A few weeks ago I spent an afternoon at AVV SDZ, a football club in Amsterdam, with my camera, a backdrop, two flashes and a lot of energetic 10-year-olds. The team needed official portraits of its young players, and I wanted the kids to actually enjoy having their picture taken. Here’s how we did both.
The club and what they needed
They wanted official portraits of every player in its youth teams: clean, consistent photos. Two teams, one afternoon, and every photo had to look like it belonged to the same series.
That’s the tricky part of team photos. Light changes, kids move, the sky does whatever Dutch skies do. And a 10-year-old’s patience runs out long before the last player is done.
Two setups: the pitch and the changing room
I split the day in two. The official portraits happened outside, on the club’s own pitch, with every player in the same spot in front of the goal. The net, the grass and the trees behind it tell you right away where these kids belong.
For the fun part, I set up my mobile studio in the changing rooms: a black backdrop, flashes and everything needed to make the light exactly the same for every child, whatever the weather was doing outside. It also turns the photo moment into a small event. The kids walk in, see the lights, and suddenly it feels like a real photoshoot, not just “stand there and smile”.
How I worked with 10-year-olds
Ten-year-olds don’t want to wait, and they definitely don’t want to stand still for long. My approach was simple:
- One at a time. Each player came up alone, so nobody had an audience of teammates watching (and commenting).
- Short. A minute or two per child. In and out, back to the ball.
- Fun first. A silly question, a joke about their favourite player, a “show me your best goal celebration face”. A real smile shows up much faster than when you ask for one.
The shyest kids are often my favourite ones to photograph. Give them a moment, don’t push, and they relax.
The official portraits
For the official photos, every player got the same setup: same spot in front of the goal, same light, same framing. That’s what makes them work as a set, and it means the club can add new players later with matching photos.
The fun part: every kid chose their own pose
Once the official portrait was done, each player came into the changing room studio for one more photo, with a pose of their choice. This was the best part of the day. A ball balanced on a head. A secret “shh”. A celebration pointing at the sky. Some kids had their pose ready before they even reached the backdrop.
These are the photos the families love most, because they show who each child really is, not just what they look like in the team kit. The team got its own version too: one official photo, and one where everybody did exactly what they wanted.
Tips for clubs and schools planning team photos
If your club or school is planning team photos, a few things make the day much smoother:
- Plan by team or class. Give each group a time slot, so kids don’t wait (and get bored) for an hour.
- Have an indoor plan. A changing room, a canteen or a gym works perfectly for a mobile studio, and it saves the day if it rains.
- Kit on, shirts tucked, boots clean(ish). Send a short message to parents the day before.
- Get consent sorted early. Ask parents beforehand if photos can be shared, and agree on how they’ll be used (website, social media, only for families).
- Add something fun. A free pose, a silly team photo, a group celebration. The kids remember the day, and the families get a photo they actually want to frame.
Want this for your club or school?
I bring the camera and the mobile studio to your club, school or sports day in Haarlem, Amsterdam and the surrounding area, and make photo day quick, organised and fun for the kids. Get in touch and tell me about your team.