Last BB---Using the 135 and 300

Last game of the season. A shooter from the opposing school wanted to learn about the strobes so I showed him how to set up the gear at his home gym, gave him the settings from the light meter, a PW, and let him fire away. I shot the coaches and some of the game. Since we shared the Alien Bees, we stepped on each when we tried to shoot the same action (ie there is a one second recharge time on the B800s and so we had a few times when the second shooter tried to fire the Bees when they weren't recharged).

Two good things. One, we didn't step on each other too much. Two, even though we were firing 4 Bees with only two Vagabond II units, there were two of us shooting, and we shot 3 games from 4:15 till 9:30, there was still plenty of charge left in the Vagabond IIs. That's impressive.

Here are some pics. The captures are just OK but the sharpness is good with those two lenses when I don't screw up!

The best part? The fellow I shot with got an image published by his local paper from this, the very first time he shot a game with the Bees. He was pumped!

1. My daughter's freshman BB coach with the 300 f/2.8 IS lens.
1/250, f/4.5, ISO 400 300mm

The lighting looks spot on. Well done. Got to love the Bees for stuff like this.

Just out of curiosity how did you have the AB800 set up. I shoot whit white lightnings for in home portraits. Maybe BB will be a new adventure.

Thanks

I like these shots. Are you bouncing from the ceiling as shadows are soft?

Awesome shots..

I love how the strobes make the colors and pics pop. I have only shot ambient, but am working toward getting some strobes so I can get shots like these.

Well done.

Nice Dr Z.. is that the first time you've shot in that gym in McPherson? Interesting place to shoot isnt it.

BrianMc3 wrote in post #9696994
Just out of curiosity how did you have the AB800 set up. I shoot whit white lightnings for in home portraits. Maybe BB will be a new adventure.

Thanks

bobbyz wrote in post #9697532
I like these shots. Are you bouncing from the ceiling as shadows are soft?

The aptly named "Roundhouse" is a circular gym with a hemispherical domed very white ceiling and a balcony that runs around the top of the seating area. The Bees were clamped on the railing of that balcony so I could bounce the light off the white ceiling at about a 45 degree angle toward the top of the key. When I say a 45 degree angle, I mean that I was shooting up at 45 and was also at a 45 degree angle to the long axis of the court. Brian, I use an 11 inch reflector and you can think of the bouncing effect as having a huge light box on the ceiling. One on each side of the court. That's why the light is so soft. As long as there is no funky colored paint on the ceiling, the colors will be good. You mentioned portraits and that's just how I treated the first photo in PP. Saturate the iris, whiten the whites of the eyes, bleach the teeth a bit, sharpen the eyes, patch tool for a few wrinkles, spot heal freckles, and some skin softening.

I ended up 2 2/3 stops over ambient.

liam5100 wrote in post #9697826
Nice Dr Z.. is that the first time you've shot in that gym in McPherson? Interesting place to shoot isnt it.

Bill,

Yes, it was my first time there. My McPherson friend said the ambient light was good and indeed it was, metering 1/1000 sec, f/2.8 and ISO 3200. There were no off-color bulbs and the white ceiling really helps. My plan was to shoot ambient but my friend (we met at a Valley vs McPherson football game last fall) had an older camera body that didn't handle high ISOs well and suggested I bring the lights. I'm glad I did for the skin tones. There were 4-5 photogs shooting ambient. There was a 200 f/2.0 there and one guy was shooting 2 bodies and a little video. It was senior night.

If I had known how close you can get to the baseline to shoot, I'd have taken something wider, but my goal was to get a few tight, sharp images, get shots of the coaches, help the McPherson guy, and be done with the season. The town really turned out to support the team.

Have you shot ambient here? How did it go? This had to be the best lit gym I've seen in the AVCTL division II.

Phil

Zivnuska wrote in post #9698927
The aptly named "Roundhouse" is a circular gym with a hemispherical domed very white ceiling and a balcony that runs around the top of the seating area. The Bees were clamped on the railing of that balcony so I could bounce the light off the white ceiling at about a 45 degree angle toward the top of the key. When I say a 45 degree angle, I mean that I was shooting up at 45 and was also at a 45 degree angle to the long axis of the court. Brian, I use an 11 inch reflector and you can think of the bouncing effect as having a huge light box on the ceiling. One on each side of the court. That's why the light is so soft. As long as there is no funky colored paint on the ceiling, the colors will be good. You mentioned portraits and that's just how I treated the first photo in PP. Saturate the iris, whiten the whites of the eyes, bleach the teeth a bit, sharpen the eyes, patch tool for a few wrinkles, spot heal freckles, and some skin softening.

I ended up 2 2/3 stops over ambient.

Bill,

Yes, it was my first time there. My McPherson friend said the ambient light was good and indeed it was, metering 1/1000 sec, f/2.8 and ISO 3200. There were no off-color bulbs and the white ceiling really helps. My plan was to shoot ambient but my friend (we met at a Valley vs McPherson football game last fall) had an older camera body that didn't handle high ISOs well and suggested I bring the lights. I'm glad I did for the skin tones. There were 4-5 photogs shooting ambient. There was a 200 f/2.0 there and one guy was shooting 2 bodies and a little video. It was senior night.

If I had known how close you can get to the baseline to shoot, I'd have taken something wider, but my goal was to get a few tight, sharp images, get shots of the coaches, help the McPherson guy, and be done with the season. The town really turned out to support the team.

Have you shot ambient here? How did it go? This had to be the best lit gym I've seen in the AVCTL division II.

Phil

Its a decent gym for sure, yes I've shot there a few times. A couple of the wichita gyms are pretty similar in lighting. I really like the new East High gym too. And you know me, its always ambient.

I love the fouth photo.

Great work on all of them.

Spectacular Phil. Lighting and WB are just insanely accurate. Good stuff as always and thanks for sharing. Really gives me something to shoot for next season!

dave

That last one of the kid dunking is hilarious. He is screaming!