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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Quick Feedback on Backboard remote.
Jesse Hutcheson, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Newport News | va | United States | Posted: 11:37 PM on 02.20.09 |
->> I am shooting the last basketball game of the season where i'll be able to use a remote through the backboard tomorrow afternoon.
Here is a link from todays game, all unedited images. Any suggestions before tomorrow?
http://jhutchphoto.exposuremanager.com/p/backboard_shot09/_mg_87740
Camera - canon 30d
Lens - 23mm (17-35 2.8)
iso - 3200
shutter 1/500
Ap 5 |
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David Manning, Photographer
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Athens | GA | | Posted: 11:58 PM on 02.20.09 |
->> Whats the black thing in the lower right? Gobo?
Compositional-wise, i dont like it. I'd flip it vertical and shoot down on the lane, angled down. Doesn't seem wide enough.
Other thoughts.... Focus looks good. Exposure looks ok, its a little under. Maybe do a custom WB?
Backboard can be tough. FInd a composition that you like and emulate it the best you can. Remember, these kids won't likely be playing much above the rim. |
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Jesse Hutcheson, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Newport News | va | United States | Posted: 12:07 AM on 02.21.09 |
->> David,
Thanks for the response. Yes that black thing is the stupid Gobo. I was at another shoot and got there with very little time to get things up.
You think wide angle vertical will do a better job? and I'm having trouble getting the camera to point "down".
here is a quick view of my set up
http://cnuphotos.com/images/remote.jpg |
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David Manning, Photographer
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Athens | GA | | Posted: 12:26 AM on 02.21.09 |
->> Okay some suggestions.....
1 - lose the pocketwizard from the top. Youre wasting valuable space against the glass.
2 - Lose the lens hood. Also wasting valuable space.
Good thoughts on keeping it up high. Youve got the right idea. I like shooting it vert mainly because the game is played up and down mainly and this is going side to side on the court. You stand a much better chance of someone doing a finger roll on a layup versus a dunk in from the side.
Just work at angling it right. It will take time to get it just right. I've found that when you rush these things, bad things happen or little things are missed.
Just play the percentages and put it up where you think you have the best odds of getting the picture you want. |
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Jesse Hutcheson, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Newport News | va | United States | Posted: 10:02 AM on 02.21.09 |
| ->> Ok Thanks for the help david. I'm off to track practice and then shooting a lacrosse game before basketball tonight. I'll post back board shots when I get home. |
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Adam Cairns, Photographer
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 10:19 AM on 02.21.09 |
| ->> Try using clear tape to attach your gobo as well. The white backside of the tape you used has got to be a bit distracting to the players. |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Jackson | WY | USA | Posted: 10:25 AM on 02.21.09 |
| ->> Jesse - Try hanging the camera upside-down if you can. I'd bet you'd have an easier time getting the angle you want. |
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David Manning, Photographer
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Athens | GA | | Posted: 10:31 AM on 02.21.09 |
->> One thing to really understand here. It takes time to do this right. I generally arrive to do my backboard stuff almost 3 hours before the game.
Getting a ladder takes time (we've had two ladders dissapear from the local arena) and you have to wait until the court is clear from the pregame shootaround.
The hardest part about doing this with ambient light is the focus. When youre wide open at 2.8 on a remote, the depth of field is so narrow that you really have to be on your composition and know exactly where you want the player and where you want the focus point.
After much trial and error and mixed results, i moved on to easier/better remote locations. Most of my early problems were because i was in a hurry. They just didn't look right because it wasn't strobed.
