Quite possibly the the last Basketball of the season...

[gmen]

...you'll all be pleased to hear! ...and shot with ambient light for a change. Nasty, nasty vapour lamps so the WB is all over the place... on the plus side, I managed to get access to a balcony area for the first time for a different angle on proceedings...

Let me give you a cuddle...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/hooptastic001.jpg

Maximum arm extension...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/hooptastic002.jpg

A right old tangle...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/hooptastic003.jpg

Eyeing up the good old bucket...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/hooptastic004.jpg

Taking the 'under-the-armpit' route to the hoop...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/hooptastic008.jpg

Lining up a three-pointer...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/hooptastic005.jpg

Aaaaarggghhh....

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/hooptastic006.jpg

Sprawled from above...

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/forum_images/hooptastic007.jpg

Cheers for looking!

---- Gavin

[Croasdail]

Hey Gavin, not sure what you are complaining about because these are some of the best lit shots you have shown in my never to be humble opinion. From an action standpoint, love the angle and the catch on the last shot - though I do think they might be able to fit a few more lines on that floor. But it the lines are better then the cinder block walls. I love the from above shots - did a few at Duke early in the season but they turned out to be less popular... ah well. Cheers.

[OL9245]

Very nice pics! congrats.
Which noise reduction software are you using?

[LMP]

They may be the last Gavin but some of the best from a lighting point of view, not to mention the action. # 3 is crackin ;)

[gmen]

Hey Gavin, not sure what you are complaining about because these are some of the best lit shots you have shown in my never to be humble opinion. From an action standpoint, love the angle and the catch on the last shot - though I do think they might be able to fit a few more lines on that floor. But it the lines are better then the cinder block walls. I love the from above shots - did a few at Duke early in the season but they turned out to be less popular... ah well. Cheers.Thanks Mark... the lighting at this venue was around the 1/500s f/2.2-f/2.5 ISO3200 mark - I shot a few test frames at ISO1600 but I found that recovering the stop of underexposure in PP still produced noise akin to getting the exposure bang on at ISO3200.

The lighting wasn't as patchy as usual though... a few of the bulbs had been replaced since my last visit ;) What joy!

The overhead view works well for hoops - especially in these c****y venues... I suppose the tendency is for the players to look up much of the time, so it increases your chances of capturing a facial expression or two... also I agree that the court as a background is an improvement over those horrendous gym walls :lol: (despite the plethora of lines)...

The sad thing is that this will probably be the last time the team uses this venue... and it's the only one where I can shoot with available light. Jubbly.

---- Gavin

[blinking8s]

I think you should get a magic arm out and remote from that backboard a little more :)

prob the best WB/Lighting I've seen in your basketball sets to date...nice work

[QUASIPHOTO]

These are quite dandy!!!! I wish I had some venues to shoot from that I could get an upper shot like yours. Alas I'll just have to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground I suppose. Everything about these just rock.

[DwightMcCann]

135mm f/2.0? Didn't know you had that! I do like fast primes. Nice shots.

[gmen]

Very nice pics! congrats.
Which noise reduction software are you using?I ran a mild burst of Neat Image over this batch of images... there wasn't an awful lot of noise to deal with... but I've become a (minor) fan of the sharpening action built into NI rather than applying USM in PS.

---- Gavin

[gmen]

They may be the last Gavin but some of the best from a lighting point of view, not to mention the action. # 3 is crackin ;)Thanks marc... I'm hoping that the guys win their play-off QF in Sheffield this weekend... then it's a two legged SF (so I get to take some snaps at the home game)... followed by a possible Final at the NIA in Birmingham... tough call though.

---- Gavin

[Ron Wilson]

Nice shots. You can hardly see any noise at all. 1/500 at F2 doesn't work for me I can't even begin to use my 100x400 F4. I use it on a rebel xt and even at 1600iso I am truly limited.

[gmen]

I think you should get a magic arm out and remote from that backboard a little more :)

prob the best WB/Lighting I've seen in your basketball sets to date...nice workTa very much Will... I'm somewhat gutted that that was (very probably) my last visit to that venue... just when I discover a new shooting position! The other two venues that the team use for their matches are serious dungeons and I have to pull the flash(es) out...

Hopefully I'll be putting together a couple of decent strobes for next season... so might give me a few more possibilities ;)

EDIT: Talking of strobes, this is worth a look: http://www.sportsshooter.com/news_story.html?id=1565

---- Gavin

[NYC2BGI]

Great shots and nice article too.

[gmen]

These are quite dandy!!!! I wish I had some venues to shoot from that I could get an upper shot like yours. Alas I'll just have to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground I suppose. Everything about these just rock.QUASI... thank you! I'd tried to gain access to this balcony earlier in the season - but, at the time, it was said to be strictly out of bounds. I thought I'd try again and struck lucky as 'the man with the key' was on his way up there for an 'inspection' ;)

---- Gavin

[rg-tom]

hey Gavin,

I was about to ask, if Essex managed to make it to the final would you be attending as I may see you there, after my team won their quarter final today against Worcester, but a quick check on pawprint has informed me they lost quite heavily at the hands of the Sheffield arrows :( Would've been interesting to meet you if both teams had made it all the way :)

Very nice shots, I'm struggling with focusing at the moment more than anything, need to get myself a 1DmkIIn so i can stop blaming that lol :) I do have to say i think i prefer the ambient to your last double flash attempt :) I think i'm going to have to copy you and shoot iso3200 with spot on metering rather than iso1600 and underexposed a few times, you're getting far less noise, and the extra stopping down should help with shots that don't quite make the DoF on my 85 @ f2

Tom.

[beckybun]

Those are great shots! I can't even pic a favorite because I like them all. They are so sharp and the contrast is great. Nice work!

[gmen]

135mm f/2.0? Didn't know you had that! I do like fast primes. Nice shots.It's one of my fave pieces of glass... the AF is a little big sluggish at times but if you work within its limitations it does a nice job.

---- Gavin

[DwightMcCann]

It is now on my equipment wishlist, but nothing could be as slow as the 85mm f/2.8L ... I guess they just announced a replacement tho'.

[gmen]

Those are great shots! I can't even pic a favorite because I like them all. They are so sharp and the contrast is great. Nice work!Cheers beckybun! Ta v. much for your comments ;)

---- Gavin

[Issac Brock]

Where were these taken? What kind of league is this?

[gmen]

Where were these taken? What kind of league is this?Hi Issac... thanks for your comments.

These were taken in a Sports Centre in Ware in Hertfordshire.

The League is the English Basketball League Division One.

I hope that info is useful to you.

---- Gavin