First Basketball Game

Andrea K · Feb 5, 2009

So this is my first attempt at sports photography. Let me know what you think!

Thanks for looking!

Hooligan Dan · Feb 5, 2009

All you need to do is tighten up the crops and you have some great shots. By the looks you were shooting with the WB on Florescent because the shots are tinging one magenta. That's an easy fix though.

Good job!

EDIT: Not that it reflects negatively on your shots at all, but dang, that team needs to work on their promotions a bit. That arena is as empty as it gets.

Prophet · Feb 6, 2009

Seems you may have needed just a tad faster on the shutter. What ISO/f-stop/shutter were you using?

-JD-

Jim Stafford · Feb 6, 2009

Pretty good, I agree a little more crop would help. I'm suprised by the short focal length. I would have had a longer lens on but I guess it does look like you were right on the baseline.

Andrea K · Feb 6, 2009

for most of the shots i was at 1600iso, f3.5/4 (i was using shutter priority), and i was going back and forth between 1/200, 1/250, and 1/320. i wasn't sure if 1/200 would stop the action so i switched to the faster shutter speeds but then i had to zoom out to get the larger aperture. i was right on the baseline and was shooting at 20mm. i haven't edited the photos at all with the exception of neatimage to get rid of the noise which is perhaps why the photos don't look as crisp? i've never used a noise reduction program before so this was my first start at that as well. i may go in later and try to crop some of them to see what comes of it, but i dont really have the knack for editing.

gsgary · Feb 6, 2009

Andrea K said:
for most of the shots i was at 1600iso, f3.5/4 (i was using shutter priority), and i was going back and forth between 1/200, 1/250, and 1/320. i wasn't sure if 1/200 would stop the action so i switched to the faster shutter speeds but then i had to zoom out to get the larger aperture. i was right on the baseline and was shooting at 20mm. i haven't edited the photos at all with the exception of neatimage to get rid of the noise which is perhaps why the photos don't look as crisp? i've never used a noise reduction program before so this was my first start at that as well. i may go in later and try to crop some of them to see what comes of it, but i dont really have the knack for editing.

Use aperture priority for action you will always get the fastest s/s for your given aperture, on Shutter priority your lens may not be able to adjust aperture for correct exposure

jmthompson · Feb 6, 2009

These look really good for your first basketball game! When I am shooting any fast-paced indoor sports, I don't go below a speed of 1/250. I find anything slower than that will give motion blur. I just set my speed at 1/250, and then adjust my ISO accordingly. I shoot with a 50mm 1.8 lens, which works great if you can be right under the basket, which it looks like you were. I also have a 70-200 f/2.8L IS lens, but for basketball, I prefer the 50mm for the most part. I will use the 70-200 once in a while in the brighter gyms if I want to sit on the edge of the stands or shoot from a catwalk for a bit, but it is too heavy to shoot several games with! I also run everything through Neat Image, and use the "remove noise and sharpen" setting, but then don't do any additional sharpening in Photoshop.
Here are a couple samples shot at ISO-1250.

I love shooting the little guys...they are so intense!!!

I also shoot everything either kneeling or squatting down, as I find getting down as close to the floor as possible gives a much more pleasing perspective in the image, but it looks like you were already doing that. That is especially important when shooting the peewee players!

Those are just a couple tips that I find work for me, and I thought they might help!

TUX424 · Feb 6, 2009

Hooligan Dan said:
All you need to do is tighten up the crops and you have some great shots. By the looks you were shooting with the WB on Florescent because the shots are tinging one magenta. That's an easy fix though.

Good job!

EDIT: Not that it reflects negatively on your shots at all, but dang, that team needs to work on their promotions a bit. That arena is as empty as it gets.

I was thinking the same thing i thought that it was practice game.
Ill throw up some of my good shots from the season at the end of the season.

Andrea K · Feb 6, 2009

haha it was not a practice...no one really goes to the women's games.

i just bought a 50mm f1.8 today so i'm pretty excited and if i get another chance to shoot at a game i'll definitely have a faster lens and won't have to worry so much about a low shutter speed.

TUX424 · Feb 7, 2009

Andrea K said:
haha it was not a practice...no one really goes to the women's games.

i just bought a 50mm f1.8 today so i'm pretty excited and if i get another chance to shoot at a game i'll definitely have a faster lens and won't have to worry so much about a low shutter speed.

I love shooting on the 50mm f/1.8 it really does a good job to help get some of that lower lighting that fills the gyms.
Planing on getting a Nikon 85mm f/1.8 for next season but i could use some peoples help with deciding here.

Ejazzle · Feb 7, 2009

is that girls or guys basketball?

the pictures looked good for your first time. The more you shoot, the better your shots will get. One thing to watch out for is cutting out the feet. You only did a couple of times though. All around i would say great job!