Dennis: I like the look of the remote on the stanchion. How do you secure it there? Do you you fire that every time you shoot or is it controlled separately?
Mike: It was amazing that you found an opportunity with Michigan in control of the ball. That was as ugly a UofM outing as I have seen in awhile. Like the shots though. That is pretty much what I do with my long lens too. At Ferris I will move up into the stands behind the basket (8-9 rows) and shoot down slightly. Cleans up the background.
Ben, it's held in place with one Magic Arm, one super clamp, a camera platform, and a set of safety cables and carabiners. I fire it via Pocket Wizard off my MkIV w/ 70-200 usually, and try to turn the PW off on my MkIV when the action is at the "wrong" end of the court so I don't get so many wasted images on the remote.
I get to game 3 hours before start. Overhead remote can't be put up if anyone is on court below, 3 hours usually gets me there when its clear. MSU has about 7 flight of stairs to get to catwalk (stairmaster) after I recover from heart attack, I then put up the camera clamped to Stanchion, probably takes a good hour to set up both, maybe a little more. All remotes must be up 90 minutes prior to game.
I tried a monopod once and because of the surface of the bottom of it combined with the floor it always seemed to slide out or sideways. I took it off my 200 2.0 with 1:4 converter and found it much easier to use handheld. As games went on I found myself really just using the 70-200 for downcourt (mainly halfcourt or just beyond) to 24-70 around the key and more recently just using my 24 1.4 if I'm right under the basket - great for wide court shots and action at the hoop... In the end its what works best for you and what you're comfortable with. You need to be able to switch cameras fast sometimes so that's another reason I just went to the 70-200 and either the 24-70 or 24 1.4...
Dennis,
I am not sure I follow your answer from my post below where you wrote "August lineup". However what amazed me was that you thought you were at this game Jan 25 vs Golden State. I then see you post later in this thread a shot of Nate Robinson from probably the same game. WHAT in my photo lead you to know which game it was, it feels like a magic trick to me?? ;-)
Dennis wrote- Guy, nope, nobody in this august lineup are members here, although if this is the game I think it is, I occupied the open spot during portions of the second half. Notice no monopods.
gschlact wrote:
Hey Dennis,
I love that shot, makes up for all the downcourt backside shots everyone was talking about.
I was at a game last month- I forgot to ask whether anyone in this shot was from our Sports Forum since I only know names not faces.
Guy
Guy, I just have a memory for this kind of stuff. The fellow second from the left isn't at too many games, and I sat next to him at the GS game (in the very spot that is vacant here), and the guy in the olive green shirt is also not there every night, and I know when I sat there he was to my right. See? Not magic - just a good memory. BTW, that shot of Robinson was taken from the remote camera located on the stanchion on that end of the court.
Some really nice remote shots. How are you guys focusing the camera for these shots; and if you are using manual focus, how far into the court is your focus point? I need to dial in what I am doing based on some of these photos posted here .
Robert, before the game, I have somebody (ball boy, security dude, fellow shooter) stand with his toes on the top of the no-charge arc then use Live View zoomed in on this person to manually focus. At f/4.0 and 24mm, I figure the depth of field goes from around 9 feet from the stanchion all the way past the free throw line. I gaffer the focus and zoom rings after setting things up to make sure they don't slip.
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