How to Use Strobes to Photograph Basketball: Wescott FJ400 & Pocket Wizards Capturing Action

[@fredzwicky8363]

Great explainer video for sure! Back in the day when I strobed gyms, I always took a different approach. It's all personal taste for sure, but I preferred a more natural look to the final image. So, instead of aiming the lights direct at the floor, I aimed the lights into the ceiling and bounced the light. Benefits: much more even spread over the court, fewer shadows from the side lighting (especially from players at the sides of the action or even the net casting shadows on the face of the player doing a layup). End result is that you could mimic the natural light. My final technique was actually to put a grid on the flashes aimed at the ceiling-that cut down on complaints from both players and people in the stands because the light wasn't blasting into their eyes. Also stopped using stands...I just used a super clamp for the flash head, along with a safety cable wrapped around the bannister. I found that aiming toward the middle created a more even spread. Negatives? Bouncing cuts the power level, so this only works well in a dark gym where you can overpower the ambient light levels. Also, affects your recycle time, but that's a given unless you're run a 2000WS sports pack w/bi or quad tube flash head (which is how we had our main arena lit). Thanks again for the great video. Clear and concise and I like your use of zip ties for the stands.

[@bngr_bngr]

I was shooting the CIF Girl Soccer Championships in California. Some of that stadium lightning had some funky bulbs. I’m so glad I shot in RAW plus jpeg’s. Most of the time I can edit the jpegs but there are those times that RAW’s are a lifesaver.

[@jimhunt3661]

I shot strobes for many years but high ISO and upgraded lighting have made that unnecessary anymore. I always made sure my strobes were 3 or 4 stops over ambient. I also used them lower with a super clamp to the side rail and bounced off the ceiling. I find direct flash a bit harsh.

[@GregKPerry]

Solid presentation, Patrick. I miss shooting strobed basketball sometimes, and this video brought me back to it. So worth the effort.

[@PMRTV]

thanks brother!

[@bobkrist1]

Great segment, PMR!

[@sportsphototv]

Perfect timing. I have been wanting to dive into using strobes. Thanks for the great information!

[@PMRTV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mbp7011]

Great video! I just need to get one more FJ400 and some pocket wizards for next season. Would love to pick your brain some more. thanks for sharing.

[@PMRTV]

Mickey, If you want a long hour session, we could do a one on one thing that might be helpful, or if you just have one or two questions, we could do that too. I'm available either way :)

[@mbp7011]

@@PMRTV oh wow! That’s very nice of you. I’ll pm you on Facebook

[@vanvisualmedia2821]

@@PMRTV I also just got two fj400's for the same thing. I want to shoot indoor and outdoor games with them next season. Any info would be amazing. Modifiers and placement are the big questions right now! Your videos are amazing! Thanks!

[@three2rock]

is it possible to have a remote camera down court shoot simultaneously with your hand held a1? (and the remote camera is also synced with the 4 strobes)

[@deonmills]

Could you have used a remote trigger for all four strobes instead of using the pocket wizards?

[@PMRTV]

yes but each one you add increases the chance of it "falsing" or not firing. It's best to connect them all together on a single sync line and then use two receivers to be sure you don't miss anything. Last, if you are talking about the FJ trigger, they can't always handle the distances in an arena, plus there is always a lot of IF with all the concrete and steel everywhere.

[@ShishirMore]

🆘 I need your help. I have sony a1 and canon 600mm f/4 IS 1. Which adapter will best suit and what are the drawbacks? Will be so glad if you could make a video on this too. 💖

[@PMRTV]

Sigma MC-11, hands down the best adapter.

[@bsmrodeo]

Well done PMR its 3am heading to Utah to find some eagles today.

[@PMRTV]

cool, hope you had good hunting!

[@EricHarmon67]

Patrick, I lived in Maryville until 4 years ago, and had a big house with a nice studio in the downstairs garage, where I shot Profoto 500 w/s strobes. I sold all my gear except my camera when I sold the house in 2019 and moved into a motorhome to travel for a few years. Now I've settled down in The Villages, FL, where I have a much smaller house (and therefore no studio). I want to get back to shooting portraits, and I'm looking at the Westcott FJ400s for some very minor small-space studio work and also some outdoor stuff - the beach and parks and so on. Do you think the FJ400 will have enough power to control the sun in Florida? I suspect I'll need HSS, but I'm shooting a Sony a1, so that shouldn't be an issue.

