# 2019-20 Basketball.



## ronlane (Dec 19, 2019)

I decided to start one thread for basketball for the rest of the season instead of posting separate threads all the time. To start, these images are from this week.

It's a work in progress to move from Football to basketball. Keep on practicing.

1) Ever feel like you are always on the wrong side?


 

2) Just to show that he did make it.

 

3) That one image you take that is tack sharp but not the peak action or moment.


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## Jeff15 (Dec 19, 2019)

Good action shots........


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## ronlane (Dec 19, 2019)

Jeff15 said:


> Good action shots........



Thanks. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## tirediron (Dec 19, 2019)

Nice!


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## ronlane (Dec 19, 2019)

tirediron said:


> Nice!



Thanks John


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## ac12 (Dec 19, 2019)

#1  yup

High school basketball here has ONE jump ball in the game.  So I have ONE chance to get the jump ball shot.

I shot a 3 game series (Freshman, JV, Varsity).
Well, Murphy stopped by for a visit.
On two of the three jump balls, my teams used a lefty.
I had set up for a rightie.  So I got a great shot of the back of their head.  

With a 2-person team, I would have one photographer on each side of the court, so we could get the jump ball, no matter rightie or leftie.
But with only me, I take the greater odds of a rightie, and setup for a rightie.

In hind sight, I should have talked with the coach before the game, to find out if the jump ball player is a rightie or leftie.
Then I could set up on the correct side of the court.


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## Derrel (Dec 19, 2019)

Good luck this upcoming season my friend


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## ronlane (Dec 20, 2019)

ac12 said:


> #1  yup
> 
> High school basketball here has ONE jump ball in the game.  So I have ONE chance to get the jump ball shot.
> 
> ...



Same here with the jump ball. I got the second game one as the other teams player turned his head enough back over his shoulder to get it. (I'll try to post that tonight)



Derrel said:


> Good luck this upcoming season my friend



Thank you Derrel.


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## ac12 (Dec 22, 2019)

ac12 said:


> #1  yup
> 
> High school basketball here has ONE jump ball in the game.  So I have ONE chance to get the jump ball shot.
> 
> ...



Friday night, I took my own advice, and asked the coaches; rightie or leftie.
Rightie . . . and I got the jump ball shots.
The varsity coach also told me where the gal was going to try to flip the ball.


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## ronlane (Dec 29, 2019)

Hey @ac12, Here's a few opening tips from this last week. (I shot 8 games a day for 3 days in a row, yes, 24 total games).


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## ronlane (Dec 29, 2019)

Killing time during time outs and between games.


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## ronlane (Dec 29, 2019)

Took the 300mm with me to use during the tournament. Glad that I had it and was able to switch to it on this series.


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## ac12 (Dec 29, 2019)

ronlane said:


> Hey @ac12, Here's a few opening tips from this last week. (I shot 8 games a day for 3 days in a row, yes, 24 total games).
> 
> View attachment 184399 View attachment 184400
> 
> View attachment 184401 View attachment 184402



I like #1.

EIGHT games a day  
I'm worn out after a quad (4 games).
OK being flat footed and old does not help.


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## ac12 (Dec 29, 2019)

ronlane said:


> Took the 300mm with me to use during the tournament. Glad that I had it and was able to switch to it on this series.
> 
> View attachment 184405 View attachment 184406 View attachment 184407



I remember a game when one of the kids grabbed the rim, and a penalty was called on that.
I don't know what the rule is.

I usually don't bring the long lens into the gym, but these shots gives me some new ideas/angles to shoot.
Thanks


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## ronlane (Dec 29, 2019)

ac12 said:


> ronlane said:
> 
> 
> > Hey @ac12, Here's a few opening tips from this last week. (I shot 8 games a day for 3 days in a row, yes, 24 total games).
> ...



Thanks. Yeah I was at the gym about 8:30 am each morning and left at about 10:00 pm each night. Edited and uploaded images until after 12:00 am and then slept a few hours.

I am a little tired and sore today, so I sat and rested all day. Back to my day job tomorrow.


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## ac12 (Dec 30, 2019)

ronlane said:


> ac12 said:
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You get MORE than an "atta boy" for that gig.


