Strobed Baskettball
There's another post on the best way to light a gym. I doubt there is a best way, but this is the way I did it. I have 3 SB-800s and Cactus triggers. I started with two speedlights in the corners near the net and pointed them just over the heads of the players. That produced a lot of shadows, so I bounced them off the ceiling. In order to get a bit more light I added the 3rd speedlight on one side. Power was set to 1/4 and focal length to 105mm.
I used a D700 for all these shots. This one is with the 24-120 at f5.6 and iso 4000. This one illustrates the limitations of this setup. As you can see the ceiling is well lit on one end of the gym. As a result, shots are only well lit on one half of the court.
1.
2. with the 70-200 at f3.5
3. This one was a little farther down the court. Less light from the flash means less stopping power and a bit darker on the face.
4.
5. I might try mounting the 3rd flash on the camera next time. Pointing it up and slightly out might get some catch light in the players eyes. It would be better than these zombie eyes.
6. The young guy who shoots for the school newspaper set up a couple Alien Bee 1600s the same night. On my advice he moved them to similar locations to mine and bounced them. He was able to generate a lot more light. This particular shot was taken at the same time his fired. Luckily I was able to recover most of it since I shot in raw.
A couple Alien Bee 1600s are cheaper than a couple SB800s, but they are a lot less portable. It's a tough decision which way to go.
I used a D700 for all these shots. This one is with the 24-120 at f5.6 and iso 4000. This one illustrates the limitations of this setup. As you can see the ceiling is well lit on one end of the gym. As a result, shots are only well lit on one half of the court.
1.
2. with the 70-200 at f3.5
3. This one was a little farther down the court. Less light from the flash means less stopping power and a bit darker on the face.
4.
5. I might try mounting the 3rd flash on the camera next time. Pointing it up and slightly out might get some catch light in the players eyes. It would be better than these zombie eyes.
6. The young guy who shoots for the school newspaper set up a couple Alien Bee 1600s the same night. On my advice he moved them to similar locations to mine and bounced them. He was able to generate a lot more light. This particular shot was taken at the same time his fired. Luckily I was able to recover most of it since I shot in raw.
A couple Alien Bee 1600s are cheaper than a couple SB800s, but they are a lot less portable. It's a tough decision which way to go.
Sean Martin
www.seanmartinphoto.com
__________________________________________________
it's not the size of the lens that matters... It's how you focus it.
aaaaa.... who am I kidding!
whoever dies with the biggest coolest piece of glass, wins!
www.seanmartinphoto.com
__________________________________________________
it's not the size of the lens that matters... It's how you focus it.
aaaaa.... who am I kidding!
whoever dies with the biggest coolest piece of glass, wins!
0
Comments
just curious, where do you place the two remote SB-800s? In the corners of the gym? couldn't quite tell from your post because you mentioned the net... how do the cactus triggers work? thanks for any help you can provide ... and keep up the great work!
If you look closely at the first shot, you'll see some black railings at the end of the bleachers. The flashes are mounted on those railings at the end of the gym I'm shooting. I have 4 cactus triggers, because 1 didn't seem to work at any reasonable distance. The rest work just fine in a gym. When I re-ordered the 4th trigger I bought a transmitter with it to put on a second camera. It is possible to attach the second trigger to a receiver though. When this is done, you dramatically increase the range. If you're buying the cactus or e-bay triggers, I would avoid getting just a receiver. Buy the transmitter/receiver package. It will help if you're having difficulty getting the range you want.
www.seanmartinphoto.com
__________________________________________________
it's not the size of the lens that matters... It's how you focus it.
aaaaa.... who am I kidding!
whoever dies with the biggest coolest piece of glass, wins!
How are you mounting the flashes?
Keep up the good work!
Cheap $1 spring clamps from Home depot with a 1/4-20 screw to the cactus trigger. The bleachers were moving pretty good at that game though, so I'm thinking something more secure might be wise.
www.seanmartinphoto.com
__________________________________________________
it's not the size of the lens that matters... It's how you focus it.
aaaaa.... who am I kidding!
whoever dies with the biggest coolest piece of glass, wins!
Are you saying:
Transmitter on camera.
Flashes with hot shot receivers
And then another transmitter mounted to a receiver?
If yes, where did you place this second transmitter? And finally, did you find any timing issues with this setup? Are you certain the second transimtter is even triggering the receivers?
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So far I haven't found it necessary to use a second transmitter in a gym. I've just played with it in my living room. I have, however confirmed that all flashes are recorded when a secon transmitter is connected via a sync cable to one of the receivers.
www.seanmartinphoto.com
__________________________________________________
it's not the size of the lens that matters... It's how you focus it.
aaaaa.... who am I kidding!
whoever dies with the biggest coolest piece of glass, wins!