LET'S MAKE IT BRIGHTER!!!

As mentioned on the other page, you can also use Dynalights to light high school games. I actually prefer this because it gives more power, and you can light a broader area. If you work at a paper, try talking your editor into buying a set. Keep in mind that you can use the same lighting kit for location lighting assignments.

What you'll need:
- One camera with PC connection
- Two lightstands or clamps with strobe pegs
- Two Dynalight 400jr's
- One Pocketwizard transmitter
- Two Pocketwizard receivers
- Two miniphone-to-male household cables
- One miniphone-to-PC cable
- Two grid reflectors

Minus the camera, you are looking at about $1,700.

For the purpose of demonstration, I'll be using State College High School in State College, Pennsylvania as my example.



The "O"s are where the lights are.

The "X" is where I roughly aimed them.

The "S"s are where I like to shoot from.

 

1: Try to get the lights up high and off to the sides. It looks better than if you have them aimed in from behind the basket.

2: Aim them toward the top of the 3-point arc.

3: Power the strobes up to about 1/4.

4: This will give me a reading of f/4 on 400 iso. I, however, will use 800 and will be shooting f/5.6.

5: The reason I do this is because as you can see by the shadows, the light will make it to the other end. The exposure down there is f/3.2 on 800. Shooting on 400 will be pushing it a bit.



The good thing about using the Dynas is that since they are plugged into the wall, you will have unlimited power. The recycling time will remain constant since you aren't worrying about batteries loosing their "oomph." I think I am able to use my motor drive on "continuous low" (5 fps) when the lights are set for 1/4 power.

 

Pros and cons of this system

- Colors explode off the film. You can also shoot chromes with this setup.

- The kit is a bit expensive for the novice, but remember that you need to spend money to make money.

 

Total setup and tear down time:

Up: about 9 minutes including meter tests.
Down: just under 6 minutes in a hurry.

 

If you have any questions, let me know.