Sometimes, it's just not enough.
And this is coming from the photographer.
I'm talking about team picture day, the rite of passage every season when someone like me shows up to your practice with a camera.
Usually, you get one photo.
That's it.
And that one photo is often not that exciting. I mean, when's the last time you actually wanted to share that one photo of you from team picture day on your social page?
So what are you really getting out of that? How can that one image from team picture day help you in your journey as an athlete, especially when you're looking to get to the next level?
Probably can't.
Today, I want to talk about the heart of Creative Sports Photography, which is one-on-one portrait experiences that go above and beyond what you get on team picture day.
Specifically, I want to share with you the benefits. Because you have a sports photographer near you that can provide an elite experience and premier images - just for you - that only the pros and high-profile college athletes get.
Get treated like a pro. Look like a pro. And get coaches and recruiters at the next level to pay attention.
Let's dive in.
Get the next level to pay attention
They're searching for players, just like you.
You're passionate, dedicated, a supportive teammate, a hard worker, a contributor on and off the field. You've dreamt of playing at the next level, of achieving a dream few can ever achieve.
Be honest with yourself. Does your online presence - your social accounts or recruiting page or your own web page - reflect everything you've put into this life?
We know coaches and recruiters at the next level scroll through social media, recruiting resources, and do web searches as they seek new players.
Maybe they saw you play at a tournament or met you at a skills camp or college showcase. And they're checking your social pages to learn more about you.
What are you showing them? What are your competitors showing them?
It's time for you to stand out.
That's where athlete portrait experiences can help. Creative lighting, expert use of fields and stadiums as backgrounds, storytelling abilities through images, all of it.
For you. Those skills are at your disposal. And they'll help coaches and recruiters stop scrolling and pay attention.
Show them something unique, something that helps them understand now only who you are but how passionate you are about playing.
Action portraits you can't get any where else
You're an athlete. You're made to move.
That's why, exclusive to one-on-one athlete portrait sessions, I've included action portraits.
An action portrait is meant -- with creative, dramatic light -- to showcase what you do best. This isn't your standard picture. This is the go-for-the-gold image.
You can't get these during team picture day. There just isn't time.
But you can get them by signing up for a one-on-one athlete portrait session.
The respect you deserve
This is gonna sound kinda funny, but bear with me here.
One of the benefits is you get to work with me, one-on-one.
Not that I'm some great photographer or personality. I mean, I can hold my own, but the real point here is that you get to work with your own personal photographer.
Someone who will get to know you, listen to you, respect you, all to channel what's important to you and about you into great athlete portraits.
That's something only pros really get.
But you can have it. Now. The MVP treatment. All of the experience and skillset I've developed over the years, they'll be exclusively yours (as oppose to team picture day).
More than just cheesy memory mates
This benefit is for you and your parents.
Team picture day is generally driven toward small print sizes, like 5x7". They make nice gifts, sometimes they get placed on a fridge thanks to a magnet, maybe a frame on a desk.
But after a while, they often get ignored or disappear into a storage box or desk drawer. What then is the real point?
That's not the case for what CSP gives you. These images are designed to be printed large, to be turned into wall art like a mounted metal print or a gorgeous album, and to endure beyond just this season.
Think about all the money parents have spent on team pictures. Only to have them end up in a storage box? Is that what we want from our athlete portraits?
I'd say no. We buy pictures so we can enjoy them for all time.
Putting heart-and-soul into this portrait work means I want these images to feel like an investment for you and your parents. I want these images to endure, not just because they look amazing, but because of what they represent.
They represent you. This time in your life. The love and joy you have for playing.
This moment, this season, this time when you can play sports, it doesn't last forever. Once it's gone, there's no getting back.
The portraits CSP makes for you can be a physical print, wall art, or album you and your parents can hold, even after the last whistle blows and you no longer put on that uniform.
Going one-on-one with an athlete portrait session is meant to provide so many more benefits and value compare to team picture day. And if you're ready to get started, click the link here and reach out.
Dave is the owner and chief image maker at Creative Sports Photography, the premier portrait service for athletes in Central Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia area. You can reach him by email at dave@creativesportsphotography.com.