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...
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 :(
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.
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.
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.
