More hoops, here and there

On that hoop grind. Some photos from here and there:

DAILY SNAP: Pushing the limits

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: 1/640th of a second, f/2.8, ISO 10,000, 70mm

The story: Yep, ISO 10,000. That's the story. One of the dungeon-iest gyms in our coverage area, and it doesn't help that there's no light shining on faces when kids are up and looking at the hoop. That forces me into some serious compromising. Gotta do what you gotta do.

Why I like it: Honestly, this was probably the only one I was pleased with. I was shooting in an odd position because of the cheerleaders and the setup of the gym -- I was actually up on the auditorium stage, shooting from a couple of feet behind the hoop. So the 70-200 was really tight. Action right at the hoop was too close, too dark. This one was the perfect shot for me ... filled the frame, relatively sharp. There's actually some motion blur from shooting at 1/640th, and obviously lots of grain from shooting at ISO 10,000. But its good action, and also a cool background with the mascot pirate on the far wall.

Daily Snap: Posterized?

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 8000, 73mm

The story: Nothing quite like a contested high school dunk, right? It usually comes out of nowhere, and is followed by massive roar from the student section and crowd. It tends to becomes a great basketball memory for the season -- "Remember that dunk against Mapleton?"

Well, this one happened at something of an odd angle to me, but I got a great look at the defender's face.

Why I like it: Interesting narrative photo. Face of defender becomes the central point of the image, background becomes a secondary journey: players on the bench below, move from the Crestview (in white) player dunking, then the windows, banner and poster on the walls in the background. Nice moment.

Daily Snap: Big Ups

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 6400, 90mm

The story: Big time high school basketball game -- big rivalry game. Had to deal with early deadlines tonight, so I only got to shoot the first quarter-and-a-half. Managed to snap this one though.

Why I like it: Big and vertical and athletic. Fills the frame. Compact. This was actually shot horizontal with top of ball cut off, so I gave it a nice, tight crop. Sharp eyes.

Back to Basics

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/640th of a second, ISO 6400, 110mm (top) and 200mm (right)

So, I've been working on getting back to basics.

That means nailing a proper exposure, white balance and only tagging those tack-sharp photos.

Easy, right? Should be.

But the rigors of a photojournalist can wear on you. Earlier tonight was a great example. I had to get photos from two basketball games, 20 minutes apart, that began at the same time. That meant leaving the first game midway through the second quarter and arriving at the second game midway through the third quarter.

Horrific stuff. I was so worried about nailing any shot that I struggled getting any shot. You know those nights, right? You've got one eye on the clock going, "Come on, really?" And you've got nothing. No plays coming your way. No faces. Nothing sharp.

That's why the basics are so important ... when you do get a chance, you nail it. Like, take the top photo. Not great action by any means. But the white balance is dead on. Exposure is dead on. Face is tack sharp. Background is banged out of focus. I'll take it.

Second part of basics, and this one's more photojournalismy: If you don't want to miss it, get high. It's a hockey rule, but can be applied to most sports. Learned it firsthand from my chief PJ, Tom.

If you're on the floor, a big-time play can occur through a sea of people. It could occur right in front of you. It could occur anywhere. And you may or may not get it. But if you get high enough, you should be able to capture it anywhere on the playing surface. So when this game above got tight, I hiked up into the stands. Sure enough, this same player nailed a floater with 6 seconds left (picture at right). Had I been on the floor, this photo would have been a whole lot of hands and the backside of No. 10. in black and yellow. Up high, I got a pretty cool shot.

Oh, other thing. Don't be afraid to hike up ISO even higher than normal to hit your shutter speeds. I knew this rule in theory, but it has really crystallized since basketball has started. Even at 1/500th of a second, motion blur can ruin a good, sharp shot. I really like to be up around 1/800th, and in some cases (i.e. dungeons) at 1/640th. That usually means being up around ISO 6400 or 8000. Remember, you can always clean up noise, but you can't clean up motion blur.

Daily Snap: Like Mike

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 6400, 105mm

The story: High school boys basketball game. Pretty close quarters, so finding a good shot through all the traffic was tricky.

Why I like it: Great focus in the eyes, and the Jordan-esque tongue waggle makes it interesting. Always love to see the players skying above the bleachers in the background, too. HILLSDALE ADULTS.

Daily Snap: Upwards

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200 2.8L
Settings: f/2.8, 1/1000th of a second, ISO 6400, 70mm

The story: High school basketball season is fully kicked into gear. Definitely took me a few games to find my basketball rhythm. Still getting there, but feeling better about it.

Why I like it: This gym is one of the few where I actually have space to shoot with a 70-200mm from right behind the hoop. Love that spot. Great, sharp action coming right at me. That, to me, is the bread and butter of basketball. Big, vertical action that makes even high school players look like superheroes. Trouble, of course, is making sure to get faces -- not just elbows and chins. This was shot from kneeling, upright position.

Daily Snap: Fallin' and ballin'

Whoa. Sorry for the delay between posts. I'm the worst.

Gear: Canon 5D Mark III; Canon 70-200mm f/2.8
Settings: f/2.8, 1/800th of a second, ISO 5000, 200mm

The story: Loose ball in a college basketball game. That old sports photography rule ... If you can make one sport look like another, you've got a good picture. This has shades of football, even baseball. And it's different in particular because it's low and horizontal, while basketball tends to be high and vertical.

Why I like it: Sharp face. Concentration. Compact composition, and it's pretty dynamic. Interesting from edge to edge with the sneaker on the left, to the hand on the bottom right that hints at another player on the ground.