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.