1st Time Shooting NBA Game

John Photography wrote in post #9540658
can someone shed some light, no pun intended....on the in house strobes they use in Staples and other arenas? i'm assuming those are only made available to larger publications.

but i am shooting the Harlem Globetrotters at the Honda Center and since it won't be covered by as many photogs, how would i go about using those strobes? would they be triggered by PW or something more complex?

House strobes are normally only setup for the team's photographer(s). Other people can come in and setup strobes with permission but I cant imagine a big team just lending out their equipment for nothing (since strobes to break eventually...).

AFAIK, the house strobes are not controlled by PW's. They are controlled by the very expensive FlashWizard System. The arena that I was at, there are 2 pairs of strobes on each side and it is set to "relay" or "exchange" mode, flash set 1 will pop on trigger press 1,3,5... and flash set 2 will pop on trigger count 2,4,6 etc.

btw, the fastest way to get kicked out at any pro event is to poach PW channels. DO NOT EVER DO THAT.

i doubt that the OP is planning on bringing in remotes, he didn't mention it in his post, but remotes, position and PW channels, needs to be cleared with the arena and then an assignment of PW channels are allocated.

as for what I had said, in the arena that I worked at, only house photographers are allowed to be on the court, the rest were assigned baseline shooting "boxes" a small box is taped off on the court and that's where u sit.

and the OP probably got an unique access, because again, AFAIK, you get 1 spot for the whole game, but OP can switch sides at half time, so that's pretty rare.

AdamLewis wrote in post #9544230
House strobes are normally only setup for the team's photographer(s). Other people can come in and setup strobes with permission but I cant imagine a big team just lending out their equipment for nothing (since strobes to break eventually...).

i figured the house strobes would be a long shot, but i've always wondered how they worked.

Aaagogo wrote in post #9544305
AFAIK, the house strobes are not controlled by PW's. They are controlled by the very expensive FlashWizard System. The arena that I was at, there are 2 pairs of strobes on each side and it is set to "relay" or "exchange" mode, flash set 1 will pop on trigger press 1,3,5... and flash set 2 will pop on trigger count 2,4,6 etc.

btw, the fastest way to get kicked out at any pro event is to poach PW channels. DO NOT EVER DO THAT.

i doubt that the OP is planning on bringing in remotes, he didn't mention it in his post, but remotes, position and PW channels, needs to be cleared with the arena and then an assignment of PW channels are allocated.

as for what I had said, in the arena that I worked at, only house photographers are allowed to be on the court, the rest were assigned baseline shooting "boxes" a small box is taped off on the court and that's where u sit.

and the OP probably got an unique access, because again, AFAIK, you get 1 spot for the whole game, but OP can switch sides at half time, so that's pretty rare.

thanks for the house strobe insight! and no, i do not plan on bringing any PW's/triggers whatsoever.

i am assigned a box on the baseline next to the Spurs bench, but i was told i could easily go to the other baseline for the 2nd half.

i'm hoping i can shot inside the locker rooms pre-game.

John Photography wrote in post #9544838
i'm hoping i can shot inside the locker rooms pre-game.

That all depends on the staff. You can try asking but I wouldnt get your hopes up.

John Photography wrote in post #9544838
i figured the house strobes would be a long shot, but i've always wondered how they worked.

thanks for the house strobe insight! and no, i do not plan on bringing any PW's/triggers whatsoever.

Have been to one arena where they did use PW's Every thing was pre arranged so when I got there I was handed 2 PWs one for each body. What a trip to use the house strobes --- what a day !

Paul S wrote in post #9547095
Have been to one arena where they did use PW's Every thing was pre arranged so when I got there I was handed 2 PWs one for each body. What a trip to use the house strobes --- what a day !

PW's are pretty much an industry standard. People like SI use Flash Wizard systems but theyre total overkill for most everything (especially if youre just using them to control separate banks of lights which is something the PW Multi-Max system does QUITE easily). Flash Wizard systems are primarily used to sync multiple bodies to one set of strobes.

let me know what you guys think: https://photography-on-the.net …php?p=9570693#p​ost9570693

shot ambient with either 70-200 or 24-70. all hand held from the baseline.

it was a great experience and plan on doing it again. my goal is to cover the Lakers!

,,,