Keeping track of kids during team shoots

[mike.strock]

Does anyone have any suggestions for keeping track of who is who during a shoot where you are shooting both the team and individual shots for events like baseball leagues, etc?

My thought at this point is to shoot tethered and then have my assistant/wife rename the images with the kids name and have a separate folder for each team.

But I'm sure there is a better way. I'm just not sure what the best approach is, and I'm sure that I'm asking the question, it's probably been deal with/answered by someone else before.

Thanks for any insight.

Mike Strock

[L Stegall]

Mike, when my brother worked as a photographer on the slopes in Beaver Creek, he would write the person's name on an index card and shoot an image of that card before he shot the individual's photos. Made it easy to search by name, as he was doing that all day long.

[mike.strock]

Nice! I like it. Thanks for the idea.

Mike.

[kachina]

Probably a better way out there. However, after years of shooting scientific specimens and rock outcroppings, I found that a small white board works pretty well. Just shoot the board/subject before you take the actual shot. Used a chalk board before white boards were invented. I know, I'm old fashioned but the information is always on the card, or film, and associated with the images - even if your database crashes. And, it is reasonably fast and cheap if you are working with an assistant.

[kachina]

Scooped again!

[CobyPhoto]

I have one better and FASTER than writing names before each kid...and when you are doing 200-300 kids in a session, fast is good!

Take inexpensive envelopes and print large, easy to read numbers on the outside. Give each kid an envelope to place their order form and information in and have them seal it up. Shoot the envelope like a mug shot and then do the photo.

It is fast and you have all the info you need. I do groups of 200-300 kids this way and it makes life much easier when you have to go back and deal with that many files and faces. Writing names on cards and white board will take time and make your process alot slower.

Been there and done that.

CJ

[laawaaris]

do they have an order form they fill out before you take the shot? i assume you will be mailing the ordered photos to the family, so maybe you can have them clearly write down the kids name, age, team name and mascot, etc all onto the order form

then you just write down the file number associated with that kids photos on the order form

for the team photos you can have a separate paper altogether to keep track of the team photos

later on you'll know which kid is part of which team by the information on the order forms

[DeLeon]

I shoot a lot of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. My wife usually comes with me and we have a form that we (she) made in excel with three columns - Name, Picture ID or PID (the sequence number that the camera gives and the package. One time we (I) left the house without the form and we just wrote the PID and the package on each kids envelope.

After reading this, Coby's way seems to be faster and just as easy when in post.

[CobyPhoto]

Originally Posted by DeLeon

I shoot a lot of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. My wife usually comes with me and we have a form that we (she) made in excel with three columns - Name, Picture ID or PID (the sequence number that the camera gives and the package. One time we (I) left the house without the form and we just wrote the PID and the package on each kids envelope.

After reading this, Coby's way seems to be faster and just as easy when in post.

I have done ALOT of proms, school photography, events and other with MANY kids getting photos taken at one time. I have the form already handed out, for the parent/child to complete and when they come through the line, my assistants check money and order form, put it in an envelope and seal it, and the kid then takes a "Mug Shot' with the envelope and immediately after that, the actual photo. (This way you control the number sequence of the photos and it is easy to re-name them later in Bridge, to the actual number on the envelope.) When I get the photos back to studio, I also pull out the "Mug Shots" into a seperate folder called NUMBERS and then re-number the using Bridge, to the correct envelope number (if you control the envelopes this is a snap) and then I print a "contact sheet" of the numbers on the laser real quickly for reference.

Further you don't have to track or write ANYTHING. (That gets done at the studio later and entered into an Excel Spreadsheet to track the orders, etc.) Depending upon the kids, it actually draws them into the picture taking process, becuase it usually becomes a contest to see who can do the goofy mug shot. Really helps them relax and have fun.

I am lazy too, I take #10 Plain White Quick Stick Envelopes and run them throught the Laser Printer and that prints my nice, neat, large number on the envelope.

Another time saving method on deals like this, is to have pre-printed receipts handy. I pre-print business card size receipts with the job name and date, a blank for the amount of the order and a signature space. If they want a receipt, my assistant only has to write in the amount of the purchase and initial the card. DONE.

Quick and easy is very key in situations like this. The more kids you have to do at one time, the worse the situation if the line is slow and the process complicated.

CJ

[LIPstudio]

Here is another question on this subject matter but not on the order. For those with an assistant, how much is average to for compensation. For the last 3 years my I've given my assistant full packages for her help but if we start doing other leagues where her kids are not involved, she would want money instead of photos.
Whats an avereage pay for an assistant, she would organize, deal w/ parents and forms, and organize the money. Nothing on the photography side.

[mike.strock]

Thanks for all the replies, I really like Coby's idea. Sounds like a great way to do it.

Mike Strock