On the 31st I had another chance to shoot the Detroit Pistons in action. I also had the pleasure of seeing James Harden’s first game of the year with the Houston Rockets. Yes the Pistons lost, but it was a fun game. I did not have use of a set of strobes for this game unfortunately. I shot using available light, my settings were approximately F2.8  400/s  iso 1600  for the duration of the game. I did change my setting a few times to shoot action in the crowd or other things, but for the action on the court that is what I used. I was using a Canon 40d with a 24-70 F2.8 and a Canon 50d with a 70-200 F2.8 Other than the Pistons losing, and not playing great, the game was a blast. I need to come up with a better plan on when to switch bodies in order to maximize the quality of the shots I am getting. The 70-200 on my crop bodies is too long once the players reach the free throw line. Thats when I picked up the

24-70 and started shooting. I just need to anticipate the body change before I need to switch. It seems simple enough, but the players movements are somewhat upredictable, and shooting with two cameras isn’t easy in the first place. Some of the other photo journalists are using camera 3 bodies, one with either a 300 or 400mm lens, one with a 70-200, and either a fixed 50 or a 24-70 range lens. I need to get used to shooting with two cameras let alone three. But it is interesting to see how other photographers work in the field. There was a bug showing of photographers from the Houston area at the game, and I overheard some of the sports writers saying that the debut of James Harden on the Houston Rockets actually drew quite a few fans to the Palace that night. I did in fact notice myself that there were quite a few Rockets fans in the stands during the game. Shooting with available light is ok when you can shoot at a decent iso, and not have too much noise.

The 40d and the 50d do ok when it comes to this. I would really like to get a hold of a 5d mk ii. I have seen the iso performance of the 5d mk ii and it is amazing. I have not had a chance to use a 5d mk iii yet, but for me, the 5d mk ii is coming down in price because of the introduction of the 5d iii, so on my tight budget I will be seeking the older model for now.

It looks like I will be able to attend the home games this year and function as an assistant photographer for the official photographer for the Pistons. I am still in training, and learning a lot. I am just grateful for the opportunity. I am looking forward to the next game. The pistons are on the road for the next two weeks so I will be anticipating the next game for a while.

Because I did not have use of the strobes, and the NBA does not accept photos without the use of strobes, none of my images from this game were transmitted to the NBA. If any of my images are transmitted to the NBA, I cannot post them. So I suppose I should enjoy posting them while I can.

If you would like to view the entire game, you can view the photos at http://briansevald.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/Detroit-Pistons-vs-Houston/26288927_2MpgCm#!i=2189512463&k=5gzdLWZ

You can also purchase prints or digital downloads of the photos via the link.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day.
Brian Sevald
Photographer
Royal Oak, Mi