High School Hoops [Archive] - Canon Digital Photography Forums

emurph2

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 20:22

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m213/emurph_2006/web-VvsNorthwood-1.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m213/emurph_2006/web-VNorthwood-3jpg.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m213/emurph_2006/web-VNorthwood-2.jpg

All taken with the 85 f/1.2. F/1.6, 1/400-1/640, ISO-1600. This gym is very dark.
Do the close ups work for you or do you prefer whole body shots?

cgratti

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 20:27

I like the close-ups. I also like the full body shots. Nice to see them mixed and matched. Some of the highllights seem a bit over exposed in a few shots.. Did you use a flash?

AeroSmith

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 20:45

Love number 5.

emurph2

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 20:46

Thank you very much for the comments cgratti. I did not use a flash and never do in the gym. Partly because I don't want to distract the athletes, but more because I'm not very good with it.

Thanks Josh!! One of my favorites too.

basroil

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 21:14

thought that something was odd in the DOF department there, meaning either 135L on ff or a very fast lens on a crop body.... i'm suprised that you could use the 85L for sports though, quite impressive to have that thing focus fast enough for basketball (i've personally used it only for dances and other stage events though, and mki only). great shots though, probably the most original style i've seen

emurph2

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 21:17

Thanks so much! I hope you're talking about the original release of the 85 f/1.2. I used that before this one was released and it was very hard to focus. This one focuses like a dream and does a great job in the gym. I appreciate the style compliment very much. It gets hard to be creative at these action shots, but I sure love them.

sbressler

27th of January 2007 (Sat), 21:58

These pictures are excellent. You captured so much emotion in the shots.

emurph2

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 12:02

Thanks!!

Sageg

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 12:44

Erica, I like these. I personally like close ups of sports just because the expressions on their faces are so intense. But I think it can be hard because their other body parts (ie arms) are moving all the time.

Jeff5045

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 20:38

Did you white balance or use auto?

Jeff5045

g2kev

28th of January 2007 (Sun), 22:59

Great pictures Erica.

I love to shoot with a large crowd in the background. My personal pet peave is when photographers shoot towards a bare well or empty bleachers though sometimes it cannot be avoided.

cimba33

29th of January 2007 (Mon), 01:15

Excellent job! We are new to this site and this is just what we are looking for. Our daughter plays BB and we have been using a flash (580) but the gyms vary so much with lighting we haven't achieved crisp pictures like this. We like the variety you show with full body and close up.

The REBELion

29th of January 2007 (Mon), 02:34

Wow these are some very good shots. This made me realize what a difference a f/1.2 can make. Also, I played BB for woodbridge two years back and we played El Toro and Northewood all the time, it's nice to see some local teams :) .

COsportsphotos

29th of January 2007 (Mon), 03:45

Where you sitting or standing? Those shots look great!!

Steve

norinev

29th of January 2007 (Mon), 16:14

great job erica! i love both the close ups and the full body. it's nice to have a mix.

norine

emurph2

29th of January 2007 (Mon), 16:32

Thanks for all the encouragement and nice comments!! I use an Expodisk to set a CWB. Access is tricky, most of the kids stand and there are cheerleaders on the ends so that's the biggest challenge at the Varsity games. I was a bit behind the basket on the bench side.

REBELion - My son is a 6'8" Sophomore on ET JV. They haven't been beaten since they've been together this summer, but the action and excitement isn't the same as the Varsity games. Northwood has some exciting young players on Varsity and Woodbridge has one of the best players in OC I think. I see AV by your name and that's where both my boys play ice hockey. You must be pretty close.

superdiver

29th of January 2007 (Mon), 18:03

Outstanding work...

The only thing I can say is that when posted all together like that it gets too busy...If you seperated them and enlarged them a bit they would all look better...

emurph2

30th of January 2007 (Tue), 09:54

Thanks superdiver!

The REBELion

31st of January 2007 (Wed), 17:06

REBELion - My son is a 6'8" Sophomore on ET JV. They haven't been beaten since they've been together this summer, but the action and excitement isn't the same as the Varsity games. Northwood has some exciting young players on Varsity and Woodbridge has one of the best players in OC I think. I see AV by your name and that's where both my boys play ice hockey. You must be pretty close.

Yea, ET always puts together a very good team every year. I know when we played them it was a always a hard fought game. Woodbridge has Austin Daye, he was on my JV team as a freshman and one of our leading scorers. Everyone knew what kind of potential he had, especially becuause he has been trained by his dad who was a pro in the NBA. Now he's probably the best varsity player in the county standing at 6'8. When he came in as a freshman he was only 6'2. I just recently moved to AV this summer, but I grew up in Irvine. BTW, do you have any pictures of the game against ET and Woodbridge. If so I'd love to see them. Thanks.

emurph2

31st of January 2007 (Wed), 18:14

We're playing them tonight so I'll try to get some for you.

superdiver

1st of February 2007 (Thu), 01:50

REBELion - My son is a 6'8" Sophomore on ET JV.

DANG, 6'8"and he is on JV ?!?!?! I know hight does not mean "good" but in all the HS's I have ever been to if you are 8'8', damit, you are starting varsity....LOL...their varsity team MUST be ROCKIN!

canonboy

1st of February 2007 (Thu), 11:57

i love number 7, all body parts are in shot and the clairty is tremendous

emurph2

1st of February 2007 (Thu), 16:47

Our Varsity team is one of the top rated teams in our County. We don't really have any height, but they do great without it. My son just started last year (never played anything but at recess before that) and also plays football, baseball and ice hockey on the weekends, so not dedicated enough for our Varsity coach. I'm sure he'll be there next year. Here's a photo of him from behind. Not they typical baseketball build, he's 270 lbs. No one he's played against so far can move him, but they all spend a lot of time trying.

