Robert’s Photography Blog

The Philips Singapore Cup was held at the Indoor Stadium (Kallang) in Singapore Aug. 11-13, 2006. I was there courtside on Sunday with a press pass taking photos of the finals for a client. Yikes! No flash allowed, sodium and fluorescent lighting overhead, and blazing fast basketball action*. What to do? Here are some helpful tips if you have never photographed this fast-moving sport.

Tip #1: Bring a dSLR camera and good ‘glass’ (L-series zoom lenses or primes). Stick with lenses that have a maximum aperture of at least f/2.8 such as the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8. To freeze action in sports, you need a shutter speed of about 1/500 sec. Several of the standard Canon primes work well also; the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 and the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8, for example. If you can get next to the court, bring a wide angle lens and shoot crouching or lying on your stomach for an interesting perspective.

Tip #2: Shoot with the lens wide open or nearly wide open using Av or Tv mode. In the Indoor Stadium (Kallang), the Exposure Value (EV) on the floor was between 11 and 12. That means, to get 1/500 sec shutter speed at f/2.8 you need to go up to about ISO 1000. The wide aperture also helps to blur the background isolating the player from distracting surroundings. Use AI Servo mode or AI Focus mode (all focus points). You will find it difficult to catch a jump shot without focus tracking.

Tip #3: None of the white balance modes in the Canon EOS 30D can deal with stadium lighting. Using auto white balance, the photos have an ugly yellow cast. I recommend shooting in Canon raw format then correcting the white balance in raw conversion software such as Bibble Pro or equivalent. Also with raw files, you can correct exposure problems (+/-1 stop) and generate 16-bit TIFFs for high quality prints. Most of the newer Canon dSLRs allow you to capture a raw file together with a jpeg. I usually choose ‘raw + small/fine jpeg’. The small jpeg is useful for sorting and selecting images as well as for quick edits.

Tip #4: Use monopod or tripod. If you are stuck in the stands, you can bring a light weight tripod and set it up in front of you. If you have access to the floor, consider using a monopod. The monopod not only steadies the camera but also helps reduce fatigue without reducing mobility. The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS is my favorite lens for shooting badminton. It comes with a nifty tripod ring that balances the camera and lens perfectly on a monopod. My favorite monopod is the Gitzo MonoTrek carbon fiber monopod mounted a Bogen (Manfrotto) Mini Ballhead.

The example shown above is a photo of Carlos Delfino (Argentina) trying to wrestle the ball away from Felipe Reyes (Spain) while Emanuel (Manu) Ginobili (Argentina) looks on in the final game of series - Spain vs Argentina (87:66). A great action photo (jump) taken with a Canon EOS 30D and a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 lens at 22mm, 1/320 sec, ISO 1000, and f/4.

*According to Wikipedia - Since its invention in 1891, Basketball has developed to become a truly international sport. Organized league play originated in the YMCA and early leagues were formed in colleges. Basketball eventually became a professional sport and is one of the few women’s sports which developed in tandem with men’s. Even though it was originally an American sport, it quickly spread internationally and outstanding players and teams are found today all over the world.