[@PMRTV]

yes, but get two as you sometimes will have to put two into one modifier to get the 800W/S with HSS. I can get you 10% off if you reach out to me through my website. I love the FJ400's!!

[@ckjjclan]

Very interesting and helpful.

[@ddrnold]

I always wanted a how to video for this

[@PMRTV]

Now u have one!

[@Tumbelaka31]

Awesome to watch you set up, I was just wondering about how you would use Elinchrom. My ELB 400 would propably not be adequate for this type of shooting

[@PMRTV]

I use their older compact monoblocks (EL500, EL500RXI, EL600S, EL600RX, and the new EL500 HD PRO units). You coud do a one light thing with an ELB but you'd need their Maxi-spot reflector (16"). they crank out some serious light!!!

[@mikekolleth6168]

This is a sensational video. Outstanding technical insights and execution from one of the best! In Olympic terms… A 10 out of 10! … My question has to do with the business case for strobing in a small college gym. This is a considerable amount of additional equipment not to mention time/effort. Is this baked into the cost of the shoot to the team? Wouldn’t it pay for the college just to increase the wattage and quality of the LED bulbs? With the quality of cameras at our disposal today I would hope that strobing is becoming increasingly obsolete … except in those cases where the business case is compelling (see NBA). An outstanding and thought-provoking video. Thank you!

[@mrroyce1138]

In Michigan you can't use flash. n the plus side most gyms have upgraded to newer lights. we even have two that have stadium lights just to shine on the court.. I those gyms I'm able to shoot at 1/1200 at 2200 iso at 2.8 with a Sony A9 and a 70-200 mm GM lens.

[@PMRTV]

wow!!!!

[@marvinhall5111]

Where are you shooting in Michigan? I am in central Michigan and I am able to strobe all my games. The Lansing State Journal was strobing High School games for over the last 5 or 6 years. MHSAA allows you to shoot basketball, volleyball, wrestling with strobe. There are "restrictions" They can't be at eye level and you can't use on camera flash. Also, it "is" contingent on the approval from the AD and the coaches. I have been shooting locally with approval from both.

[@mrroyce1138]

@@marvinhall5111 I’m in the Grand Rapids area I shoot mostly in the OK Blue. I have seen others using flash but referees shut them down. It’s been several years since anyone from the press has used a upper level flash setup

[@MAmesSports]

Why pocket wizards is it more range vs Westcott frequency?

[@PMRTV]

absolutely. PW are generally good to 1600' if it's line of sight. It's less around corners and in buildings with a ton of steel in them. PW's will generally almost never false (not fire). With Westcott, if it's more than about 150', I switch to PW's.

[@MAmesSports]

@@PMRTV good to know. I have both never really pushed the range.

[@anjfoto716]

I used stobes for indoor sport about 6 years ago. With the improvement of camera noise strobes are no longer used. Almost all the gyms we shoot in have banned the use of strobes. Yes color is a challenge but we deal with it. When I did use strobes I would just use Bogan super clamps and attach them to the railings, Less equipment and a cleaner set up. Just an fyi from my area which is the VA, DC, MD region.

[@johnwilkinson9194]

The strobe thing is a completely different look. :) Most of the HS's don't allow it because they don't have the height vs proper college arenas. The NCAA has very specific guidelines as to where they can (and cannot) be placed as well as the height.

[@anjfoto716]

@@johnwilkinson9194 Back in the film and early days of digital I lit all my HS games. Never had a problem with placement of up to 3 or 4 strobes in the HS gyms. I think it was about 6 years ago I was photographing a state playoff game at UMBC and was told that strobe photography was not permitted. The Washington Post had to remove their catwalk strobes. Coaches and refs were concerned about the distraction the flashes would cause. I know how good properly strobe lighting can look but we deal with it and move on.

