Cheer photo lessons
Shoot your kid the way a pro photographer would. Short lessons for every cheer competition, each with photo steps and one pro tip.
Three habits that change every photo you take this season.
01Set the phone for a stage
Silent, no flash, burst on, exposure locked. Two minutes before you sit down, and the show is easier.
02Where to sit: center, facing the mat
A routine is built to face the judges. Sit near the middle of the stands, on the judges’ side.
03Shoot from their eye line
From the back of a hall you look down on a stage. Sit where the camera is level with them, or a little below.
One lesson for each kind of photo on your season shot list.
04Action: the top of the toss
The stunt, the basket toss, the tumbling pass, the jump. Every one has a peak, and the peak is the frame.
05Celebration: the hit and the scream
The last pose, the squad screaming after a clean routine, the awards, the hug.
06Portrait: dressed for the show, before it starts
Costume or concert clothes on, plain background, eye level. Before the show, while the hair is still perfect.
07Details: the bow, the shoes, the uniform
The bow being tied, cheer shoes, the uniform, the pom-poms, the results.
08Rituals: hair, the bow, the wait
The car ride, hair and the bow, the walk to the mat, the treat after.
09Together: the class, the teacher, family
The group number, the teacher’s hug, grandparents with flowers. The people around them are part of the story.
10Tough moments: private by default
The missed step, the tears in the lobby, the walk to the car. They stay in your private gallery unless you choose to share them.
11The interview: same questions, one season apart
Five short questions on video in week one, and the same five at the end of the season. Two videos, one season apart.