The local HS baseball team slipped into the state tournament as the last seed. Been at least 10 years since any team had been near state. Folks aren't quite sure how to react.
My problem. In the dusty little towns/schools where I shoot 98% of the time not a single ball field has lights. All baseball (and softball) games are played in daylight, thus I've never shot baseball under lights. Football yes, but very difficult due to how poor all the fields are lit around here.
The playing field is one of several constructed in the last 5 years to entice major league teams to do spring training in the Phoenix area. This one in particular is the Goodyear complex. I don't know which MLB team uses it (Mariners I've been told), but it is active in the spring.
Added to this is there will likely be a designated press area though I don't know where. In my normal work the rules are "stay out of the play and don't whine if you get hit" so I have open access to both baselines.
Normally (in daylight) I work with a 70-200 f/2.8 and a 300mm f/4.0 (no budget for the f/2.8) and a 1DIV. I suppose I can just put everything in the car that might be useful and go. I'll be in early but there is an earlier game that likely won't be under the lights.
Anybody with a strategy more sophisticated than my current "take everything, get there early, and hope" would be greatly appreciated.
I think a park with lighting for MLB baseball (even spring training ball) you should be ok with the gear you have. The 300 might be a bit slow, but you should be ok with the higher ISO of the IV. I would assume you will have real photo wells to shoot from on both 1st and 3rd sides, maybe even on both sides of the dugout. I would offer more, but I do not know anyone who has shot Red's or Indian's spring training there.
What exactly are you asking? How to shoot under the lights and what gear to use? If so, it should be just like football with the backgrounds darker than the subject. Use hoods, and take what you normally use to shoot. It's not going to be that different, just a different arena. If it's used by a big team, it should have pretty good lighting. Take a few test shots and zone in the exposure.
Thanks guys. Never even sniffed the big time. Should be interesting. I'm gong to assume I can use the 300mm f/4.0 and higher ISO and work mostly with the 70-200. I'll take along the 135mm f/2.0 if it is too dark, though I doubt it will be that much of a problem.
Gome most of the football fields I shoot are so poorly lit that at ISO 25600 and f/2.8 I'm 1-2 stops dark. Hard to get good shots much of the time.
Our local fields have normal lights. Nothing great, but certainly not terrible. I find I have to shoot about 1/640th at f3.2 and 5000-6000 ISO. Shooting under the lights is easier IMHO because you won't have big swings in the light power - at least in the infield - at most fields. There is no super harsh sunlight to have to deal with - just the noise from the high ISO range.
mkchang wrote:
For a game this big I would rent a 400 2.8
Michael I would agree that a game of that magnitude needs a proper lens. However knowing how long it took me to get used to shooting and handling my 400MM F2.8 I'm not sure "renting" it for one game would do more then frustrate a new user, and with a game this big on the line, I'd rather be comfortable in my own clothes, then out trying to be shooting with something I'm not comfortable handling.
