South Dakota State University (SDSU)

Client Goal

Support the inaugural season of their new multi-million dollar sports stadium with unique and engaging athletic portraits.

Key Deliverables

• Multi-resolution digital portraits

• Accurate team composites

• "Memory Mate" styled souvenirs

Supporting contributions were made by SDSU staff to arrange Athelete's schedules, Dave Roden to organize client interactions, Bill Kelly to assist with on-site setup, and additional photography.

Challenge

The client required high-quality, cohesive team photos for multiple Division 1 sports, leagues, and levels while photographing each athlete individually. The challenge was to seamlessly composite these individual shots into dynamic team images that looked unified. Additionally, the final images had to meet the diverse needs of press, media, in-game announcements, awards, event posters, advertisements, and souvenirs—each requiring variations in format, resolution, and composition without sacrificing visual impact.

Approach

Implemented a meticulous workflow to ensure consistency across all athlete portraits, maintaining uniform lighting, angles, and positioning during the green screen sessions. Post-production involved precise compositing, color correction, and shadowing techniques to create seamless team images that felt authentic. By organizing the assets strategically, I ensured that the final images could be easily adapted for multiple media uses while maintaining clarity and impact across different formats.

Results

• Produced high-quality, cohesive team images that maintained a natural and unified look despite individual green screen sessions.

• Delivered press-ready photos for media, in-game announcements, and award presentations.

• Designed adaptable images that were repurposed for event posters, advertisements, and souvenirs.

• Streamlined the photography and compositing process to ensure efficiency across multiple sports and team levels.

• Provided visually engaging content that elevated the university’s athletic branding and promotional efforts.