Since I got here I have wanted to play around with the paper's pocket wizards (fancy equipment that lets you set off a flash by radio waves), but we were missing the cables. The order went through and they got here not too long ago.
Awesome. I've only really played with off camera flash a couple times, not counting a bunch of basketball games I shot for the Clare Sentinel. That was a mix of fun and frustration, because those strobes would go off whenever anyone in the gym took a picture. There were a few times someone would be taking pictures every five seconds, so it was messing up my shots and really pissing me off.
But now I have fancy toys all to myself, Holly doesn't use them. :D So I've been lighting almost everything. Mostly I shoot sports, because I'm on the night shift, and now is the time of basketball.
Yesterday I shot wrestling practice and basketball, today I shot a wrestling meet.
There are a few gyms around here you don't need to light, they are nice and bright. But there are some that are ridiculously dark.
In the bright gyms it's fun to use the light to provide a nice pop to the players. It just kind of accents the image, giving it a little pazazz.
Wrestling is a sport I've never used off camera flash to shoot, but now that I have I'm never going back. It's SO much better. For the majority of the time their faces are buried on the ground, so they are dark. But I set up my light on the mat to the side and kind of low, so it gave a nice dramatic effect. :D Plus it gets rid of all the gross coloring from the lights in the gym reflected off the mats. Fantastic.
The biggest thing I love about having the light to play with is it makes me think. Sometimes shooting becomes instinctual, especially if you have other crap on your mind, you just kind of go through the motions and hold the button down.
There is nothing wrong with snapping off a ton of pictures to get one good one, I do it frequently, but sometimes I get a tunnel vision and don't try anything else.
Yesterday when I shot wrestling practice I was using the light as a main light, because it was pretty dark in there, except for a garage door that was open. So I started playing around and used the light coming through the door as my main and the flash for some fancy backlighting.
Rim light, mofo!
At least in the sports shooting I feel like I'm operating at my normal level.
Got a note from the head honcho at the paper today when I came into work. Felt good.
I've never been comfortable shooting sports. Which kind of made me good at shooting it, because I kind of panicked and really wanted to do good. Now that I've won awards and all that I feel like a super bad ass and am not worried any more.
But using lights you have to choose your shot. You might be able to squeeze a couple shots in a row from the flash, but most of the time it's a one shot deal. Which makes it a lot harder.
So, now I'm nervous again. :D
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