I was contacted by one of the coaches of the team enquiring about photographing the junior team to help promote the club in a new website or other media outlets. The coach was a friend of mine whom I had done a shoot with before and recommended me for the job. 

  I was interested in the job as it was more than just shooting a game from the sidelines but also capturing the relation between coach and the junior athletes.  I could walk amongst the team during practice and get the smiles between teammates and angles that showed the focused attention the coaches provided while the juniors were put through various skills exercises.  

  Before the training shoot took place I met with the coaches to check out the location so I could get a feel for the environment and give me an idea as to what gear I would need.  I returned the next week prepared with a list of shot ideas I wanted to create.  Following the first shoot a second was scheduled when the team had a home game, this was great as the training shoot was at night but the game during the day providing a nice mix of images. 

  The biggest challenge was during the training night shoot.  I needed to communicate ideas with coaches without interfering too much in the training.  This discussion allowed me to setup camera on tripod in position, flashes out of harms way and capture the shot as I knew their next movements.  

  The kids on the team were great and loved being in the shots as most of do and quickly relaxed in front of the camera.  Always important to make your subject comfortable and I find chatting with them before taking any images works best, once your have a rapport you can move freely photographing without any reservations.  Having a Working With Children Check  WWCC certificate is important in these environments as it ensures your client they are working with a professional and can calm any concerns of parents.