Basketball C&C Welcome...

CFPhotography

First time shooting basketball, I was using a Canon 7D with the EF 24-70 F2.8L and the 70-200 F2.8L. I was shooting in AV mode at 2.8 and ISO 1600. Depending on the amount of zoom I was using, I would get around 1/400 to 1/500, sometime it dropped around 1/200 on the far end of the zoom. Also was using one point center focus.

Let me know what you think, C&C welcome, any tips for the next time out? I will be going out again this weekend to another game and I rented the EF 35 F1.4L and the EF 135 F2L to see how this will work. I will use the 35 for the near court and the 135 for the far end. I also am borrowing a buddy of mine EF 85 1.8 to see how that works.

On the photos, should I crop to tighter or less? I also had some trouble with focusing, I think it was just me, trying to keep the player in the center of the frame while rattling off 8fps for a layup or dunk.

Also was curious about shooting RAW or JPG. This time out I shot JPG just for buffer reasons. But next time out I think I will shoot RAW, I think it will be easier to get the noise out of the images and PP better with RAW than JPG. What is your all's preference?

Link to photos:
http://www.chrisfowlerphotography.net/JacksonvilleGiants/Giants-Vs-Flight/Game-Photos/15148719_nm9ju#1132830130_RoJKW


Thanks in advance! :-)

jimqjr

CFPhotography wrote: »

First time shooting basketball, I was using a Canon 7D with the EF 24-70 F2.8L and the 70-200 F2.8L. I was shooting in AV mode at 2.8 and ISO 1600. Depending on the amount of zoom I was using, I would get around 1/400 to 1/500, sometime it dropped around 1/200 on the far end of the zoom. Also was using one point center focus.

Let me know what you think, C&C welcome, any tips for the next time out? I will be going out again this weekend to another game and I rented the EF 35 F1.4L and the EF 135 F2L to see how this will work. I will use the 35 for the near court and the 135 for the far end. I also am borrowing a buddy of mine EF 85 1.8 to see how that works.

On the photos, should I crop to tighter or less? I also had some trouble with focusing, I think it was just me, trying to keep the player in the center of the frame while rattling off 8fps for a layup or dunk.

Also was curious about shooting RAW or JPG. This time out I shot JPG just for buffer reasons. But next time out I think I will shoot RAW, I think it will be easier to get the noise out of the images and PP better with RAW than JPG. What is your all's preference?

Link to photos:
http://www.chrisfowlerphotography.net/JacksonvilleGiants/Giants-Vs-Flight/Game-Photos/15148719_nm9ju#1132830130_RoJKW


Thanks in advance! :-)

Hello Chris...not to give you a hard time or anything, my guess is that people who will help will want you to pick the best 5 or 6 and then post the pictures to this site using the insert picture button.
Just saying...

JimKarczewski

Chris-

You can shoot faster than I can. , I'm shooting with a 5DII and that's not a sports camera! I was thinking of a 7D, but 1DIV I believe is my next toy. I've found (which I'm sure it's pretty similar on the 7D) I can shoot sRaw (10MP) with no buffer issues. That is if I'm unsure of the white balance I've set. If I know the white balance is OK, I'll shoot medium size, fine jpg. Focus, AI Servo all the way, it does me good for oh, 80% of the shots. Where it gets tripped up is players passing each other or setting screens.

Exposure, I'd say you were a little hot. The whites on my screen (calibrated) are almost to the point of lost detail. I'd skip shooting Av and go for Manual. Find an exposure that works and I'm pretty sure in any semi-pro or pro arena you won't have any problems from side to side. Just aim for the 1/400 or 1/500 all the time.

I do it as well, so this is just something to keep an eye on... Pics 23 & 24 looks like #10 is going for a dunk. Faces. If you ever want to sell something like this or get an assignment to shoot it, you are going to get creamed on pictures like this because you see no faces, people don't want to see the backs of heads.

My best advice, having now shot about 20 games this season (high school) is to shoot, shoot and shoot some more. Every game I see an improvement, and I'm far from perfect, that is a HUGE given. This was my latest attempt, just to give you an idea, and as I said, I'm not perfect and need to take my own advice with the faces... http://jimkarczewski.smugmug.com/RSN/HSBBB/122110LCvMunster

CFPhotography

Sorry for the delay....

Thanks Jim for the critiquing! I will have to double check the exposure again for the whites, they looked ok on my monitor (calbibrated with Syder Elite), might be time for another calbiration for me! lol..

Definitley agree about the faces, now if I could only get the players to face me everytime they dunk, I would be good to go.. haha... I moved around quite a bit and plan on doing the same this weekend. Hopefully I can get some dunks and layups with them facing me.... Practice, Practice and more Practice!

This weekend I will be using the 7D and 30D and playing around with the EF 35 F1.4L, the EF135 F2L, and the EF 85 F1.8 and see what I can come up with.