In a perfect world, it would all be strobed on a D700/D3 with a hardwire going back to a laptop courtside. But thats not within my budget. (And people wouldnt walk off with the arena ladder) |
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Matt Brown, Photographer
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Fullerton | CA | USA | Posted: 11:59 AM on 02.21.09 |
->> Jesse,
Don't place the pocket wizard on top of the camera. Don't use tape with a white side, must be black. No mead for a lens hood. You need to aim the camera down more, girls don't jump that high. The three point line should be the top of your frame. Focus at 6 and half feet for high school girls. Your gobo is to small and to tight to the lens. |
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Derek Montgomery, Photographer
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Duluth | MN | USA | Posted: 5:57 PM on 02.21.09 |
->> Jesse,
This article from the Sportsshooter archives might help you out.
http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/1062
It's a few years old, but the basics remain the same. Good luck! |
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Jesse Hutcheson, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Newport News | va | United States | Posted: 8:59 PM on 02.21.09 |
->> Ok,
I used a lot of the advice I got. went vertical, got rid of the hood, moved the wizard, aimed down "more" but I still dont think I did it enough. The problem i believe is the Gobo. the school i contract for is slow to change and early in the year they didn't even want me using a gobo, i had to shoot without it and show why it was important. It has caused me to work around my gobo rather than set it up the way i would prefer. Maybe next yaer I will be able to use a larger one. I got one frame that I was pretty happy with but its of the op team, o well. The image is on my sportsshooter page. |
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Mark McIntyre, Photographer
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Greensboro | NC | USA | Posted: 10:25 PM on 02.21.09 |
->> I like to go hortizontal with most of these shots. Normally I set the camera low on the glass and attach the gobo to the bottom of the backboard. The camera is upside down and I use a Canon off shoe cord 2 to keep the pocket wizard a distance from the setup.
Women's games tend to be played closer to the floor so the focus and angle of the lens need to be adjusted accordingly. 3 hours of prep time is the minimun I would recommend for a glass remote. Do a majority of the set up work on the ground before placing the remote. |
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David Manning, Photographer
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Athens | GA | | Posted: 10:29 PM on 02.21.09 |
->> You really need a wider lens. Its possible to do it with a 17 or a 20 on a camera that isn't full frame, you just have to be dead on compositionally.
Needs to be wider.... |
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Jesse Hutcheson, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Newport News | va | United States | Posted: 10:43 PM on 02.21.09 |
| ->> 14? |
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David Manning, Photographer
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Athens | GA | | Posted: 10:54 PM on 02.21.09 |
->> 14mm Should work fine.
Now what are you using? Magic arm? The reason i ask is because youre saying that you're having trouble articulating the camera into the position you really want/need.
What i'd suggest in the future is to look at the nightly yahoo feed from NBA games and look for how cameras are placed and then find the associated remote photos and really look at where the camera was, how it was aimed and how you can reverse engineer it.
In doing remotes for 2 seasons of D1 ball here in the SEC i have very few successful backboard remote photos. Its not easy but just try and get all the technical & equipment issues out of the way so that you're left with worrying about pushing the button and making that image that you want. |
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Jesse Hutcheson, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Newport News | va | United States | Posted: 4:20 PM on 11.04.09 |
->> just to bring this back to life....
Basketball season is around the corner.
Should I go 14 or fish eye? |
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Michael McNamara, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Phoenix | AZ | USA | Posted: 5:28 PM on 11.04.09 |
| ->> 14 and strobes. |
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Brian Cripe, Photographer, Assistant
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East Lansing | MI | USA | Posted: 5:40 PM on 11.04.09 |
->> Either is fine - I have used a fisheye and a rectilinear lens - the advantage of a fisheye is that you'll have more depth of field compared to a similar rectilinear lens.
You mentioned not being able to use a gobo before - we had a recent change here where we are no longer allowed to use a gobo (some spectators complained apparently). The solution is to use a polarizer to cut the glare - if you know your settings you can use a linear polarizer (it'll be more effective, but you can't meter through one). |
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Jordan Murph, Photographer, Assistant
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Carlsbad & Honolulu | CA/HI | USA | Posted: 6:50 PM on 11.04.09 |
| ->> give yourself more time. way more time. you need to dial things in properly. 17mm on a 1.6x crop camera isn't too bad for womens basketball. 14 will be ok too. fish will be too wide for girls. my friend matt brown is right, you need to tilt down more, women don't jump that high. try to keep your camera/lens more parallel to the glass and not at an angle. this helps greatly with the glare and your gobo will be easier to work with. good luck and be safe! |
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