 Tara Warren |
Youth Basketball Photos My first professional assignment is taking photos for a youth basketball league (still shots, individual and team). I'm using a Nikon D70s with a 18-70mm lens and the built-in flash. What equipment do I need to avoid the green tint in the pictures? Do I need to purchase a flash, perhaps the 800? I have also purchased 250-watt lights w/clamps... will these be handy? Should I use a backdrop?
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BetterPhoto Member |
I always prefer a flash to floodlights. As for the built-in flash, I suggest a dedicated flash. I'm not familiar with the 800, but I suggest a flash that will have an auto range of at least four feet. Another thing you may want to think about is a slightly longer lens, maybe a 70-210mm zoom. I do my best portrait work with a 135mm prime lens. If you use a flash, you won't need to worry about the natural lighting. If you use natural lighting, you will need a correctional filter. When working with indoor lighting, I always use a flash. I have a Promaster 5750DX that I mount on a grip using a dedicated cord and module. This system works very well (for me) in theaters and sporting events. When shooting portraits, I add a Lumiquest Promax bounce card system to further help in the reduction of red eye. Backdrops are a good idea. I usually use a painted muslin backdrop. I hope I've helped a little. Have fun and keep shooting.
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robert G. Fately |
Tara, the most important issue about the lighting is the control you have over something you bring as opposed to being limited to whatever way the light and shadows fall from the gym lights. You ask about the green tint - which, of course, is due to the typical cast of fluorescent or mercury vapor lights (probably the latter in the gym). Since you have a digital camera, you could correct for this tint using the white balance feature in one of two ways: 1) Take your first "picture' of a neutral gray card - or better still, a card with pure white, black and gray on it - and use that as a reference shot in post processing to correct the colors later. This process amounts to you "teaching" the post-processing software (Photoshop, et al) what is white, gray and black (using the eyedropper tool) and letting it then correct the whole range of images. 2) Use an Expodisc and the custom white balance function of the camera to set white balance before taking any photos in the first place. That said, it is still advantageous for you to "bring your own lighting" rather than rely on the positions of the existing lights. If you arrange your lighting such that your flash (or lamps) provide most of the illumination, then the gym's light's colors will be subdued. But since flash and tungsten lights have different color temperatures themselves, (flash is daylight balanced, continuous tungsten floodlights are warmer at about 3400 degrees K), you may not want to use both at the same time. When you need portability or are concerned with heat build-up, flash is usually a better approach. But in a large room where the lights probably won't make everyone feel like a baking cookie, the floodlights might be a better choice since you can position a few of them around rather than rely on a single light source. I mean, the SB800 is an excellent unit, but for your purposes here perhaps the lamps would be a better choice.
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Devon McCarroll |
Tara, I have a D70 with an SB-600 speedlight, and just did my first test shots under flourescent lighting for a grocery store grand opening. There's a really great little set of flash filters you can get for Nikon speedlights (at bhphotovideo.com, search Nikon SJ-1) which is only about $20. You put the flourescent filter on your speedlight and set your white balance to flourescent. That way the subject(s) illuminated by your flash are correctly exposed, as well as the background. Works great! Devon
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Chuck Almarez |
Good advice from those above. Since I specialize in team photos (since 1994) I'll tell you what I do since you already have options to select from. I use a set of two strobes off of one battery pack: one as a main light with umbrella, the second as a highlight, behind and to one side. This light has a grid over the reflecor to control the light spill. I use Lumedyne strobes because of the battery or AC option, but any model would probably work equally well. I use the AC adaptor inside whenever possible, but look forward to baseball season when you are shooting outside and need the flexibility of battery power. I use a Canon 20D with the 17-85 lens. I've also used a Canon 28-105. Not much difference in terms of perspective. A longer lens will let you get better portrait perspective and less depth of field (a good thing when you want to soft focus the background. But with a longer lens you'll need to be farther away from your subject and I like to pose and interact with each of the kids so the closer I am to the camera, the better . . . Chuck
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Victor J. |
Tara: I'm assuming a group shot here. Why not go to the location where the pictures are going to be taken and with the lighting you will be using take some practise shots. Include some people in the picture. Know how many students are on the team and know how you are going to pose them. First row sitting with legs crossed, second row kneeling, third row standing. Have half of the group facing toward center from the left side,the same thing with the other side. Have coach on one side and asst coach on the other side. Make certain in advance how much space they will taking up when situated, so that you will lknow where you will be standing. I would recommend a tripod so that you can leave the camera and correct some of the posing. Take several shots of each pose. Good luck Vic
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Courtney Lawyer |
Hello everyone! I actually have an add-on question to this question. Does anyone have pose examples for basketball individuals? I'm going to be doing some in a week or two and I've never done them before and don't know what would be best. also- I have one external flash unit. Is that enough? thanks! you can reply here or e-mail me at photosbycourtney@sbcglobal.net -Courtney
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Tara Warren |
Thank you all for your advice!!! I am so overwhelmed. I just purchased the sb800 flash. I am hoping this will be sufficient without the flood lights. I have taken some practice shots and I think with some PrintShop editing my photos will be fine. However, I am still wondering if my lens is going to work for this job. The 70-210mm zoom was recommended however I would like to use what I have if it will do the job. I'm using the 18-70mm. I'm concerned that it won't get a close enough shot of the faces.
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Eira Jeremy |
It's important to consider the lighting conditions and the potential for a green tint in the photos. Using additional lighting equipment and a suitable backdrop can help improve the overall photo quality. As for the flash, it's worth considering whether the built-in flash or an external flash like the 800 would be more effective in achieving the desired results. Additionally, experimenting with different settings and equipment configurations at my location may provide valuable insights for capturing high-quality photos.
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Personally Convention |
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Alice Bobby |
It's crucial spend elon musk money to take into account the lighting and the possibility of a green tint in the pictures. A good backdrop and extra lighting equipment can assist raise the overall quality of the picture.
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Coby Brian |
To avoid the green tint in your photos, you'll want to adjust the white balance settings on your Nikon D70s. Experiment with different presets like tungsten or fluorescent to find the one that best matches the lighting conditions of the gym. While the built-in flash can work, investing in an external flash like the Nikon SB-800 can provide more control and better lighting. The 250-watt lights could be useful for additional lighting, especially if the gym lighting is poor. Using a backdrop can enhance the professionalism of your photos, but it's not always necessary for individual or team shots in a gym setting.
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