Basketball Above the Rim

I've been wanting to try this for some time...conditions worked out for me to rig up my 7D and a 50mm pre-focused on the rim last week. Results were favorable. Used a trigger remote which was a pain...now motivated to get some pocket wizards so I can shoot simultaneously instead of a separate trigger. Would have used my 17-40 for a wider shot....just wasn't ready to put it out there in event of mega-wipeout shot.

Set SS at 1/400 5.6 ISO 6400

Was lucky no full court buzzer attempt shots took my set up out of action. Knew it was a risk. Will try coming up with a protective shield for next season. here's a few samples.

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Nice shots, and great ingenuity on the mount. If it were me, I would probably swap the bungee cords for safety cables/carabiners. Got a pic of the way the goal is set up? Is is just the standard roof mounted folding goal?

That angle is one that I've always wanted to do, but the way our shot clocks are set up and the rules regarding attachment to said shot clocks prevents me with doing so without fabricating my own mount, similar to what ESPN & CBS use for shot clock robocams.

Nice!!

Doc

Nice. Always great to get a different perspective on stuff.

Next time though use the 17-40. The wider shots leave you more room to crop. I really like the first shot of the players above, but the second shot would be so much better if the player in blue still had his face in the shot.

I did this a couple times last year and used a 16-35. It worked great. Though like you I was worried about it getting taken out by an attempted buzzer beater shot. Came close once. But I figured if I was going through the trouble to set something like this up, might as well make sure I get what I want. Besides, it's only money.

Oh, and as mentioned, maybe add a steel safety cable or two to the setup in case it does get smacked. It won't save the gear, but it would save some kids head and possibly yourself a lawsuit.

Yeah....bungee cord was all I had...it was a last minute playoff game schedule here at my home school...had to make do with what I had. The blue bar I mounted to runs diagonally above the rim from the back of the board. I'm posting another pic here to give you a better view of the backboard (from another game)

The cable you see in the original shot is used to pulling the board up for other events.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/pmAB​Bn

Very nice shots. I recall shooting in a gym that had multiple courts (4, IIRC), and small stands at the one end... but a high balcony close along one side court for photographers. That was a wonderful viewpoint experience.

I agree with shooting with a wider lens from your vantage point (still with good IQ) for more selective cropping.

Good thinking !

Good shots, however the photos are out of focus.

Remember the rim is still several inches above the players head in this level. You need to focus a few inches further away from the camera.

nice

very creative, glad it didn't get knocked down