_____I recently shot for the U.S. Soccer Federation at the U17 Mens National Team World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It was an 18 day shoot in which I was responsible for documenting the teams performance as they progressed through the tournament. I had to shoot interviews with both players and coaches before and after every game as well as cover practice and any other activities the team did together during their stay in Jamaica. I also created various "Get To Know Me" segments highlighting individual members of the team so that fans can learn more about their favorite players. It was tough at first because most of the boys were a bit camera shy (as anyone would be at 15 years old) but for the most part they interviewed well.
I didn't have any lighting equipment at my disposal for interviews so I had to spend some time scouting the resort to see where I could use natural light to my advantage. I tried to chose areas that would help capture the flavor of Jamaica and give the audience a sense of perspective. It was tough to keep the highlights from blowing out in the direct sun but I tweaked the gamma settings in the camera so that the highlights held a bit more and tried my best to pick locations where there were not huge variations in light level. After the first day I shot the interviews hand held to give the pieces more of a casual feel. Shooting them on sticks gave the interviews a more professional feel but the static frame combined with the nervousness of some of the players wasn't really working. Overall I think the pieces came out well considering the time constraints and strict schedule that the team had to adhere to. The boys ended up qualifying for the World Cup as well as winning the entire tournament so I would say it was a successful trip from both a shooting and a soccer stand point.