[@johnwilkinson9194]

@@anjfoto716 Just reread your initial post... hope I didn't come across as rude as that was certainly not my intention ! I hear you on that the strobes and vastly improved ISO on camera over the past decade or so. Last year in the fall, I was shooting for a D1 volleyball university here in Nashville on the floor and during the pregame the opposing coach pointed me out and complained the the official that I had a flash on my camera. At the time I was shooting Nikon D5 so the official and I discussed this and I demonstrated that (a) the camera had no flash and (b) the 5k capacity arena was strobed and everything was in full compliance with proper NCAA specs. The problem was quickly resolved. :)

[@marvinhall5111]

Thanks a lot for the info. I have been using speed lights for lighting with limited results. I have been seeing a lot of talk about the t.1Flash duration rating of the westcott FJ400! I am looking to put together a system for next fall and the FJ400 looks like just the ticket. I have not found anything that even comes close that is "portable". I did have a question on your height of your strobes. I often run into a problem with the height of the strobes during a packed gym and the student sections get rocking and everyone is standing. I strobe position is great for everyone sitting but when everyone starts to stand they often times block my stobes. It look like in this video that where the height of the stand were, if they stood it would block your stobe. Do you adjust for this? How high do you extend your lights on stands? Once again, thanks for the info. Marvin

[@PMRTV]

the strobes are on 13' light stands that are at the top of the stands. Even with a tall person with their hands up--no blocking at all... the higher you can get the lights, the better.

[@jintakhan]

What advantages do the PocketWizards have over the built-in radio system for the FJ400?

[@PMRTV]

the built-in system is good in even a large room but won't reach to hit every head in a basketball arena. I feel like the effective range for the trigger from Goxox and Wescott is around 100' outside. but inside a building made from massive steel I-beams and concrete, the distance get's cut down substantially. No one makes a trigger other than PW that will work for this application, that I'm aware of, anyways...

[@AngryKingProductions]

Hey, great video! Just bought this strobe and it hasn't arrived yet. Question for you. I have few Pocket Wizard PlusX transmitters that I want to use with this. It took a bit of research and your video to see the Pocket Wizards are indeed compatible (Westcott makes this impossible to find out as I'm guessing they want you to use their transmitter), however, I'm guessing that I have to make any changes like exposure compensation manually on the light itself, correct?

[@PMRTV]

if you are a Canon user, you can use any of the PW products but not with HSS and in full manual mode. changes must be made on the speedlite/flash for power output. You are correct :)

[@alexmartins4013]

Hello Patrick. Thanks for sharing this set up. Don't athletes get distracted by the flash? The flashes look pretty strong in the video. The results are very nice. I am just wondering if there is a way to soften the shadows as in some pictures it is very visible. A diffuser maybe?

[@PMRTV]

1. athletes are not at all distracted by the flash as long as it's FAST. If you go into a gym and shoot 4- AD600Pros at full power, you'd have a flash duration of around 1/200th and everyone would complain. Some shooters in really dark places will opt to bounce the flash of the ceiling but remember when you do this, you are doubling the distance from flash to subject which means you have lost tons of power. If you shoot in a really dark place, you can likely get away with this... Diffusers really eat power too... Ever test the output of a strobe with and without a light bank at 10'? It's in the range of 6 stops of light +/-. Good questions though!! Keep them coming :). pat

[@alexmartins4013]

@@PMRTV thanks for taking the time to reply. Very interesting video. Keep them coming.

[@PMRTV]

@@alexmartins4013 if you keep watching, I'll keep making them :)

[@paulkane7636]

Curious to know why you used Pocket Wizards instead of the XJ2m trigger, as you can still set your groups individually and trigger in FREEZE mode mode using the X2m ?

[@PMRTV]

the built-in system is good in even a large room but won't reach to hit every head in a basketball arena. I feel like the effective range for the trigger from Goxox and Wescott is around 100' outside. but inside a building made from massive steel I-beams and concrete, the distance get's cut down substantially. No one makes a trigger other than PW that will work for this application, that I'm aware of, anyways...

[@paulkane7636]

@@PMRTV Interesting to know.. Haven't used my Jinbei HD610pro's and HD400pro's (who produce the Westcott FJ range) while shooting basketball, tho have successfully fired my lights at a range of around 200 metres + outside.. I guess indoors, it can be like struggling to get a decent reception/signal on your phone when sending images...everything gets strangled at times.. Assuming you have set X2m's wireless trigger to MAX (wireless power), via the c.Fn menu, which helps increase it's range ?

[@PMRTV]

@@paulkane7636 All of the brands make HSS triggers that are like pea shooters. They cannot get the job done in an arena. think about all the steel, concrete, roof structures, power everywhere, HVAC systems and then fill the place with fans, each with a cell phone... Pocket Wizards are the industry standard for good reason, at least for this type of application.

