Trade Secrets: Friday Night Flash Football

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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2005-11-14

Trade Secrets: Friday Night Flash Football
Scott Varley's prep football photograph is the ninth in a series of SportsShooter.com features called "Trade Secrets."

By Scott Varley, Daily Breeze

Photo by Scott Varley / Daily Breeze

After bobbling the ball at first, Mira Costa's Vince Tibone was able to control it for a 2nd quarter touchdown reception as Redondo's Matt Williams (20) covers him in the end zone.

Seeing that I've been a staff photographer for newspapers for 18 or so years, I've spent most of my fall Friday nights at local high schools covering varsity football games. Shortly after I started working, T-Max 3200 black and white film was introduced. This meant we could now put away our Vivitar 283 or 285 flashes and shoot available light at all but the poorest of lit high school stadiums.

Life was good.

In the early 90's, the push at newspapers was a switch to color and lots of it. We now had to shoot color neg and put our flashes back on our cameras.

Life was ok.

In mid-1995, I switched to digital and haven't shot film since. I used a Nikon NC2000, a bad Nikon push-pull 80-200/2.8 zoom and an SB-something or other flash.

Life wasn't so good.

The camera, combined with the fact that you really couldn't shoot over 400 ISO without massive degradation in quality, an auto-focus zoom that had such slow auto-focusing that it was easier to manually focus and a flash that wasn't designed to work with digital meant really poor results. We did make pictures and get them published, but to this day, I never saved any of those early digital football photos. In 2000, I began using the D1 and now use the D2h with a much better lenses and flashes.

Life is once again good.

The photo of the Mira Costa High player catching a TD pass in the end zone was actually easy to make, it just required a little planning. At almost all the stadiums that I shoot at, I set up my cameras the same way. When I shoot a night prep football game I like to travel pretty light. I always use two D2h cameras. My main camera is set up with a 300/2.8, SB-800 flash and an external Nikon battery pack (I only use rechargeable Ni-Mh AA batteries now and always put a fresh set in my flashes before each game.). This camera is set to ISO 1000 or 1250 at 1/250 second at f/2.8 and color balance is set to flash.

My flash is set to 1/8 manual power. This gives me a constant light output for each frame. I'm usually able to fire off about 7 frames in a burst and keep the flash firing. This works real well for shooting the quarterback, handoffs, the line of scrimmage and anywhere from the near hash marks to the far hash marks. Anything on the far side of the field will probably be too dark. Most of the time, I'll position myself either just behind the line of scrimmage to get the QB and running back shots or 10 or 20 yards ahead of the line to get passes and running backs coming towards me.

The camera that I made this image with is set up a little different. On another D2h I keep around my neck, I'll use a 28-70/2.8 with the camera set to 800 ISO at 1/250 second at f/4 and flash color balance. I'll set my SB-800 to the auto "A" setting and usually dial it down 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop. I try to keep the zoom set to between 28mm and 40mm or so.

Photo by Scott Varley / Daily Breeze

This six-picture sequence shows off how well Varley's Nikon SB-800 flash did in capturing the entire play.

As the team was moving the ball down field and got to within the 30 yard line, I positioned myself, as I usually always do, to just inside the goal line by a yard or two. I double-checked my zoom and settings to make sure nothing had changed and went back to using my main camera with the 300/2.8. As I saw the quarterback drop back to pass in my direction with a receiver and defenders heading my way, I held my monopod and 300 camera with my left hand and grabbed my 28-70 camera with my right hand, raised it up, framed it and started firing and didn't stop until the play was over.

I was really surprised the flash fired on each frame. With this camera, I don't have an external battery pack, just 4 AA batteries plus the much-appreciated Nikon 5th AA battery that comes with the SB-800. After the play, I did a quick check to make sure I had it and went back to shooting the game. Another photographer who was wearing a Max Preps jacket came up to me and asked if I got - because he didn't. I assured him that I did and I showed him the seven-picture sequence. He seemed a little amazed. I took that as a compliment.

The fact is, I was ready for it and put myself in a position to get the shot, just as I do when I shoot a UCLA or USC game. I planned for the outcome and got my equipment ready for the shot. A little bit of luck also helps when the action does indeed come your way.

This is the way I shoot flash prep football. It doesn't mean it's the right way, just the way I do it. Your results may vary.

Playoffs start this week for the Los Angeles and Southern Section CIF teams and that means that me and my two cameras and a bag of sunflower seeds will be where I belong - on the sideline opposite the chain gang crew.

I've created a hidden portfolio of the entire sequence of the touchdown catch at http://www.sportsshooter.com/varley/flashfootball.

Scott Varley is a staff photographer for the Daily Breeze in Torrance, California.

"Trade Secrets" is a series of educational features where SportsShooter.com members reveal the inside-information about how they were able to create a specific image (or two.) To nominate an image for this feature, please send a message to the SportsShooter.com admin staff here: http://www.sportsshooter.com/contactus.html The SportsShooter.com admin staff reserves the right to accept, or not accept, any nomination.

Related Links:

Varley's member page