A few more HS BBall with the 7D / 85mm f/1.8

Last ones, I promise! Home gym, 7D - 85mm f/1.8 (at f/2) - 1/640 - ISO 2500. No NR, just processing using Canon DPP:

1) To the rack for two:

Love the captures. Nice stuff.

Your shots are looking great to me Dave.

43 North wrote in post #9613453
Your shots are looking great to me Dave.

Thanks Mike! Centerpoint Expanded seems to be doing the job. Also, got a direct line to a tech at Canon to discuss my focus issues using centerpoint only. Hopefully, I'll hear back from her soon. Keep you posted on that issue.

dave

Are you over exposing a third stop?

At that venue, it will take better light (supplemental) to get better skin tones.

CoonCreek wrote in post #9613574
Are you over exposing a third stop?

It's possible. The light at the end for shots 1 and 2 is better than the end on 3 and 4. Look at the BG on pic #1. See the a 30' high faded red screen that cordons off the rest of the gym from the actual playing court? It usually casts a red hue on the players' white uniforms at that end, and leaves 'em rather washed out a bit on the better lit end.

Plus, I usally desaturate one click in DPP to compensate for the uneven WB given the difference between light and the big red screen at the other end.

The other 7D shots I posted last week were in a near-new gym with perfect even light. The WB and color saturation were perfect in that set of pics. Even then, I tend to desaturate a bit because it makes sense to me for some reason!

dave

Zivnuska wrote in post #9613639
At that venue, it will take better light (supplemental) to get better skin tones.

Exactly Phil. What you see in the BG of shot #2 is pretty nice color. This is a pretty old gym in a school built in the late 60s or early 70s, IIRC.

I guess I could sit there with my head down worried about the camera's settings the whole night or shoot the game. This being the home team's gym, I setup the camera to f/2.0, ISO 2500 and 1/640 because it works best. Any processing on the shots is simply done in DPP.

When you shoot ambient, getting what you get comes along with the territory! If I decide to shoot next year, I'll pick your brain for help on supplemental light. Your shots are just freaking incredible! Love 'em. Keep 'em coming!

Just do me one favor ... don't show them to any of the kids I'm shooting!!! They'll expect a LOT more than I can give them right now!

dave

snyderman wrote in post #9613744
It's possible. The light at the end for shots 1 and 2 is better than the end on 3 and 4. Look at the BG on pic #1. See the a 30' high faded red screen that cordons off the rest of the gym from the actual playing court? It usually casts a red hue on the players' white uniforms at that end, and leaves 'em rather washed out a bit on the better lit end.

Plus, I usally desaturate one click in DPP to compensate for the uneven WB given the difference between light and the big red screen at the other end.

The other 7D shots I posted last week were in a near-new gym with perfect even light. The WB and color saturation were perfect in that set of pics. Even then, I tend to desaturate a bit because it makes sense to me for some reason!

dave

Thanks for the reply, makes perfect sense. Almost every gym I shoot is a maze of different lighting from one end to the other.

snyderman wrote in post #9613775
Exactly Phil. What you see in the BG of shot #2 is pretty nice color. This is a pretty old gym in a school built in the late 60s or early 70s, IIRC.

I guess I could sit there with my head down worried about the camera's settings the whole night or shoot the game. This being the home team's gym, I setup the camera to f/2.0, ISO 2500 and 1/640 because it works best. Any processing on the shots is simply done in DPP.

When you shoot ambient, getting what you get comes along with the territory! If I decide to shoot next year, I'll pick your brain for help on supplemental light. Your shots are just freaking incredible! Love 'em. Keep 'em coming!

Just do me one favor ... don't show them to any of the kids I'm shooting!!! They'll expect a LOT more than I can give them right now!

dave

I hear you.........whenever I start feeling fairly good about my sports photography I just need to look at Phil (and some others) shots to bring me back to earth and realize that I've got a long way to go. I'd love to make the two hour drive to watch Phil set up his strobes some evening but I'm afraid it would end up costing me a whole lot more than just the gas money! But my pic's would benefit greatly.

CoonCreek wrote in post #9614015
I hear you.........whenever I start feeling fairly good about my sports photography I just need to look at Phil (and some others) shots to bring me back to earth and realize that I've got a long way to go. I'd love to make the two hour drive to watch Phil set up his strobes some evening but I'm afraid it would end up costing me a whole lot more than just the gas money! But my pic's would benefit greatly.

Agree. Phil has the whole gym lighting thing completely dialed in. What I would worry about most is only getting one crack at a shot. I'm afraid I'd miss most of my intended action shots given the recycle time of the lights.

dave

Would you go away with your 7D? I'm jealous now. - only joking snyderman - excellent pics again.
All these perfect pics from your 7D and mines still in sick bay somewhere in Canon wonderland.
Looking forward more than ever to getting it back, hopefully in working order, so that I can try and emulate what you've achieved.

Red Dog wrote in post #9615775
Would you go away with your 7D? I'm jealous now. - only joking snyderman - excellent pics again.
All these perfect pics from your 7D and mines still in sick bay somewhere in Canon wonderland.
Looking forward more than ever to getting it back, hopefully in working order, so that I can try and emulate what you've achieved.

Sorry! And yeah, that's about enough of the ambient light bball pics anyway.

What is yours in for? I just got an inside contact at Canon and have contacted her about my centerpoint only focus issues. Did some explaining of the issue and sent some pics. Long story short, I may be giving mine up to Canon after basketball season concludes in couple of weeks.

Here's hoping yours comes back in perfect shooting condition!

dave

I am viewing these on a laptop, but the skintones seem off to me. Very Cool. When I put the eyedropper on the white uniform, it shows more blue. Am I wrong?

Dave, its been great watching your progression. These look very nice. A touch cool to me (and I tend to prefer on the coolish side) but I wouldn't say its extreme by any means. Face looks a little soft on #4 (although my eyes suck so keep that in mind), otherwise, great job nailing these at f2...not easy to do.