HS Basketball w/ 2 speedlites

Thanks for all the tips on this forum!

I tried something new yesterday: 2 speedlites bounced. In the shot below, lighting is from
(1) a 580EX II mounted on camera but the flash pointed backwards at the wall about 3 ft behind me (wall is identical to far wall in the photo), and

(2) a Sigma EF-530 DG Super off camera sitting in its little stand in the bleachers to the left but bounced off the ceiling.

The red plastic of the EF-530 was facing the wall behind me so that it could see the 580EX master flash. If I did not bounce the 580EX off the wall, but tried off the ceiling or direct, then the EF-530 would not see the master and thus would not flash. Both speedlites in eTTL mode and both manual zoom to 105mm.

As you might guess, I'm trying to avoid having to get some ABs.

[Ooops, this is junior high BB, not HS]
85 mm f/3.5, SS 1/250th, ISO 800

A drive from the 3 pt line:

looks pretty good! too bad the focus missed and didnt get the kid with the ball

This whole indoor basketball photography is one of the toughest beasts to conquer...Good job.
HP

40,

This one is tough to critique, because it does look like you missed focus on the ball handler. Got any others to post?

In another gym .... This time the with both flashes in manual mode at the 1/2 setting. This is ISO 800, f/3.2, SS 1/250 (sync speed).

I'm generally satisified with the two-speedlite method. I like the fact that I can use the camera to set both the 580EXII and the Sigma-EF-530 in either manual mode or auto-eTTL mode. [Edit: when the 580EXII is a master the camera can control both 580EXII and the Sigma either for eTTL or for manual. However when the Sigma is the master, you have to use the Sigma controls to control the Canon slave and not the camera since the camera does not see the extended functions of the Sigma as the camera does when the Canon is the master. Got that?] For example, at halftime, I can switch to eTTL to take pictures of people and cheerleaders without having to fuss with the distance changes. Then I can simply switch back to manual mode when the 2nd half starts and all my manual settings are still there. Also I'm happy that I haven't had to spend money on RF triggers or other hardware.

These shots are nothing really special, and a tad overexposed. That just means that I probably have enough light on the subject. There is some ghosting, so maybe a 3rd speedlite is in order? Or switch the flashes from 1/2 to 1/4? Thanks for looking and for comments!

No, don't add a light or lower the light power, lower your ISO. Your backgrounds are showing plenty of ambient light, which I suspect is causing the ghosting. You're in a great position here, having too much light. Lower ISO will be nice in all areas, (brightness of subject will be better, ghosting and noise.) You're gonna make great images.

John

Thanks for the iso-tip! I won't be able to try it until next year though.