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## smoke665 (Dec 30, 2019)

Dang Ron, that kind of schedule will make an old man of you in a hurry.


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## Derrel (Dec 30, 2019)

Back in the bad old days of the mid-1980s when I shot a few University of Oregon Basketball games at the Old Mac Court, which had absolutely atrocious lighting, the Oregonian's Steven Neil was seated right to my right on the Baseline and he had amazing and rare Nikon 200 mm F / 2... this was the old manual focus model with the internal focusing ring located mid Barrel, and it was super easy to focus. This lens did not use helical focusing, but instead used a small mid-formula Optical group to focus the lens with amazing rapidity and ease.

It was fairly common for the advanced professional shooters to use manual focus 300 mm f / 2.8 lenses to shoot action at the far end of the court, and to put that lens face down on the floor when the action came closer, and then to pick up another camera which had a much shorter lens on it, ranging from 24 mm to 135 mm, depending on what type of shot they were interested in. This was before the 70 to 200 F / 2.8 Zoom was even invented.  At that time about the fastest zoom lens available ,at any price, was the f/ 3.5  70 to 150 mm Series E from Nikon.  The very first Nikon 80- 200 millimeter F / 2.8 zoom lens was a (manual focusing lens) huge monster, about the size of a 2-liter bottle. Seriously. In those days the 300 F / 2.8 Prime was the shizz. The 300 F / 2.8 has a certain look that just screams out to viewers. I think it is an indispensable tool for anyone who wishes to shoot Sports inside modern arenas or on football fields, Etc


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## ronlane (Dec 31, 2019)

ac12 said:


> ronlane said:
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Thanks, it was worth it.



smoke665 said:


> Dang Ron, that kind of schedule will make an old man of you in a hurry.



IKR @smoke665. I was already old, luckily it ended Saturday night and I have all day Sunday to recover before going back to my day job.

I actually feel really good the last couple of days after doing that. Now, I haven't touched a camera or barely looked at any images since, but I'll bounce back to that in 2020.


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## ac12 (Dec 31, 2019)

ronlane said:


> Took the 300mm with me to use during the tournament. Glad that I had it and was able to switch to it on this series.
> 
> View attachment 184405 View attachment 184406 View attachment 184407



I tried the LONG shots today, full length of the court with a 4x zoom (12-100 on a m4/3 camera).  
I liked it, even though I had to be up at ISO 6400 to use the f/4 lens.
Thanks for the tip.


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## ronlane (Jan 11, 2020)

Well after the tournament, I haven't had any home games. Which is probably good but in the off time, I made a new acquisition. Used it last night for wrestling and just HAD to find some basketball to shoot. Luckily, a friend invited me up to shoot a couple of games in a tournament this evening.

So now I have to learn how to use this BEAST.  All images shot with a Canon 1Dx and 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM version II.

1) 123mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO6400


 

2) 123mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO8000



3) 200mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO6400

 

4) 150mm f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO6400


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## mnmcote (Jan 11, 2020)

ronlane said:


> Hey @ac12, Here's a few opening tips from this last week. (I shot 8 games a day for 3 days in a row, yes, 24 total games).
> 
> View attachment 184399 View attachment 184400
> 
> View attachment 184401 View attachment 184402


I'm still trying to perfect my timing for these shots... :")


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## ronlane (Jan 11, 2020)

mnmcote said:


> ronlane said:
> 
> 
> > Hey @ac12, Here's a few opening tips from this last week. (I shot 8 games a day for 3 days in a row, yes, 24 total games).
> ...



It's anticipation, reaction and frames per second. I am taking a lot more images now than I was even a year ago. Those first three images had at least 3-5 shots in the group to get those images.


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## ronlane (Jan 21, 2020)

Friday night the basketball teams were back home. Here are some images of them. All taken with a Canon 1Dx and a 70-200mm f/2.8L USM II.

1) 1/1000, f/2.8, 200mm, ISO 5000

 

2) 1/800, f/2.8, 123mm, ISO 5000

 

3) 1/800, f/2.8, 145mm, ISO 5000

 

4) 1/800, f/2.8, 102mm, ISO 5000

 

5) 1/800, f/2.8, 85mm, ISO 5000


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## Derrel (Jan 21, 2020)

1DX... moving up in the world. What an amazing machine.


