Built in strobes at Staples Center?

[Bad Andy]

Hello to everybody. Last week I was at a King's Hockey game at Staples Center in downtown LA. I noticed the "staff" photographers who were ring side at the ports in the glass by the rink, all had a transmitter device (Cyber Sync?) on their camera bodies.

In the ceiling of Staples were about 8 banks of 6 lights each. I would notice at times that 1 light from each bank would fire. At different times, a different one of the 6 would fire from each bank. They were powerful enough to illuminate the entire Staples Center.

Where these built in lights designed for the press corp that works the venue? I imagine they also are there and work for Lakers and Clippers games too.

Anyone seen anything like this before?

Thanks for helping me solve my curiosity.

-Andy

 

[clbd39]

Yup, you're right, they're built in and they're sent by the photogs

In my town the local newspaper has their own set around our University's arena

 

[Bad Andy]

Thanks.

Pretty great idea to incorporate it into the building for the press.

I know they don't allow (D)SLR's at Staples, but if I was able to sneak one in, I wonder how hard it would be to "hi-jack" the correct frequency to fire one that isn't being used as much. Not saying I would, but just wondering how easy or difficult this might be...

 

[SushiWarrior]

I just saw the same at a local arena. It was surprisingly powerful. I presume the device you speak of is a Pocket Wizard?

 

[Village Idiot]

Thanks.

Pretty great idea to incorporate it into the building for the press.

I know they don't allow (D)SLR's at Staples, but if I was able to sneak one in, I wonder how hard it would be to "hi-jack" the correct frequency to fire one that isn't being used as much. Not saying I would, but just wondering how easy or difficult this might be...

Find the device they're using and shoot away. It's probably a pocket wizard. For good fun, just take a PW unit in by it's self and sit there firing it off over and over again and watch everybody freak out. :mrgreen:

 

[Big Mike]

This is pretty much standard for pro sports shooters these days.

I'd also guess they they were using a Pocket Wizard to fire the strobes...but I don't recommend trying to hi-jack them with your own PW. The lights can only recycle so fast, so if you are triggering it, it might cause the pro to miss his shot. You certainly wouldn't want some jack-ass showing up at your workplace and f-ing with you like that.

As mentioned, this is probably standard for most pro arenas....but most of the crowd never notices. Now that you know it's there...the trick will be trying to forget it, so that you can watch a game. When you are expecting to see some flashes from the ceiling....you tend to see a lot of them, which can be fairly distracting.

 

[IgsEMT]

Find the device they're using and shoot away. It's probably a pocket wizard. For good fun, just take a PW unit in by it's self and sit there firing it off over and over again and watch everybody freak out. :mrgreen:

youuu tooo ?
I actually did something similar... went to a wedding as a guest few months ago, photographer was using Nikon's CLS. Earlier that day I was shooting my kid and didn't exit MASTER mode. So when I yanked the flash on my camera and started shooting my wife and kid, photographer was going NuuuuuuuuuuuuTTs. It was kind of funny for a while

 

[Village Idiot]

This is pretty much standard for pro sports shooters these days.

I'd also guess they they were using a Pocket Wizard to fire the strobes...but I don't recommend trying to hi-jack them with your own PW. The lights can only recycle so fast, so if you are triggering it, it might cause the pro to miss his shot. You certainly wouldn't want some jack-ass showing up at your workplace and f-ing with you like that.

As mentioned, this is probably standard for most pro arenas....but most of the crowd never notices. Now that you know it's there...the trick will be trying to forget it, so that you can watch a game. When you are expecting to see some flashes from the ceiling....you tend to see a lot of them, which can be fairly distracting.

There's a photo place in the malls around my area called "The Picture People". One very well know jackass was using his Pocket Wizard to creat mayhem in one of their stores one day.

And regardless of the recycle time, you could probably fire it before it was completely recycled.

 

[bhphotography]

Normally they use pocket wizards to trigger them.