tallest person in that club, you should already know what age the children are from the schedule.
- Use the crop overlay to ensure you only see green inside the thick green border (anything other than green will not cut out and the photo will not work in our software.
- Get as much of the green screen within the green border as possible to allow for the smallest to tallest person.
- The image will be cropped around the white border line on the overlay, anything outside or touching of this white border will be lost so you must always make sure the subject is never outside or touching the thinner white line..
5. Taking the Photograph
In order for us to cut-out and automate the photographs we must adhere to a strict set of guidelines. Any photographs taken that do not meet these requirements will be unusable in our software.Posing Sample Images
Posing should always be decided by us (not the club) before the Photo Day. Football and rugby work best when kept simple. Dance is often a little more creative.Posing Guidelines
- All the children should be neat and tidy! Drawstring should be tucked away and sock should be pull up and even.
- Coaches usually decided if they are to have tops tucked in or out. The group photographs look better if the whole team are the same.
- We usually take two photos per person angled to right.
- Feet should be at 45% angle, use the markings on floor-mats.
- Keep shoulders straight – leaning can create problems at the cut-out stage, even a few degrees is a problem. Use the grid on the overlay to ensure the subject is not leaning.
- No tilting heads this can also effect the group photo.
- When folding arms try to make sure hands are tucked out of the way and fingers are not sticking out. Folding arms can be a bit tricky for younger children, they may need a bit of help.
Using The Green Mats
- Ideally we would like the image to be from mid calf up. Use the floor-mats on younger teams to raise the smaller children getting more of them in shot.
- Floor-mats must not be changed half way through a team, if you start shooting U9’s on floor-mats make sure all other U9 team members are photographed on the same height mat.
- Keep a note of which height floor-mat each team is on, it’s difficult to remember if you get children from same teams coming at different times of the day.
Focal Length
Once the focal length has been set it must not be changed throughout the photoshoot, even if the photoshoot runs over two sessions the focal length must remain the same.- Never move the focal length once the camera is setup. The focal length of the images must remain the same for the software to work.
- Where possible shoot with a shutter release trigger and try not to touch the camera once it is set up.
- If possible use a battery grip, this will minimise camera movement throughout the shoot, especially on longer days.
- If the focal length is moved ensure the exact focal length is recorded and matched before you start taking any further photographs.
- If there is a catch up session, ensure the focal length is recorded from the first session and matched for the second session.(You can do this by comparing focal length in image properties (meta data) from the first shoot and the second shoot.)
It is VITAL that the camera does not move or focal length is changed during the shoot, this will cause inconsistencies making the group photo automation impossible.
Common Photo Problems
Click the images to see how the issue effects the cut-out of the images.
- Our software will cut-out any part of the subject which matches the screen behind them, therefore subjects must remove unnecessary green/blue items (bracelets, hair bands etc).
- Green shirts or shirts with green logos & badges, must be photographed against the colour they have least of.
- If you are unable to avoid glare on glasses, take two photos, one with glasses on and one without. If the child does not wear glasses when playing their sport you could suggest they remove them for the photo.
- If a child has any bruises, blemishes, cuts, grazes or tears to their strip that would prevent a sale, mark them down on the correction sheet for retouching.
Common Photolink Problems & Tasks
Taking Photos Under Wrong Name- If you still have the subject in front of you and are able to take the photo again under the right name, do just that!
- If the subject has gone before you notice, drag the photo onto the correct name and add the name to your correction sheet for renaming after the shoot.
- When deleting an image ensure you have clicked on the image and not the subject name, if you are on the subject name, the subject will be deleted and you will have to add a new subject and re-enter the exact details.
- Any unsuitable images MUST be deleted before you take the next photograph. If you do not delete in order the images will be incorrectly named and will be missed during the automation.
- Add any undeleted images to your correction sheet for renaming after the shoot.
- Go to ‘New Group’ add in the name of the team with the correct spelling and capitalisation according to the other team names. This MUST match the name entered in the team sheets exactly.
- Ensure all the details of the new subjects are added to the team sheets.
- Ensure you are on the correct team, go to New Subject, add the team members name and take the photograph.
- Ensure the new details are also added to the team sheets and that the spelling and capitalisation match the team sheets EXACTLY!
- If you find out before you take the photo you can simply drag and drop the child’s name from one team to another.
- If you find out after you have taken the photo, add the details to the correction sheet and move the image after the shoot.
- Ensure the updated details are added to the team sheet.
- The names of the subjects must be correct in the team sheets, as this is what will appear on the photos.
- Adding a new player (because he plays for another team or because he was not in the job to begin with) is the ONLY time you will need to correct the spelling of a subjects name in Photolink.
- If you add a new player in Photolink, the spelling MUST match the spelling and capitalisation in the team sheets exactly.
Correction Sheets & New player Slips
- Photographing a child under the wrong name. The names will need to be changed later. This is essential as the parents will get the wrong images.