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## ronlane (Jan 21, 2020)

Derrel said:


> 1DX... moving up in the world. What an amazing machine.



Yes Sir. It has been a year of upgrades and stepping up the game. I almost took my 1D mk IV and 5D mk III and some stuff I don't use to the local store to trade for another 1Dx, so I would have two tanks. But I really like the 5d3 and can take the grip off of it and lighten the load.


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## ac12 (Jan 21, 2020)

Ron, 
I gotta ask, HOW do you use a 70-200 at a basketball game?
For me, your shot #5 would be with a normal or slightly wide lens, not a short tele, a couple feet back of the end line, just to the right of the key.
Or, is there a LOT of space behind the end line?  It looks like a nice arena.


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## ac12 (Jan 21, 2020)

ronlane said:


> Well after the tournament, I haven't had any home games. Which is probably good but in the off time, I made a new acquisition. Used it last night for wrestling and just HAD to find some basketball to shoot. Luckily, a friend invited me up to shoot a couple of games in a tournament this evening.
> 
> So now I have to learn how to use this BEAST.  All images shot with a Canon 1Dx and 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM version II.
> 
> ...



I LIKE #3, with both of her feet off the floor.


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## ronlane (Jan 22, 2020)

ac12 said:


> Ron,
> I gotta ask, HOW do you use a 70-200 at a basketball game?
> For me, your shot #5 would be with a normal or slightly wide lens, not a short tele, a couple feet back of the end line, just to the right of the key.
> Or, is there a LOT of space behind the end line?  It looks like a nice arena.



I am on the baseline about 3-4 feet from the end line but I typically am out by the 3-point line to shoot. I have been shooting for MaxPreps this year and they want tight shots, and they suggest the 70-200mm, so that is what I am shooting with. I do on occasions use my 300mm with the 5D3 for shots on the other end of the floor, but again, I am looking to fill the frame with the player.



ac12 said:


> ronlane said:
> 
> 
> > Well after the tournament, I haven't had any home games. Which is probably good but in the off time, I made a new acquisition. Used it last night for wrestling and just HAD to find some basketball to shoot. Luckily, a friend invited me up to shoot a couple of games in a tournament this evening.
> ...



Thank you.


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## ac12 (Jan 22, 2020)

ronlane said:


> ac12 said:
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> > Ron,
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I should try that.
I usually shoot wide, then crop as needed for individual players.
My logic was I can always crop in post, but I can't get something that is not in the frame.  But I do loose IQ when I crop.

I find it easier to follow fast sometimes unpredictable action when I shoot a bit wide.
I need to up my skill to shoot tight.​And probably too many years of shooting the play, rather than individuals.  So my brain has been conditioned to shoot the play.
As you said MaxPreps (and parents), wants the individual, rather than the play.
There was a year when I was wondering WHY a parent was shooting a 70-200 on the volleyball court floor.    He was right next to the side line.  I finally figured out that, he was shooting HIS daughter, and did not care about the play or any of the rest of the team.​And the final problem, I have to leave room for the editors to crop the pic, as I rarely know the format of the layout where then will put the pic.
One year I shot basketball primarily in vertical format, which seemed natural to me.  Then the yearbook editor asked me to shoot in horizontal format.  huh   Turned out that the layout was all horizontal, and my vertical shots would not crop well into the horizontal layout.
However, when I shoot for the AD, I have freedom in the format, and I can shoot as tight as I want to.​


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## ronlane (Jan 22, 2020)

ac12 said:


> ronlane said:
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I understand what you mean. It is taking me some getting used to shoot tight and not get the entire body of a kid. But it is helping me learn and improve my images. There are times that I'd like to shoot some wide shots but they don't sell so I've learned to limit them.


