What We Are Looking For
This is a working reference for contract photographers covering events on our behalf. It covers what we prioritize, the types of shots we expect, and exactly how to deliver them.
Our Priorities
We have a clear hierarchy of what we need from every event. Understanding this will make sure your time behind the lens is spent where it matters most to us. Written by someone who's laid on many a gym floor, on no sleep, powered by a snickers, under a flickering green gym light from the 80s.
Clean, Sharp, Color-Correct
Above everything else, we need images that are technically excellent. Sharp focus, accurate color, proper exposure. These are non-negotiable — every image in this category should meet this standard. Shoot pretty open, nail eye af, and clearly capture the action.
Usable Across Every Asset
We pull these photos into social posts, website banners, printed signage, digital ads, and recruiting profiles. That means we need images that work at a variety of crops — square, vertical, wide — and that we can pull player transparencies from with relative ease.
Players in Action
Faces visible, bodies in motion, clean backgrounds where possible, better yet the events flags. These are the workhorse images that fuel everything we produce. Prioritize getting these right first.
Emotion & Interaction
Once you've nailed the clean action images, lean into the art. The story of the event — the moments in between, the energy, the culture. These are the images that make our content feel alive and give us range across platforms. We love: celebrations, interaction between players, coaches, fans.
Backdrops & Branding
If we have a Nike team at a Nike event, we want those swoosh flags in the background. Position yourself to capture event and sponsor branding naturally — banners, flags, backdrops, and branded courts. This matters for our clients and their sponsors. If nothing else, try to have it be clutter free.
Core Shot List
This acts as a schedule and workflow as the game and its surrounding starts and finishes.
Warm-Up & Arrival
Players arriving, stretching, shooting around. Lacing up shoes. The focus and anticipation before the game starts. Mix up angles and focal range. Throw in some extreme close ups.
Facility & Event Branding
Venue signage, sponsor banners, branded courts, event backdrops. Include wide establishing shots and tighter details. The huddle infront of the big eybl sign with the coach hyping their team: may live for YEARS with a client.
In-Game Action
Clean, sharp images of players in the flow of the game. Faces visible, bodies in motion. These are our #1 need — they fuel social, web, print, and recruiting content.
Celebrations & Intensity
Fist pumps, bench eruptions, the scream after a big play. Also the other side — a player locked in, jaw clenched, eyes focused. Intensity and joy both matter.
Huddles & Interactions
Pre-game huddles, timeout talks, player-to-player moments, coach pulling a kid aside. The human layer of the event.
After the Whistle
Handshake lines, players walking off together, a kid laughing with teammates in the parking lot. The event doesn't end at the buzzer — keep shooting.
Story & Moments
These are the images that turn a photo gallery into a story. They provide context, depth, and the kind of content that parents share and programs use to show who they really are.
Shoe Tying & Pre-Game Rituals
A player lacing up, taping an ankle, adjusting a headband. These quiet, focused moments before the game carry real emotion. Get close.
Player–Coach Interaction
A coach kneeling to talk to a player, drawing a play, a hand on a shoulder during a timeout. Coaching moments are some of the most powerful images for program marketing. Include some negative space for coach quote images.
Player–Parent Moments
A parent with their arm around the player after a game. A mom carrying an armful of Gatorades. A dad filming from the stands. These are the images families treasure.
College Coaches Watching
If college coaches are at the event — capture them. Use them as a backdrop, and get photos of the coaches in their branded school gear. This content is incredibly valuable for event marketing and shows the stage.
Tip-Off & Opening Moments
Always get the jump ball. The first jump ball, the opening possession, players running out. These frame the beginning of the narrative and make great lead images for recaps. Here is my codeword green goblin. If you've read this far let me know!
Coaches & Player Relationship
The bond between coach and player — a fist bump, a laugh on the sideline, a serious conversation. These moments show the culture of a program and the human side of the event.
Creative Shots
Once you've covered the fundamentals and the story, these are the shots that set a gallery apart. These are your chance to flex — show us what you see.
Isolated Shooting Hand
Catch the follow-through — a player's shooting hand frozen post-release, wrist flicked, ball in the air. One of the most iconic basketball images you can get.
Extreme Close-Ups
A drop of sweat on a forearm. The texture of a basketball grip. A jersey logo stitched tight, a name on back of a jersey, Laces on a shoe. These fill out a gallery and give us visual variety for layouts.
Shutter Drag & Motion Blur
Slow your shutter down to show speed — a player driving past a defender with motion blur, a fast break caught in a drag. These create energy and stand out in a feed.
Top-Down & High Angle
If you can get up in the bleachers, shoot down toward the court. Capture the geometry of the game — players in formation, a huddle from above, the court lines as part of the composition.
Out of Focus Elements
Use shallow depth of field and foreground elements to add dimension. A blurred rim, a net, a hand — framing the sharp subject behind it. These create cinematic depth and visual interest.
Basketball
Youth basketball moves fast. Position yourself at the baseline or corner and let the game come to you — don't chase the ball.
Highlights
The big plays — dunks, blocks, crossovers, game-winning shots. These are the marquee images that get shared the most and define an event.
Contact
Bodies colliding, a player finishing through contact, a block attempt. The physicality of the game — these images show toughness and effort.
Free Throw Focus
A player alone at the line — the gym blurred behind them, all eyes watching. One of the most cinematic moments in youth hoops. Deliver this every event.
Bench Eruption
The bench exploding after a big play — arms flying, players off their seats. Pure energy. These are often the most shared images from any event.
Coach Drawing It Up
Low angle looking up into a timeout huddle. Coach with a clipboard, players leaning in. A signature shot for club and program marketing.
Players with Event Branding
Position to get sponsor flags, event banners, or branded backdrops behind the action. If the team or event has a sponsor relationship, make sure it shows.
Do's & Don'ts
This is the difference between images we'll use across every platform and images that never leave the folder.
Do This
Not This
Delivery Specs
Great photos delivered late or in the wrong format slow everything down. Here's exactly what we need from every shoot.
| File Formats | Deliver both JPEG (edited, export-ready) and RAW files, Or just the edited raw files. I know, trust me these will be edited by pros on the onther side. |
| Resolution | Full resolution — do not downsize. We will do that and optimize for social when necessary. |
| File Naming | Use this format: MMDD_AgeGroupTeamName_###.jpgExample: 0417_16UChicagoBulls_001.jpg |
| Color / Editing | Light, natural editing only. Correct white balance, exposure, and minor crop. No creative edits unless we specifically ask for it. We handle final edits in-house when needed. |
| Quick Selects | Within 24 hours — send 10–15 hero images for immediate posting. These should be your best, most shareable shots from the event. Edited and ready to go. |
| Full Gallery | Within 7 days — the complete edited library with full RAW backup. Quality over quantity — we'd rather have 80 great photos than 400 mediocre ones. |
| Delivery Method | We typically use Google Drive and will share a folder before the event. That said, we're open to WeTransfer, Dropbox, or whatever file-sharing system you're most comfortable with. Just confirm with us before the event. |
| Minimum Coverage | Every event gallery needs at minimum: 5 pre-game/warm-up shots, 5 sideline/emotion shots, 5 facility/branding shots, and 5 images with clean negative space suitable for text overlay. |