Shooting Hoops (one thing leads to another...)

11/02/2005 09:05:46 PM · #1

...the continuing chronicles of my freelancing...

a month or so ago [Sept '05], NASCAR came to richmond, and i was there covering it those three wonderful days. one image out of the 4500 i took really struck me because it was so out of place...i mean, i've seen VaTech and UNC sponsor cup cars, but don't recall seeing any other colleges, let alone a small, state school like William & Mary. so i got some shots of it and forwarded them on to the alumni office.

a few weeks ago, i covered the W&M homecoming football game for the Times-Dispatch, and managed to get a nice shot in the paper, which i also forwarded on to the alumni department.

well, last week, i got an email for the assistant director of alumni communications, wanting to know i would be available to come shoot a basketball game so that they could get some action shots of a hotshot freshman they were doing a piece on in the alumni magazine. i called him immediately and expressed interest. he asked what my rate would be. i responded, "what do you normally pay when you hire photographers." the rate he quoted me was fair, and i accepted it.

and boy-oh-boy, what a blast!! since it was an exhibition game with the University of Saskatchewan, there was hardly anyone there. i was completely free to roam about, without having to worry about getting in anyone else's way.

i used all three of my lenses (16-35, 24-70, and 70-200). all were shot in AV mode at iso400 and f/2.8. my shutter ranged between 1/160 and 1/320. flash was NOT allowed (although i noticed in the media guide that there were a lot of images shot with flash in other places--so, be sure to take your flash with you, and be sure to ask first.).

the single biggest mistake you can make in a situation like this is to park yourself in one spot and not move from it. maybe if you have a lot of experience with a particular sport or a particular venue, you might be able to get away with camping out somewhere the whole event, but you really risk missing out if you don't explore, looking for all the angles.

anyways, here's the one they ran in the magazine:

the bottom line: sharing your work with people who can hire you is not a bad idea. marketing doesn't have to painful or expensive. the key to success may be as simple as making sure people know you are available...

cheers,
skip

Message edited by author 2007-03-12 21:41:23.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

11/02/2005 11:36:57 PM · #2

anybody else shoot hoops, college or pro? or hs?

Ennil

Nikon D200

11/03/2005 01:47:01 AM · #3

Sport shots are fantasticaly fun (Hard too if you're indoors for a tennis or basketball match. Sometimes I have to use up to 1600 ISO.

How much did you get from these?

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

11/03/2005 04:14:52 AM · #4

Originally posted by Ennil:

How much did you get from these?

the 20D is absolutely amazing on noise reduction. at iso400, there is none at all. it's barely there at iso800, and it's been more than acceptable all the way up to iso3200.

even though i shot all these at iso400, i would most definitely try iso800 the next opportunity i get.

Ennil

Nikon D200

11/03/2005 04:27:48 AM · #5

Originally posted by skiprow:

Originally posted by Ennil:
How much did you get from these?

the 20D is absolutely amazing on noise reduction. at iso400, there is none at all. it's barely there at iso800, and it's been more than acceptable all the way up to iso3200.

even though i shot all these at iso400, i would most definitely try iso800 the next opportunity i get.

:P Nah I meant how much did they pay you?

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

11/03/2005 05:45:19 AM · #6

Originally posted by Ennil:

:P Nah I meant how much did they pay you?

i know that's what you meant ;-)

samtrundle

Canon EOS-50D

11/03/2005 06:30:03 AM · #7

Haven't shot hoops yet...kind of ironic seeing as it's the sport I play. But I did get to shoot all sorts of sports at the Australian University Games a month or so ago - was definately an interesting and challenging experience.

Go skip..

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

11/03/2005 08:06:56 AM · #8

Wow, thanks for posting, Skip! I think overall, I prefer the up close & personal shots. Like you said about ISO for next time, a little brighter would be better. Looking at these shots makes me want to buy a fancy camera & shoot basketball. I think the fun you had shooting came through in the photos. Another job well done, inspirational!

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

11/03/2005 10:36:15 AM · #9

thanks, sam, and damn, slippy, thanks for all the comments!

i am just so pissed that our internet connection was out from sunday until yesterday afternoon. i would have loved to have entered almost any of these in the shutter-speed challenge :(

Message edited by author 2007-03-12 21:41:57.

Jason

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

11/03/2005 10:46:00 AM · #10

Excellent story Skip. I'm so glad things are going well for you. You deserve it man, keep it up and don't stop letting us know what's going on.

I have not been on DPC for awhile but started visting again this week, it's good to see you here still and read about your sucesses.

jenesis

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

11/03/2005 11:17:48 AM · #11

I'm no basektball fan, but those are some really good shots Skip! Keep having fun. :-)

Brenb

Canon EOS-60D

11/03/2005 11:30:22 AM · #12

Great basketball shots, Skip. Bet they'll have a hard time choosing the ones to use. I love basketball and I'm a hugh Mavs fan. Hope jobs like this keep coming your way.

ace flyman

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

11/03/2005 11:46:29 AM · #13

Great action, I think its important to have the ball in the frame and cropped tight as poss. I shot highschool ball last year with my 300D, not so successful. Can't wait for this year....Again very well done.

coolhar

Canon PowerShot Pro 90 IS

11/03/2005 12:54:28 PM · #14

Great work as usual Skip. I think 534 is a super shot and would have been great for Shutter Speed.

I shot a lot of HS hoops last season. Learned a lot while having a blast and made a few connections. Most of the gyms at that level are absolute dungeons as far as lighting goes. Looks like the W&M gym is far better than what I'm used to. After seeing your shots I am hungry to get into some better lit venues to see what I can do with the lenses I didn't have last year. And I'm going to try getting down on the deck more. I love your low level, wide angle shots.

Jacko

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

11/03/2005 02:19:44 PM · #15

Wow! White men CAN jump

samtrundle

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

11/03/2005 06:51:50 PM · #16

Hehehe... I'm going to have to do a self portrait of myself dunking for you jacko...

White men can (occasionally jump) ...

and I'm the white-est dude ever.

soup

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

11/03/2005 06:58:52 PM · #17

nice work - the opportunity must have been quite exciting.

muckpond

Nikon D200

Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Diagonal Fisheye for Nikon

11/03/2005 07:54:04 PM · #18

very inspirational. thanks much for posting this. :)

Zoomdak

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

11/03/2005 08:51:19 PM · #19

Great read, thanks for sharing!

I actually shot a dunk constest last night, so I have a few b-ball shots to share myself.

Zoomdak

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

11/04/2005 03:39:20 AM · #20

dangit, I killed it!