Indoor Basketball Photoshoot

[tiffb123]

I have been looking through other questions on this subject. I guess I assumed I would need to use a flash, but I have since seemed to figure out that with my canon 5D and my fixed 50mm lens, settings at 1-8-2.2 SS above 400, and ISO at 1600, I will not need my flash and can get enough lighting, I just want some confirmation on this
My shoot is tonight, and I have to do a group shot and individual shots before the game, will this equipment be enough??
Thanks!!
I am new here so I hope I have posted this correctly!!
Tiffany

[psurrette]

Your setting are a good place to start, Shoot in AV mode to get the correct exposure.

For the team and individual shots, I would use a flash, off camera if possible.

[convergent]

That setup will do fine, although its a bit slow... the camera and the lens... so you may get some OOF shots, but still you should have some keepers in there too. Don't be afraid to shoot ISO1600 or even ISO3200 with the 5D. You'll need to be shooting from under the net with a 50mm to get decent crops.

I would shoot Manual and start at ISO1600, f/2, and 1/400s and see what your exposure looks like. Then do a custom white balance if you can, as this will also help quite a bit. Shooting RAW will give you more flexibility in processing, but I shoot this stuff JPEG most of the time to minimize processing time.

For the team and individual pictures, the 50mm wouldn't be the best... maybe for the team, but not the individuals. If that's all you have, then go for it... but a longer focal length will give a more pleasing individual shot, and you may need a wider or longer lens to get the team shot you want... zooms are very essential for team shots. Use flash for sure with the team shot, but still shoot manual so it doesn't take over and "flash" your subject. Meter for ambient lighting... you should be able to drop the shutter speed down to about 1/100s or even less if you must. I'd go down to ISO800 as well, but you'll need to get your aperture up to at least f/5.6 to get an appropriate depth of field for the team. I'd try to not to be too much underexposed ambient, then use flash in ETTL to fill. Should give you a nice "pop" on the team.