Threw in one of him playing ice hockey last season for laughs. Yes, they're in the same division.

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m213/emurph_2006/web_075w.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m213/emurph_2006/web-GG-BantamGm1_53.jpg

emurph2

1st of February 2007 (Thu), 16:54

superdiver

1st of February 2007 (Thu), 17:00

Thats what I'M talking about!

Nice stuff!

gymdad

1st of February 2007 (Thu), 17:28

Hey, Erica.....

Those are some great shots! Just to clarify, is your 85/1.2 the "Mark II" version? Is it the "I" version that people are talking about when they talk about really slow focusing? Thanks for the info--I'm really interested in trying one for gymnastics, so any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Roland

emurph2

1st of February 2007 (Thu), 20:21

Thanks guys!

Roland - I seriously LOVE this lens! Yes, it's the Mark II version and it's much improved. I used the older version before this and never would have bought it for a sports lens. I missed so many shots. This one is awesome and would probably be a great lens for gymnastics. I do the cheerleader tricks at our games and am able to get sharp focus on them. You wouldn't want to be too far from the action with this lens.

The REBELion

1st of February 2007 (Thu), 21:29

Erica, thanks alot for shooting the ones of the woodbridge game. These pics really are great:D. Did you stay for the whole varsity game? Do you have anymore pics? thanks

emurph2

1st of February 2007 (Thu), 22:33

Thanks! I have more but haven't edited yet or even done more than glance at. Most of are the ET players though. I have one of the scoreboard, it was 75-41 - ET.

gymdad

2nd of February 2007 (Fri), 08:17

Erica,

Thanks for the great advice about that 85/1.2. I'm in an area of the country where it's pretty difficult to rent one, so I sure appreciate your willingness to share that information. Thanks again!

Roland

Actionphotog

2nd of February 2007 (Fri), 09:57

I thinks its a great combo of both closeup and full body
Great work

RocknE30

3rd of February 2007 (Sat), 14:16

Here's your superstar REBELion. He's now 6'10" and 180 lbs. He's an awesome talent. Posted one at a time just for superdiver.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m213/emurph_2006/web-VarsityvsWoodbridge2_03w.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m213/emurph_2006/web-VarsityvsWoodbridge2_14w.jpg

Man! That's probably how I would be built if I was a 6' 10". If he hits the gym during college and puts on some weight he could be a real force. Reminds me of Shawn Bradley.

Nice shots!

Mikebethesda

4th of February 2007 (Sun), 22:14

All taken with the 85 f/1.2. F/1.6, 1/400-1/640, ISO-1600. This gym is very dark.
Do the close ups work for you or do you prefer whole body shots?[/QUOTE]

Wow Erica. These look really great. I have been trying some basketball shots with my 20D using an 85mm f1.2 (not sure if its the II) but the shots are horrible. I also tried the 70-200mm f2.8L and the shots are horrible.

The light in the gym is poor but I wonder whether your 1D Mark II is the difference compared to my 20D. Have you tried these shots using a 20D, 30D, 5D or Rebel?

I have been reluctant to go above ISO400 because of grainy shots and I want the shutter speed fast so I'm at F1.2 or F2.8 which makes it hard to capture a sharp shot.

Out of frustration, my next move was going to be having a friend hold an Alien Bee 1600 while I shoot at F10, 250/sec,ISO100. Your shots, however, make me wonder whether my problem lies elsewhere.

Mike

emurph2

5th of February 2007 (Mon), 10:07

Thanks Mike.

I think you need to raise your ISO. The ID seems to handle noise better, but that's the main difference. I shoot at ISO 1600 all the time. Try that before lights and make sure you don't under expose your images or you will notice even more noice.

Honeybee

5th of February 2007 (Mon), 10:22

These are really great. Were you sitting on the floor?

Thanks for demo of 85 1.2; all I ever see for sample images are face close-ups. It was great to see these.

Redfish

5th of February 2007 (Mon), 11:34

Mikebethesda

5th of February 2007 (Mon), 12:18

Mike
Poorly lit gyms are difficult. You need to move you ISO as high as possible and get f/stop wide open. Make sure and use spot metering and let camera chose the focus point. WATCH your histogram. If you underexpose it will show more grain. You should be shooting in manual. This is how I improved using my 30D in aweful gym situations using a 50/1.4

Steve

OK - I have been working in M mode. F stop wide open - reluctantly raising the ISO. Spot metering on the center dot ... AI Server mode. I'm wondering whether the white balance is my issue. I have it on Auto but I will probably try a custom white balance. Anyway - I have reached a certain level of frustration .. and so I decided to upgrade :p

I ordered a 1Ds Mark II with an 8gb card. I should be able to get some adequate shots with that:-)

Mike

superdiver

5th of February 2007 (Mon), 18:48

Crank your ISO as high as you can and get the exposure correct and your noise will be very managable...

emurph2

5th of February 2007 (Mon), 22:35

Thanks Honeybee. I was standing for some and low in stands for some.

Steve, curious why you let your camera choose your focal point? With all the athletes moving around and the crowd movement I would think your photos wouldn't be focused on your athlete. I usually shoot vertical for basketball and move my focal point so it's up high and will be on the face or chest.

Thanks for all the kind replies!