CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

And if one of those students is injured running into your camera, you better have insurance for that too ...

henryp Loc: New York, NY

For most high schools the same photo studio which makes the seniors' yearbook portraits provides professional photography coverage of all the events you mentioned at no charge to the school, and they often have the exclusive rights to sell images to the parents. You'd be up against some stiff competition and asking the principal for a favor he has no professional reason to grant. And, were anything to go wrong, he'd have to face the school board and explain how he's handling the liability and insurance issues.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Pat, the principal will be able to inform you of any and all restrictions at that particular school and would be representative for all the schools in that district.
He may send you to the district office for processing but if he says you can shoot then you’re good to go. Yes there are restrictions but the principal will know them all!!
If images need to be distributed, maybe you can let a club at school do that and it’ll take some of the contractual obligations away from you! Good luck
SS

Jeffcs Loc: Myrtle Beach South Carolina

First you need to see if there is a paid pro shooting HS sports at the school as many schools hire paid pros to photograph events generally for the yearbook and sell prints to parents! If there isn’t a paid pro than go for it. You’ll need long fast zooms and high iso bodies

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

Create a website on Smugmug, Flicker etc...Keep the folders & galleries under a password only available to the parents of the kids on the team. Via invites or giving it to them directly or though the school system. If they (the parent's) want to share, then it's on them. You can go as far as breaking it down by individuals, by team, by name & # and it being under password protect. Lots of work...but doable.

ppkwhat Loc: Gibsonton, FL

ppage,
About 5 years ago a Little League baseball coachfriend of mine asked me to photograph the Little League tournament. I told him I would, provided the parents of his players would agree. They did and I not only photographed the games but provided the CD pictures to the coach to be distributed to the parents. To my surprise, I was approached by the the other coaches with the same request. I told them that I would provided them with the CDs of the games played between my friend's team and theirs. On the following year I was requested to do it again, what I did but told them if they wanted the CDs they would have to pay $10 bucks for each, what they did. I also told them this would be the last year photographing the teams. I was not requested to sign any agreements or releases at any time.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Although I have no interest in doing this, I can't imagine anyone objecting to you taking pictures of a sporting event. I'm sure lots of parents do that. When it gets to the point where photography of school sports is prohibited, that's the time to end sports in schools.

Use equipment you're familiar with, try Auto and then play around with settings. Don't go out the first day with the idea of presenting the pictures to the school. Practice! Shoot a lot of pictures. Burst mode would be good.

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

Can we stop being Butt Hurt over every little thing? Time to grow up and stop being a baby. Otherwise we will have no words left we will be able to use in the English language.
Guess what, people shoot basketballs, people shoot hockey pucks, people shoot pictures, OMG people drink shots.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

NO, get over it.

DelRae Loc: Oregon

you will have fun I have been wanting to do that two trying it now I have canon T6i I am thinking about getting the 80D or 77D can not get anything higher than that spent to much on lens I have the canon 70-200f/2.8 IS so what setting you doing for high school soccer and Basketball?? Good luck and have fun with that :)

DelRae Loc: Oregon

oh one more thing the guy who does the high school pictures for the year book is NOT happy with me .

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Unfortunately these are the times we live in. As a former Ohio School Superintendent I can testify to the fact that privacy issues were becoming much more prevalent. In one of our high schools we had at least 40 students with (no photo allowed folders) in the file cabinet. And, no one knew who these students were. So, in school photography is a gamble at best.
At a school where I was in charge of Career and Tech. I was also assigned to be the OFFICIAL photographer for the entire school system. They used the images for promoting the school during levy campaigns. Since I was the OFFICIAL photographer the only time I had an issue was when I was taking a photo with a NO PHOTO TAKEN OF ME student. Once informed I simply pointed my camera at another student who was happy to have their image taken. The school had a rider on their parent permission slips allowing photo's of students to be used for publication. It was up to the principals to notify parents of students we were being used for publication. No parent as far as I know refused to have there child used for this purpose as we had a very parent supported school system.

billnourse Loc: Bloomfield, NM

I shoot school sports all the time and have had no problems. Football games I just ask a coach of ref for sideline access, basketball I have shot from under the basket, sidelines, etc. Most baseball and softball fields where I shoot have a box chalked out on the ground inside the fence on the 3rd base and 1st base lines just for photographers.

You will need fast glass and a camera with high ISO capability to get the best images possible, and be mindful of flying objects and people. I was shooting a softball game at my granddaughter's school from the 3rd base line and took line drive fowl to the shin that cracked the bone. Softballs are NOT.

Bill

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Be sure to connect with the coach before shooting so you know where you can and cannot go. The very last thing you want is to be in the way! A monopod may or may not be useful. Be sure to offer your images to him after the shoot. I had the privilege of shooting my grandson’s wrestling meet and was given the opportunity to shoot from the floor by the coach. It was an amazing experience and very intense. After I sorted through my images, I gave the coach a CD (yes it was a while ago) which he used for coaching and sold to parents.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Seriously? Are we really that touchy-feely? Is this what out country is coming to?