Ambient Basketball

Hey guys, it's been a long time since I've posted pictures. It's been over a year since I last shot basketball, and this is my fourth game back, getting in the swing of things. Settings for these all are 800 ISO, f/1.8, ss of 320, and white balance set on florescent. The gym is lit decently, but I am looking to invest in strobes here soon. Let me know what you think, and what I should change.

The photos are underexposed, so raising the ISO to 1600-3200 is a must, and you need to raise the shutter speed as well. I wouldn't go any lower then 1/500. The photos have good action, I would just crop them and adjust the horizons. Also make sure to correct your white balance as the photos here are a bit warm.

I shoot middle / high school basketball, and they are all ambient. I tend to use ISO3200, f/1.8, 1/500 with my 85mm, and before the game starts I always shoot at a white object (the walls are white in the home gym), and then set custom white balance for that photo. Here are some sample shots from a recent HS game I shot: www.geoffjohnsonphotog​raphy.com/Sports/Baske​tball2/GHSBoysVvsTrini​ty

Agree with geoff - your ISO and SS are too low. I usually end up with ISO3200 and only a ss of 400

geoff5093 wrote in post #9507590
The photos are underexposed, so raising the ISO to 1600-3200 is a must, and you need to raise the shutter speed as well. I wouldn't go any lower then 1/500. The photos have good action, I would just crop them and adjust the horizons. Also make sure to correct your white balance as the photos here are a bit warm.

I shoot middle / high school basketball, and they are all ambient. I tend to use ISO3200, f/1.8, 1/500 with my 85mm, and before the game starts I always shoot at a white object (the walls are white in the home gym), and then set custom white balance for that photo. Here are some sample shots from a recent HS game I shot: www.geoffjohnsonphotog​raphy.com/Sports/Baske​tball2/GHSBoysVvsTrini​ty

lauderdalems wrote in post #9508094
Agree with geoff - your ISO and SS are too low. I usually end up with ISO3200 and only a ss of 400

Thanks guys! I appreciate the help. With my camera I max out at 1600 ISO, so I'll try bumping it up next week, hopefully the noise doesn't get too bad. Also, yes I know, I need to work on my horizons, and white balance. Hoping to order a grey card this week so I can get it right.

You should use some noise reduction software when shooting at ISO1600, chances are they are going to be very noisy right out of the camera.

even with custom WB- some gyms are still going to need some PP to get WB correct. We have those damn cycling lights on our gyms- and perfect WB on one shot, will be "wrong" 100ms later!

I read some of the other comments and thought I would grab one and filter it for noise, adjust levels and attempt to adjust white balance.

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I've just been playing with the noise reduction tool in aperture, should i get a stand alone program? If so, which programs do ya'll recommend?

I use Noiseware Standard Edition. You can download a free version.

http://www.imagenomic.​com/


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I use noiseware professional version. I used the standard edition for a long while. I think the only difference is bulk processing.

I use Noiseware Professional as well, I create a Photoshop action that runs through it and processes all of my high-noise shots.

The difference between shooting strobes and ambient light is really night and day. Ambient will allow you to burst you camera at the highest frame rate but the quality from using strobes is worth it. As mentioned your photos are underexposed some. ISO 1600 is probably going to be a must for you in that gym. White balance will be all over the place and will shift in different spots all the time. (That's why I do prefer to use strobes.)

You can get away with slower shutter speeds, so don't be fooled by the 1/500 is the absolute minimum. But if you want to shoot at speeds like 1/400, 1/320, 1/250 you've got to catch them at the peak action. 1 and 2 were after the peak action while 3 and 4 are before. (3 could also be after if it was a rebound.) When photographing someone shooting a jumper, try to get them at their highest point in the jump. This is usually when they've got the ball cocked back and ready to release. At the peak action moment, their movement is almost at a minimum so you can get away with slower shutter speeds.

jacuff wrote in post #9524175
The difference between shooting strobes and ambient light is really night and day. Ambient will allow you to burst you camera at the highest frame rate but the quality from using strobes is worth it. As mentioned your photos are underexposed some. ISO 1600 is probably going to be a must for you in that gym. White balance will be all over the place and will shift in different spots all the time. (That's why I do prefer to use strobes.)

You can get away with slower shutter speeds, so don't be fooled by the 1/500 is the absolute minimum. But if you want to shoot at speeds like 1/400, 1/320, 1/250 you've got to catch them at the peak action. 1 and 2 were after the peak action while 3 and 4 are before. (3 could also be after if it was a rebound.) When photographing someone shooting a jumper, try to get them at their highest point in the jump. This is usually when they've got the ball cocked back and ready to release. At the peak action moment, their movement is almost at a minimum so you can get away with slower shutter speeds.

Yes sir, I understand about the limited bursting with strobes, but I know with practice and experience, I'll be able to get that key action point fairly consistently with out bursting. From all the strobed shots I have seen, the quality of the image is well worth my time and money to purchase strobes. Hoping in the next couple months, I'll be browsing ebay, potn, and FM looking for smoking deals. Oh the joys of being a poor college student...

Thanks for the tips guys!

-Keith

I've never used strobes for sports, but I prefer ambient just because some places I shoot at frown upon flashes, and this way I can shoot constantly without annoying people.