Photographing every team in a large tournament

Photographing every team sounds like a simple request. In a large tournament, it is one of the hardest promises to keep, because teams come and go on different schedules and courts run at the same time. The honest answer starts with the numbers, not with a promise.

This page is part of our guide to team and court-sport tournament photography.

Why is "every team" harder than it sounds?

Three things work against it.

• Time. A team may play for forty minutes, then leave. If the portrait window is missed, it is gone.
• Place. Matches run on several courts, and a crew cannot follow all of them.
• Access. Photographers can only work in positions the venue and organiser approve.

Because of these limits, general match coverage records the action that happens in front of the lens. It does not ensure that every squad appears clearly, or at all.

For a broader view of fair representation in a gallery, see our guide on a representative event gallery without a promise to photograph everyone.

Three levels of team coverage

Decide which level you actually need. Each has a different effect on crew time and delivery.

Level	What it means	Best for
Match action only	Photographs from matches the crew covers; some teams may appear rarely	Promotion, general atmosphere
Match action plus a fair spread	The crew plans matches so each team is seen at least once, where fixtures allow	Organiser reports, sponsor records
Dedicated team portraits plus action	A short slot for each squad, plus match coverage	Clubs, schools, team managers

The middle level needs a careful read of the fixture grid. The third needs a fixed place, a clear timetable and cooperation from the teams.

How to assess your tournament

Start with a simple count. Write down the number of teams, categories, courts and match days. Then list each team's first match, last match and likely time on site.

Next, mark where the gaps are. Teams that play only once, early in the morning, are easy to miss. Teams in a late knockout round may be present for only one match.

Share this list with us. We will tell you what the crew can reasonably cover. If you are unsure how coverage across courts works, our concurrent activity and crew planner shows how overlapping matches affect crew needs.

An example scenario

Imagine a hypothetical junior-and-adult futsal weekend with 32 teams over two days on four courts. The organiser wants every team to appear in the gallery. Most teams play two group matches, 30 minutes apart, then leave.

A good plan could fix a portrait spot beside the main hall entrance and give each team a ten-minute window before its first match. The crew would shoot portraits in the gaps between match blocks, and cover the highest-priority matches in between. Because four matches run at once, the plan states which courts get photographed first. Whether more crew can be added is something to ask us about for your date.

Planning a team portrait slot

A dedicated slot works best when it is organised as a small routine.

1. Pick a place near the entrance or warm-up area, with enough room and decent light.
2. Give each team a time window and tell managers early.
3. Name one volunteer who calls teams forward.
4. Allow a few minutes of buffer, because teams rarely arrive in perfect order.
5. Record the team name for every portrait, so the gallery can be sorted correctly.

Our group photograph planner helps you work out how many minutes each group needs. For timing ideas, read our guide on timing group photographs around the event flow.

What to put in writing

Write down the level you chose, the teams included, and what happens if a team does not appear. Also agree how the delivered gallery will be organised so managers can find their own images. If some teams are priority, rank them, and see our priority photograph list builder.

We then confirm date, crew and deliverables in the quotation, so your promise to the teams matches what the plan can support.