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## mnmcote (Feb 1, 2020)

I use a zoom and a wide lens shooting basketball. I like to fill the frame when I'm hunting a particular athlete, trying to be mindful all the time of how I can edit and crop a finished shot. Many times, I'm just chasing the action... Depends on wether I'm shooting offense or defense too.. When I shoot wide, I like the perspective to appear as if I'm one of the athletes on the court. Sometimes, that takes some creative crop work.. :")


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## ac12 (Feb 1, 2020)

ronlane said:


> ac12 said:
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Ron,
For MaxPreps, the the shot have to be the "full frame," or can you crop before uploading?
I've done tight images, but almost always by cropping.


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## ronlane (Feb 1, 2020)

ac12 said:


> ronlane said:
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MP has a specific crop ratio that they use. They want you to shoot tight and fill the frame. I've just went to cropping all of my images to that ratio because it minimizes the cut for all print size. They want all images to be 3,000 x 2216, so I have set up a crop of 7.22 x 5.33 on LR and PS for it.


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## ac12 (Feb 2, 2020)

ronlane said:


> ac12 said:
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3 x 2.216 = 6.6MP
That is about 1/4 of a 24MP frame, so doable in a crop.


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## ronlane (Feb 3, 2020)

Honestly, I don't pay attention to how much it is. I just select that crop ratio and move it around to make the best composition and then move on to the next image.


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## ac12 (Feb 5, 2020)

Just got back from a BB game.
Shooting TIGHT, get some neat shots, but it was HARD.
The problem that I had was situational awareness for tracking fast moving action.  The tighter the zoom, the harder it is to track the fast moving action, especially when another player or the ref gets in the way.
I settled on this method:  zoom wide to track, zoom in to do the tight shot, then zoom back out again to track.
The problem with doing that is, the zoom ring has to be EASY to turn.  
Constantly working a stiff zoom ring was tiring and made holding the camera more difficult.​


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## ronlane (Feb 6, 2020)

Agreed, it is hard. But I like the challenge.


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## ronlane (Feb 6, 2020)

Tuesday night was my game this week. Not too many more left for me. All but the last one was with the 1Dx and the 70-200mm, the last was with the 5D mk III and the 300mm


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## ac12 (Feb 10, 2020)

ronlane said:


> Agreed, it is hard. But I like the challenge.



OK, I'm impressed.  
I am editing some basketball pics shot with the Tamron 35-150 on an APS-C camera.  I was able to get farther and tighter shots than I had before, with the shorter lenses.  Some of the far court and tighter shots are NEAT, and getting more of the face in the image is cool.  Much less cropping required.
Of course, there were a LOT of misses, but the good ones made up for all the misses.   Using a new lens and shooting tight, that was expected.

I think the players and parents are going to love some of the pics.
Thanks for the idea of shooting tight.

My other problem was using the unfamiliar Canon T7i.
I could not get consistent exposures, like I do with my Nikon D7200.  

Senior game on Friday.
My last basketball game of the season.  And it is a quad; JV+Var, boys+girls.  315 to almost 9pm    The old man is goina be tired and sore.


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## ronlane (Feb 10, 2020)

Nice @ac12, glad it helped. Yeah, the keeper rate will go down a lot with this method but all I've ever heard was about a 10% keeper rate is good. I can live with that myself.

Hope it goes well for you. I still have 2 home games left on the schedule but not sure if I am going to go or not.


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## ac12 (Feb 10, 2020)

ronlane said:


> Nice @ac12, glad it helped. Yeah, the keeper rate will go down a lot with this method but all I've ever heard was about a 10% keeper rate is good. I can live with that myself.
> 
> Hope it goes well for you. I still have 2 home games left on the schedule but not sure if I am going to go or not.



The first 10-15% of the cuts is easy, the goofs:  OOF usually focused on the background, ref ran in front of me, another player blocking my subject, arm up can't see the face, my foot, etc.
It's in the middle, when I start organizing by number that I realize most of the varsity shots are of the same 5 or 6 players 
If I do it right, this feeds back to the next game, were I TRY to get more shots of the other players.  The team is more than just those 6 players.​Then I have to cull by number, so I don't have 30 shots of one player.  How many free throw shots do I need of the same player?

In the end, I'm down to about 20%.  I would like to get it down to 10%, but cutting that last 10% is hard.

I have a higher keeper rate for games like soccer, where there are more active players.  So the keeper rate goes up just because of the number of players.


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