DraftPics began as a simple experiment. I was a successful wedding photographer for over 20 years, when my son began playing football. I thought it would be neat to dabble into doing his player portraits. They turned out pretty good. Of course, I still bought pictures from the league provided photographer. 
The next year, I created some imagery for members of his team with great success. Word was getting out. DraftPics was born. It was different, it was exciting. And the players loved seeing themselves appearing larger than life. 

After the photography is done, all images are given a once over. Basic exposure and colour balance adjustments are done and exported. From there the images are extracted through various methods.Now after having these player graphics, it’s easy to place within the given theme. 

When photographing on a green screen, the options for backgrounds are endless. The key to creating better images for you relies on what we call layers. Adding smoke, text and other effects really help complete your images. 
In plain and simple terms, the images from those companies that do offer proofing solutions just don’t look as good. 
We try to provide theme examples on the order form, and onsite to help keep parents comfortable with our proofless process. We completely understand if you choose not to trust the process and don’t place an order with us. Click Here for more info 

All of our photography is done using a chroma key backdrop. Either green or blue, we’ll photograph each player using studio lighting and professional camera gear.
Composites allow for a more casual environment as players who can’t make the scheduled photoday time can still be included. Using composites also allow for great flexibilty in the final product.

That’s correct! All orders are to be placed using our online order form. Just choose the organization your with, add some product to your cart and checkout. At the checkout, you’ll tell us which player is yours. Using online order forms, allows us to have a copy, while still providing a copy back to you with delivery of the products you ordered.
And lets be honest, its 2025. Why are companies still using paper forms?

Yes!!
We find many parents input their names as the player name. Remember, we don’t know anyone, so guess what? The name on the form is the name that will appear on your images! So please parents, take your time and please review your order before placing it. This happens so many times! 

We have created a system that automatically names each player’s images as we photograph them. This makes it easy to locate your images, and create your product. Typically, we’ll photograph 4 images of each player. The first is the QR code naming the players images, the 2nd and 3rd are the actuall images. The last is the jersey number to ensure we can further confirm the identity of your player. 

Yes, it’s true. The day after the PhotoDay I return to the studio and sort the images. Hopefully, each is labelled properly and is easily sorted into respective team/league folders. Then each image gets a basic edit.. generally, a little sharpening, and a little highlight reduction.  From there I attack the orders. Find the player’s name, find the player’s pictures, and extract them. Then place them on the background, add names and numbers, and save them to a folder that will get uploaded to the printing lab. So yes I create every image. 

Orders placed within the ordering window will be delivered to your league or team on or before the date shown at the top of the ordering page. We’ll be in touch to arrange a pickup for those who order after the window has closed.

Of course, mistakes happen. We’re all human. Please let us know and allow us to make it right. Most issues are caused by improper naming, or improper info on the order sheet. Things like magnets and trading cards take about 1.5 weeks to be delivered from the lab, so please have some patience. Together, we can figure it out and make it an awesome experience.

The most common issues come from parents who a) don’t know which age group their kids play within. Or b) not knowing which jersey number the kids are.

Remember we name the files as we go, so locating their names using the official roster is necessary. When a player isn’t found, we’ll file the player under coaches name. (from your team). Imagine however, if the parent has us looking at the wrong team/division for your roster. We’re going to place them under the coach of a team that isn’t correct. We don’t know anyone, so we rely on parents to know what team their kids play on, and what jersey number they wear.

Help us help you 🙂