Climbing Photo Day

Climbing Photo Day

Unlike a studio portrait session, photographing live climbing action requires planning and coordination.

Team Individual is a whole-team Photo Day. All team climbers participate, while purchasing is always optional.There is no upfront payment for families—they see their finished album first and decide whether to purchase.

In exchange for the team’s help with scheduling and organization, VUE provides team training coverage for the gym’s marketing use at no additional cost.

This coverage can include:

  • Training and action
  • Coaches
  • Athlete interactions
  • Candid moments
  • Team environment and facility

The resulting photographs are provided to the gym for its own marketing and promotional use.

Ahead of the Shoot

Problems/routes should be selected in advance.

  • Prioritize sections of the wall that photograph well and allow photographers to work safely without interfering with normal gym activity. Ideally, the selected area should be blocked off for the session.
  • Selected climbs should be appropriate for a broad range of team athletes.
  • VUE will work with the team to identify the best photography positions and movements before the shoot.

Bouldering

  • Ideally 2–3 overhung problems located close to one another.
  • Prioritize problems with dynamic, visually interesting movements.
  • 5 climbers per rotation.
  • Approximately 5 minutes per climber.
  • Climbers repeat the same selected problem/movements, giving photographers multiple opportunities to capture each athlete.
  • Multiple nearby problems allow photographers to create more variety without constantly relocating equipment and athletes.

Estimated flow: approximately 25 minutes per group of 5 climbers, depending on the problems and athlete level.


Lead / Sport Climbing

Lead photography requires a more customized setup because wall height, route length, angles, and shooting positions vary significantly between gyms.

  • Ideally select a slightly overhung route.
  • Route should be chosen in advance with VUE.
  • VUE identifies the strongest photography positions along the route.
  • A typical route may have approximately 3 photography zones at different heights.
  • Athletes may need to climb or repeat sections to ensure coverage from each position.
  • Timing depends on route length, wall design, athlete ability, and photographer access.

Because every lead wall is different, Team Individual for lead climbing is planned case by case with each gym.

Gym Requirements

  • Provide access to the selected climbing areas for Photo Day.
  • Select or help VUE select appropriate problems/routes in advance.
  • Organize athletes into the scheduled rotations.
  • Have a coach or team representative available to help manage athlete flow.
  • Ensure normal gym safety, belay, and supervision requirements are maintained throughout the shoot.
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