- If you have taken more than two photographs and not deleted in order.
- Someone was too tall and you had to move the back, closer to the screen than the other subjects.
Anything that may prevent a sale but can be corrected in Photoshop, a black eye or a tear in the shirt, note it down!
New player Slips
- Admin should use these when a child is not on the Team Sheet and therefore not in Photolink. The photographer can add them by creating a ‘New Subject’ in the relevant team.
- They can also be used when a player plays for a 2nd team and must be added to that team also. The photographer can add them by creating a ‘New Subject’ in the relevant team.
- The admin should complete the slip ensuring the details match the team sheet EXACTLY. They then give it to the child to pass on to the photographer and the photographer will then create a ‘New Subject’ ensuring the spelling and capitalisation match EXACTLY.
6. Admin Tasks
Admin Role
Your admin person will most likely be the first point of contact on Photo Day. Good communication between photographer and assistant is essential. The admin’s main tasks are to:- Correct spelling of names in the team sheets.
- Check parent/guardian’s email and phone numbers.
- Keep the flow of children into the studio, asking team managers to assist with this if possible.
- If they have time, ensure children are presentable.
- Communicate with the photographer, anything to be done before the photograph is taken.
- Complete New Subject Slips for photographers.
- Give information on products and hand out leaflet.
- Talk to parents about what will happen after Photo Day, how they will get photos, how long it will take etc.
Example Team Sheet
| No’ | Age Group | First Name | Last Name | Mobile Contact 1 | Parents Email | ADMIN ONLY |
| 1 | U7 Comets | Alex | Smith | 07771234569 | stubarnsmith@hotmail.comm | Tally |
| 2 | U7 Comets | Rob | Smith | / | ||
| 3 | U7 Comets | David | Waters | |||
| 4 | U7 Comets | Miles | Ross | 07736020272 | steven.b.99@gmail.com | |
| 5 | U7 Comets | Harry | Hanson | |||
| 6 | U7 Comets | Greg | Bilson | 07736742861 | daz.gregy@hotmail.com | |
| 7 | U7 Comets | Julie | Cane | 07516543158 | luke899@hotmail.com | |
| 8 | U7 Comets | Hurst | Hayard | 7943439741 | gistywex258@hotmail.co.uk | |
| 9 | ||||||
| 10 |
7. Health & Safety
Safe Environment
Always ensure the route to the studio is free from wires or any other tripping hazards. Provide enough space for adults and children to walk through without knocking into your equipment- Wires tucked safely out of the way.
- Wires should never running through the studio or through a busy area.
- Stands should always have the legs fully extended so they are parallel with the floor.
- Try to block off areas that will not be used……children will look for any small space to squeeze past.
- Try to avoid parents and children coming behind the camera for a “quick Look”.
Controlling the Flow
- The path to your studio should be clear of obstacles and safe for children.
- If the room gets too busy, suggest that other teams wait in a separate area. A loud busy studio is not ideal for safety but also not conducive to getting a good images.
- The ideal situation would be that team mangers/coaches gather all the children together and bring them to you all ready, neat and tidy. This doesn’t always happen!!
Hazards of Working with Children
Although we don’t want to take the fun out of a Photo Day we need to ensure safety for the children and your photography equipment. Don’t hesitate to politely ask the children or even the parents move to a different area of the room.- Kicking and bouncing balls.
- Running around.
- Playing near your equipment.
- Wanting to see their images on screen.
- Parents taking photographs behind the photographer.
8. End of Day Tasks
Backing Up
- Back up your images to a external hard drive or UBS stick. By opening the job folder and copy the appropriate folder.
- Store your back up in a separate bag to your laptop.
Leaving the Building
- Always leave the room as you found it.
- Return table & chairs and any other equipment used.
- Ensure all masking tape is removed from the floor carefully.
- Close the windows you opened throughout the day.
- If you have keys return them to the key holder and let someone know that you are leaving.
9. Who to Contact
IT Problems
- Laptop Problems
- Error messages in Photolink
- Error message in Digicam
Photography & Other Problems
- Lighting Issues
- Camera Issues
- Data problems
- Access to building
10. Check Lists & Layout
Set Up Quick Check List
- Set up studio making sure all measurements are correct.
- Ensure laptop & lights power is turned on.
- Ensure camera and trigger are turned on.
- Take meter readings. Aperture F9, Shutter Speed 160, ISO 160 (CL set up).
- Image quality, Jpg, Large, Fine. Approximate dimensions 6000 x 4000 pixels (CL set up)
- White Balance 5560k (CL set up).
- Take test shot.
- Compare test shot against green screen and crop overlay.
Posing Check List
- Fingers tucked away, when folding arms.
- Socks pulled up and even.
- Draw strings tucked in.
- Hair neat and ask children to move out of eyes if covering face.
- Tops in or out – all team the same, coaches usually decided.
- Skins/ thermal vests on or off, coaches to decide.
Studio Layout