[@jeffnycz4795]

Did u experience ghosting since the flash duration is rated at t0.5? Do u know the t.1 rating? I used this setup for years and found the lights at a low angle and far from the court leave some pretty harsh shadows. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[@PMRTV]

they do but this setup can be set up in about 30 min--otherwise with that low a ceiling, I'd need a man-lift and a whole lot of extension cords. I just found this set up great for a one-off game, not a permanent setup. I was trying to find a solution for people who shoot a lot of high school ball on a budget. You know me, I use Elinchroms for most of my assignments... But this was pretty slick.

[@jeffnycz4795]

@@PMRTV I did this for a few high school games. Their ceiling was white so I extended the light stand and bounced the flash off the ceiling. Worked pretty well.

[@muen1842]

Phenomenal video, Patrick!! Have enjoyed all your work with the A7IV, and am a new sub. I have a question for you: For the XLR-K3m you covered a while ago, have you noticed a significant improvement in the digital mode versus the analog mode (Which is essentially the same quality as the old K2m?) I have the K2m and am trying to decide whether the K3m is worth the upgrade to digital. ^^

[@EveronesInvited]

Nobody ever mentions the insurance!!!

[@dbiermanphotog]

Why are you overpowering the ambient? Wouldn't it look more natural to match the ambient and use the flash to freeze the action with a higher shutter speed? To me the photo quality is good, the colors just look off. They look like their playing in a gym with no lighting. Maybe that's the effect you're going for.

[@markkempton4579]

Curious where you got your information on color stability vs Godox. Rob Hall did a head-to-head and found the Godox more stable in both modes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqO5Y2iaidiYa9E

[@vitaminb4869]

Terrible idea. Players must really appreciate flashes going off into their faces all the time. Why not save the money of buying all that strobe gear and the hassle of setting everything up, and get an f2.8 lens or a < f2 prime and avoid all this nonsense and get much better quality pictures too. Most cameras won't even have a fast enough flash sync to freeze action. Even the A1 is 1/400, which is not nearly enough. And how is the flash recycling times keeping up with your burst speeds?! LOL LOL.

[@PMRTV]

I don't know, Vitamin, it's worked for Sports Illustrated since the 1950's to get the best possible color, contrast, and quality out of hoops. Not everyone wants to make the best possible photograph possible, I get that. To say you get much better quality images with available light simply shows your lack of understanding on the subject. But that's OK :). You do you Vitamin, and I'll do me. Last, if the flash duration is fast enough, players don't even notice. It's all about speed. When people use the wrong gear with too long a pop, that is when people notice and get mad. As the new A9III is capable of shooting on strobes at up to 1/80,000th of a second, it may bring strobes back to basketball and hockey in a new way never possible before :). Thanks for your comments.

[@vitaminb4869]

@@PMRTV If we gonna go by the logic of “what worked in 1950’s”, then we should also go back to the manual focus film cameras and lenses of 1950’s, as well as the same lighting they used in the sports arenas at the time. Why not even go back further in time before cameras were invented, and capture sporting events with paint and brushes? …since “it worked” at some point in history. But technology advances and we don’t need to use this old gear and old ways of capturing sports anymore. There are better and easier ways today that give much better results. Today’s photo gear allows to shoot sports with available light. If you don’t believe that, then look at any professional (or good amateur even) sports photography out there, none of them use artificial light (strobes). Images are clean and look natural. When you use artificial light, the image is no longer looking natural (as in that’s not how we see it with our own eyes). It creates harsh, ugly lighting and shadows. It can work in a portrait studio when lights are carefully positioned around the subject and the light source is much, much larger compared to what you get in a sports arena with strobes placed so far away. It’s great that A9III is capable of 1/80000 flash sync, but it won’t bring back strobes to basketball and hockey, because it’s simply not necessary - today’s pictures are already looking great, and they look natural too. Bringing back strobes would mean going back in time. And the 1/80000 flash sync still won’t let you do a burst of 12fps since the strobes won’t be able to recycle fast enough, let alone 20-40fps or more. During a pro sporting event there are dozens of different photographers. Can you imagine what would happen if each one of them brings their own strobes and starts firing them??! This would turn into a complete madness, and no one would even be able to get any shots because the strobes would interfere with each other.