Also, I apologize for the link to the site, so here are some images I took from the game:

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.

jimqjr

They all look like great photos to me. Maybe a little bright. I would bump up the shutter speed. Looks like you have good light so you can shoot at a faster shutter speed. What lens are you using? With the 7D you can go to 2500 iso if needed.

jonh68

It looks like you have the timing down. Just keep shooting.

As far as setting go, I have better luck in full manual. When you get in a or s modes, you give too much leeway to the camera. Your shutter speeds and exposure get affected by ligh and dark jerseys, and any stray light that gets in the frame. Meter off the faces and then make that your permanent setting in manual mode, though you may have to tweek a little. I also don't like auto iso under lights for the very same reason.

Jpg vs RAW, that is a personal preference. Unless you shoot for a publication that requires RAW, jpg is just fine. Every sports shooter I know that has stuff published shoot jpg because of deadlines and quick file transfers.

<ed>

Good stuff

Seefutlung

#1 is your best shot. Nits = Tighter crop would bring the action closer to the viewer creating greater impact and the white balance seems a bit off (flesh tones seem a slight bit green-ish/blue ... but monitors are different so that's a judgement call).

#2 lacks the action and facial expression to be considered exception (cutting off the hand makes a ho-hum pix even more ho-hum).

#3 is similar to #1 in capturing at the peak of action, well done. Similar nits, a tighter crop would eliminate the distraction body parts on the left and of the ceiling which adds nothing to the image (you gotta leave a small part of the net for a visual reference and complete the story in the photo.)

#4 is close but no cigar. If you had positioned yourself ten feet to the left this would have been awesome ... due to the bad angle this just gets an honorable mention. Watch you horizons everybody is running downhill and the bench is beginning slide off the court.

#5 is another good peak of action capture with decent facial expressions. IMO a very tight crop would go a long way in bringing out the most impact. I'd crop just under the raised knee of the Giant player ... then very very tight on the sides and top. This would again bring the action into the face of the viewers, eliminate a lot of the background distractions (like people standing up with outstretched arms looking in the direction of the peanut man) and with a slight rotation take care of the tilted horizon.

#6 Good timing, but (the big but), the background has way too much detail competing with the principal subject ... in conjunction with the action being average and facial expression slightly above average ... distracting and confusing background ... I wouldn't even give this one an honorable mention.

Generally, you have way too much detail in the background which interferes and competes with the principal subject for the viewers attention. Longer lenses and larger apertures would help control the DOF and provide greater isolation and separation of the subjects from the background.

Disclaimer: Please don't take my criticisms as an attack upon your photography or you personally. I used to be a news photog and the bar (rating) used in my critique is based upon my years of professional experience.

Good Luck and Good Shooting,
Gary

CFPhotography

Wow, thanks guys for the critique! Very much appreciated! Gary, no worries, this is exaclty what I need. Only way to get better is have someone else that knows the business critique your work. I also agree with everything you had to say.

Since this is my first time shooting basketball, my only real complaint was the DOF. I was shooting at F2.8 and after downloading the images I couldn't believe how much the crowd was in focus. If your shooting under the basket how do you get around that? I guess other than making sure your pictures are cropped as tight as possible in the camera. As you can't really use zoom under the basket.

I am going back tonight for my second game. I just hope I can get some up close action shots, layups and dunks where I am on the right side of the rim! lol....

I will be shooting at F2 tonight with a couple different lenses. I have one that can go to F1.4 but I am afraid that might be to much especially on a tight crop picture, the players faces might be a little out of focus..

But thanks again for the critique! Keep'em coming! :-)

JimKarczewski

Longer lens will help. I shoot with the 70-200, usually I shoot @ 2.8 unless I have my lights cranked too high and can't get to them to adjust them quickly.

DOF @ 2.8 on a Cropped camera (1.6x):

24mm
Near limit 7.8 ft
Far limit 13.9 ft
Total 6.13 ft

70mm
Near limit 9.68 ft
Far limit 10.3 ft
Total 0.65 ft (7.8")

200mm
Near limit 9.96 ft
Far limit 10 ft
Total 0.08 ft (which is about an inch...)

So you can see @ 10ft, the DOF gets tighter and tighter the longer you go, so your separation will increase more and more at the same f-stop the longer the lens you shoot... Same with subject distance. Farther away the subject is, the more DOF. 70mm @ 2.8, Subject distance of 10 ft gives you .65ft DOF, 15ft - 1.48', 20ft - 2.66'

Closer you can get to the subject and more you can zoom in on them, the more you can kill the background.

This is @ 3.5, the best I could do with the lights as they were set that night.. DOF (calculator is useful found HERE) was about 1.1ft

Seefutlung

Fill the frame. The closer the subjects are to the camera the less DOF of the background. 2.8 should be fine ... just fill the frame with action (patience is a virtue).