Photographing the Boston Celtics - Day in the Life of a Sports Photographer

Day in the Life of a Sports Photographer: Photographing the Boston Celtics - Gear, Prep, Workflow
Follow along with a pro sports photographer as I show you what goes into photographing a Boston Celtics game. I'll show you how I shoot an NBA game, what sports photography gear I pack, and other tips I've picked up along my career. Check out the behind the scenes of photographing professional sports.
Wedding Photos by Lena Mirisola!
www.lenamirisolaphoto.com/
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Music by Hotham
Stream: smarturl.it/HothamMusic​
Download: hypeddit.com/track/q2j9qq
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Follow along on Instagram @paulrutherford_
Check out my images at www.paulrutherfordphotography.com
As always, leave any questions in the comments!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Anyone else have big life events in the past few months?

[@CJAnderson]

That freelensing photo of Tatum is awesome!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks! Gotta get back into some of those shots.

[@PatrickFogartywithacamera]

I quit my job to pursue videography full time!!! Happy to see a new video from you Paul, congrats on the new house... the market has been CRAZY!!!!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Congrats on the viedography career! And yes it is! We got it back in January, when it was still crazy, but even crazier now!

[@Richardlfc]

Congrats on the wedding and the new house, some big life changes indeed! Love your videos/presenting style, thanks so much!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks! Glad you are enjoying the videos, more to come!

[@redboxpix]

Wish like hell that stuff like this was available when I was learning how to navigate a sporting event. Great job!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks! It's always nerve racking the first time covering a new arena or stadium!

[@officialadan]

This is LIT! Very helpful!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Appreciate it! Glad it helped!

[@drjoshcogoi]

This is great never seen something like this before!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks for watching!

[@NKolakovic]

Sick video!!! looking forward to more!!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

My number 1 fan!

[@nigelowen9618]

Thanks for posting...

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks for watching!

[@markkempton4579]

Always enjoy your take on the unique situation we've shot in the last year. I, too, found myself halfway up the arena shooting with my 300 & 400 over the winter. (I preferred the 300 as I found it too hard to track the action looking though my 400.) Keep up the great work!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks for watching! I used the 400 for the pro arenas since I was much further away than college and high school where I'd use the 300. But I finally got to use my 400 indoors which rarely happens!

[@markkempton4579]

@@Paul_Rutherford interesting differences. HS I shot from the baseline like usual. Pro arenas are where I had to shoot from above (hated it!) with the long stuff. Enjoy your summer!

[@jasonjmp]

Congrats on both!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks!

[@user-rw5ce4qu4x]

Can you do more videos like this

[@Paul_Rutherford]

I've got a few other up and planning to do some updated ones!

[@MargoManalo]

Hi! I just discovered your videos. C's fan here and an amateur filmmaker as well. Can you do a video explaining the Basketball Code Replacement spreadsheet at 3:00?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

I did a video on code replacements. Should be in my videos list on my profile

[@austinjackson1649]

Loving your content. Just starting out myself. I'm starting at the bottom but I noticed you had a google docs open with player depth chart etc. What do you use this for?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks for watching! I use that for being able to caption images quickly when photographing for wire services.

[@tobiassterner6625]

On the exact same day as you posted this video, the same thing happened to my 400mm. I didn't know what to do so I had to hand held it the whole game. Wish I had seen the video then haha

[@Paul_Rutherford]

I couldn't find the info anywhere when it happened to mine either!

[@toddbristol707]

Great channel sir - glad I found it/subscribed. Question on remote triggering. Do you use your primary shutter button to trigger both or do you have a separate physical remote trigger? Also, what brand of floor seat do you prefer? Thanks!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

I made my own switch to trigger separately and I tape it on the camera next to the normal shutter button. I'm looking into making a foot pedal though so I can trigger it that way. I believe I have a coleman brand floor seat. No particular reason other than it was easy to find and not expensive.

[@cadence649]

I'm shooting at the girls basketball game at my high and and I'm so nervous😭😭

[@Paul_Rutherford]

It always feels nerve racking, but there is always another chance!

[@janismartels]

Yo, Paul! You been qute silent for a while.. how things are going?! Wold love to see that coutside action video you mentioned, when thing are coming back to "normal" gain .. it's been while :)

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Things are busy! Haha Got some video ideas and will def have to update with some courtside action. Thanks for reaching out!

[@ericav990]

I came across this video today, when I thought, “I wonder what I can do to shoot for the Celtics 😂” I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and a day in your life. Are you still shooting for the Celtics?? Congratulations ok you success

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I don't shoot every game, but I still get to photograph them!

[@ericav990]

@@Paul_Rutherford pretty awesome! I’m sure you have a great time! I’ll have to keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities! Thanks for the reply!

[@Arduino_photo]

Amazing Vídeos Paul! Question:Does the remote camera shots together everytime you shoot on the main?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

Thanks! I made a trigger to fire the remote separately. Didn't want too many random photos to have to go through at the end of the games.

[@Sam-dd5lo]

@@Paul_Rutherford Can you expand on this? I've been meaning to do this for some time but cant find anyone explaining how to make one. Thanks!

[@Paul_Rutherford]

@@Sam-dd5lo Basically I got some wire, like an aux cord, and a button trigger from radio shack. I used scissors to cut the casing off and wrapped the wires around the button. I'll have to make a video about it!

[@Sam-dd5lo]

@@Paul_Rutherford I'll have to see if I can cobble something together. Thanks for the reply!

[@milanmedek3555]

If the stands were empty, why you didn't go to a different spots to get other angles?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

We were required to stay within our row when shooting. I wish we had the freedom to move all around!

[@austinjackson1649]

Last question (prolly not lol) When you white balance, you're not using AWB correct?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

It depends on the situation and if I'm shooting in RAW or jpeg. I do AWB sometimes if the lighting is changing a lot.

[@JAWS_2K]

Hey Paul, I’m aspiring to infiltrate the NBA circle and try to make a name for myself. any tips for connecting with players or people to meet in order to get there?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

That is something that is tough to do. Making connections with elite athletes almost never happens unless you knew them before they got there. So really the best thing you could to if you are trying to go that route is make connections with local trainers and youth players/teams. Do photo video for them and do great work. It will be pretty much impossible to make a connection with someone that will get you into working NBA games instantly, especially if you don't have much work to show them. Starting with local youth leagues allows you to build you portfolio and develop connections that may turn into something bigger.

[@JAWS_2K]

@@Paul_Rutherford I appreciate your advice man. Grind time.

[@XandeRToXic]

How do you memorize everything that happened in each photo? What do you mean "code." I apologize, I'm new to your channel.

[@Paul_Rutherford]

The code replacement mean that I can input only a few characters, for example /h34/, and then in the caption is will automatically get replacement with Boston Celtics guard Paul Pierce. It saves me a lot of time when captioning during the game. I don't need to say much in the caption, generally I will just say that a player shoots, dribbles, rebounds during the first or second half. I don't need to know the score or specific time. Only need to describe what is happening in the photo.

[@XandeRToXic]

@@Paul_Rutherford Oh wow! That’s pretty awesome. I love that you have it worked down to such a simple form. Thank you so much for responding. If I ever reach your level, I’m definitely going to try something like that.

[@Smoojer0Charles]

Are you the drone guy? Did you see my tweet?

[@Paul_Rutherford]

not the drone guy

[@ballerunivers5232]

Why is a mask so important

[@Paul_Rutherford]

This was from the beginning of 2021 when no fans were allowed in the venues during the pandemic.