Shooting at the Celtics

Zone99

My daughters basketball team (U13) has a chance to play for a few minutes in an exhibition during half time at an upcoming Celtics game.

They will only be out there for about 5 minutes before the players come back on the court.

I'm going to be allowed down on the floor to shoot this but, with only 5 minutes, it'll be pretty rushed.

The equipment I have available is:

- Nikon D300, Nikon D70, 80-200mm F/2.8, 50mm f/1.8

I'm thinking of the lighting (which should be pretty bright) and the space I'll have. Given the time, I don't want to have to worry about waiting for the kids to come down to my end of the court so I'm going to pair the D300 with the 80-200mm and the D70 with the 50mm.

That should get me far-end of the court and near-end of the court coverage and versatility.

Current plan is to set to ISO1000, park under one of the baskets and fire away. I figure just leave at f/1.8 or f/2.8 and hope for something in the 1/800 - 1/1250 range for shutter speed.

I wasn't planning on using a flash since I think it'd be fairly useless.

Any other thoughts or suggestions?

5 minutes isn't a lot of time so I need to maximize what I do here.

Thanks in advance.

rainbow

The lighting will be excellent, so flash will not be needed as you thought.

My one caveat is to check the arena policy to see if there is a limit on what lenses they allow in. At the GS Warriors, it is limited to five inches long or less. OTOH, at the game my son played pregame, we went through a separate entrance, though I do not know if they would have restricted the equipment there.

Oh, and don't get so caught up in the photography that you miss sharing your daughter's experience.

BradfordBenn

i agree that the lighting will be excellent, however that can be misleading. Depending on the light system they use at the TD Garden they might dowse them down during "half time" as some arenas do. In addition they might be a metal halide style which cycles with the power at either 60 cycles a second of 120 cycles. Which means that given the short shutter speeds you need to use to take the pictures, you could be in a valley of light. Just like a fluorescent. That is the reason most arenas have a separate photo strobe system. I doubt that they will let you tie into their system - and the equipment does vary. However bringing a flash to minimize the impact of the light cycles I think would help. I have never regretted carrying mine with me.

I am not trying to paint a doom and gloom image, I am just sharing the experiences I have had. I took some shots at a Sharks/Devils hockey game and there were no problems, I have taken shots at Notre Dame basketball events and there was color cast.

I am sure some with more photo experience can shed some more light on the topic as well.

And most importantly don't forget to have fun and enjoy the time on the floor!

JimKarczewski

, Could always carry a pocket wizard with you, and hope they don't have their own "private" channel. Or ask one of the pro shooters to borrow his trigger for 1/2 time.

Seefutlung

I echo JimKarczewski, ask a photog if you could borrow his trigger for half time. Do this before the game. Also ask him for his settings and dial in your camera accordingly. For under the basket the 50 will probably be too long. Its been a while since I've shot under the basket, but if I recall correctly, you'll need at least a 28 or better on a FF to get player and net. Don't be afraid to shoot at ISO 1600 ... a bit of noise is better than too much blur.

While Rainbow's thoughts on not getting caught up with the photography is nice, remember this. I have found that the concentration to consistently attain a high level of photography ... doesn't leave much room for anything else. Example: Photography and family vacations doesn't mix. Attempting to do so ends up in a compromise for the family time and for the images. If you want to enjoy the entire experience of your daughter playing in a major league arena ... then the images will suffer. If you decide that it is your charge to document the five minutes of playing time, then you'll only experience the event through the narrow view of the camera lens. Trying to do both will significantly diminish the experience or the photos.

Good Luck and Good Shooting,
Gary

ian408

To Brad's comment, many hockey arenas are well lit. Then immediately after the game, lights out--it's still well lit just not with the same intensity.

Take the fast glass and do ask about the trigger although I suspect you will find they'd like to shoot the event as well (promo stuff).

Good luck and do remember to share!

kbevphoto

I've shot at the Untied Center several times. A few thoughts:

I tend to go 3200ISO wide open at 2.8 (70-200mm) and the photos turn out fine aside from the noisy d300.... I back down the ISO based on the histogram as I shoot. I always set the camera to manual.

The UC has a policy against backpacks, but no policy against pro cameras. I printed out the policy and also called the Customer Relations mgr at the stadium to confirm. She also emailed me and I brought a printout of that too!

They did warn me against obstructing other fans (e.g. not setting up a tripod in the aisle)...

I found the lighting to be very good and have gotten great shots every time I've gone and sat courtside or in the box....


Buzzer beater at: 1250ISO, 1/400, f2.8 (courtside)


From a good seat at 1/400, f2.8, 1600ISO: