Army Black Knights Mens Basketball • 3 Jan 2011

It's nice to get a call and be asked to shoot an assignment at a local college. It's even nicer when that college is the Unites States Military Academy at West Point.

I was assigned to shoot the mens basketball game Monday night. The Black Knights took on the Big Green of Dartmouth in a Patriot League game at the Christl Arena on the campus of West Point.

Since I am a freelance photographer, I don't have media credentials for the paper. I usually show up to an event and check to see if my name is on the list, and if it's not, keep my fingers crossed that I can persuade the folks to let me in anyway and that I really am working for the paper. Who is going to turn away a guy with a bag full of cameras, lenses and a laptop? My name was not on the list, however a pass was left for a Staff Photographer from the paper to shoot the 4:00 pm women's game, I guess she didn't make the assignment, so I asked if it was OK for me to use it... They said... 'no problem! the press room is over there, there's food, and there is internet in the press area on the floor.' 2 seconds ago, I was a nobody with a bag full of gear, now I am all set! Boy, that was easy!

For this game I had both my camera bodies, so I decided, for the first half, to mount one body on the backboard stanchion about 6 feet high, on the far side of the court with a wide angle zoom. I set the zoom and focused on a spot just past the basket to get action shots of the players jumping at the rim. With the lens taped so it would not shift, I was ready to fire it from across the gym with a 'pocketwizard.'

I ended up with a few good images from this body. I mounded it high enough and far enough back behind the padding that it would not get hit by a ball or player. This is a concern, since it is all my own gear.

Working like this with a remote body, you never know what you have until you pull the card at half time and load them on the laptop and start the editing process.

With this body on one side, I was on the other side of the gym under the basket where Army was on offense. I had a 24 -70, a 70-200 and my 300mm. With only one body, I had to pick a lens and use it for the possession, long lens for defense on the other side, 70-200 for mid-court to foul line and 24 - 70 under the basket, then switch to another. This gets frustrating after a while. You also have to deal with a referee standing in front of you. It seemed like every time I moves sides, he moved...

For the second half, I had both bodies with me on the floor. 70-200 on one and 24-70 on the other.

Army wins 67-47, Game shot, now it's time to edit, caption and hope the internet connection will let me send out the images. Last e-mail sent right at 9:30pm, deadline made.