Eagle Bank Arena – Learn to shoot like a pro

George Mason vs Saint Louis Men’s Basketball

January 16, 2017January 31, 2017Leave a comment

Michael wanted to experience a basketball game from a photographer’s point of view after spending a couple of years working for a women’s team as a manager. Having a bit of photo equipment, he decided to use his camera and a couple of lenses and have some fun.

This is a great example of how using a slow lens (f/5.6) and a cropped sensor camera affects the quality of your photos. Because the lens is not allowing as much light to enter, Michael had to compensate by bumping up the ISO to 6400 and dropping his shutter speed. This created images with motion blur and a high level of noise.

George Mason vs Saint Louis Men’s Basketball

George Mason vs George Washington Women’s Basketball

January 12, 2017January 31, 2017Leave a comment

Jenni recently graduated from high school and is looking to improve on the sports photography skills she learned while in school. She wanted to play with alternative angles, so she grabbed a 300mm lens and headed up the the concourse level to shoot. It’s a great vantage point for basketball and she made the most of her opportunity.

She had a blast shooting the game and is interested in covering more games with DC Sports Photography Academy.

George Mason vs George Washington Women’s Basketball

January 12, 2017January 31, 2017Leave a comment

Bill decided to take a long break between games but his photos show that he didn’t miss a beat. It’s a great mixture of loose and tight shots for both teams.

I hope had a great time with DC Sports Photography Academy and I’d love to see him out on the sidelines again sometime soon.

George Mason vs George Washington Women’s Basketball

George Mason vs VCU Men’s Basketball

January 2, 2017January 31, 2017

For his final game, Charles took on the virtual role of VCU’s team photographer assigned to cover just the team. With having to concentrate on just half of the players on the court he was able to get a few more details that would have otherwise escaped him.

He seems to have grasped to concept of shooting sports fairly well in a short while. Only time will tell if he decides to continue with sports or will stick to what he knows best.

George Mason vs VCU Men’s Basketball

George Mason vs St. Joseph’s Women’s Basketball

January 2, 2017January 31, 2017

Bill’s second game showed a huge improvement over his first outing and it shows in his photos. As he got more comfortable with the speed of the game and his camera skills improved, his photos started to look better and better.

Most photographers will start to see more details during the game as their experience grows and most say the game tends to slow down making it easier to photograph the action.

With one more game left, let’s see if Bill can pull it all together to make a truly great gallery.

George Mason vs St. Joseph’s Women’s Basketball

George Mason vs Duquesne Women’s Basketball

January 2, 2017January 31, 2017

With a daughter that plays youth basketball, Bill wanted to improve his skills so he could take better photos at her games. College women’s basketball is the perfect way to enhance his skills since the game is much faster than what he would encounter at a girl’s game.

As with most new photographers, getting proper focus is difficult at first. The depth of field on a full frame camera combined with a large aperture and high shutter speed makes for a very steep learning curve. Throw in athletes playing at a high pace and it makes things even worse.

Once Bill got accustomed to the focus and speed of the game, he was able to settle down and make some great images.

George Mason vs Duquesne Women’s Basketball