Scott Roeder Productions » NCAA

long lens…shorts lens…experimenting with shooting styles

scaughty — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:15:36 +0000

Nikon D3, 300mm, 2500iso, f/2.8, 1/800, manual

I’ve been shooting a lot with a 300mm lens. Mainly because I can’t afford a 70-200mm yet. I have noticed a difference in my shooting stye though. I haven’t been getting as close as I used to, although my photos look closer and tighter. Its good to practice a different technique…but I need that 70-200mm.

Nikon D3, 300mm, 2500iso, f/2.8, 1/800, manual

Nikon D3, 300mm, 1600iso, f/2.8, 1/500, manual

NCAA College Baseball Regionals – Irvine, Ca – Day 3

scaughty — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:43:28 +0000

Sunday. We finally had a game while the sun was still out, which meant two things: 1) our team had lost a previous game and had to win all the rest to not get eliminated, 2) better for taking photos (ISO 200 rather than 1600).

The game was scheduled to start at 4pm and I arrived early at around 1pm to set up a remote camera. I decided to set it up at home plate today. I had my camera behind home plate, looking down towards third base.

Once I got my camera all set up I was ready to head out and come back later before the game started. As I was leaving I realized that it would be cool if I could shoot from behind the center field wall where one of the ESPN cameras was. I walked over and found that behind all the trees and bushes, there was a permanent wood platform. I couldn’t believe that I had never known about it. Anyways, I asked the camera man if I could shoot a few innings from up there and he agreed as long as I went up and came down while his camera was off. Below, a wide angle shot of the field, taken from the center field camera platform.

Canon 5D, 15mm, 200iso, 2.8, 1/4000th

I knew that even with a 400mm I would still need to crop in a lot from this angle. I called up a friend and asked to borrow a 5D Mark II. I knew that with 21 megapixels I would be able to crop much more than with 8 megapixels. I then drove over, picked it up, and made it back in time before the game started.

About 10 minutes before the start of the game I grabbed my gear and went up on the center field camera platform. The first shots I went for were batting shots. Below, Jeff Cusick gets a solid hit off of the San Diego pitcher.

Canon 5D Mark II, 400mm, 320iso, 2.8, 1/4000th

It was too bad that the newspaper was already in production as I was shooting this game. Shots from this angle had never been published in our newspaper before. Once I got enough batting shots, I moved on and shot the outfield. Below, UCI’s Jordan Fox catches a ball that popped high and deep in the outfield.

Canon 5D Mark II, 400mm, 250iso, 2.8, 1/3200th

Below, UCI shortstop Ben Orloff catches a ball that is thrown in from the outfield.

Canon 5D Mark II, 400mm, 250iso, 2.8, 1/3200th

Shooting the infield was also different from this angle. I got the backs of people that I usually don’t get, but also the fronts. Below, UCI shortstop Ben Orloff prepares to catch the ball as a San Diego player slides into second.

Canon 5D Mark II, 400mm, 250iso, 2.8, 1/2000th

Below, a UCI player dives back at second plate but is too slow and gets tagged out by the San Diego player.

Canon 5D Mark II, 400mm, 320iso, 2.8, 1/4000th

From the center field camer platform I was also shooting into the sun. As the game went on the players became more and mroe backlit, and from some angles they were sidelit. I played around with the light a little and got a few cool photos. Below, Eric Deragisch stands ready in the outfield.

Canon 5D Mark II, 400mm, 100iso, 2.8, 1/4000th

Below, Ryan Fisher throws in a ball that is hit deep into the outfield.

Canon 5D Mark II, 400mm, 250iso, 2.8, 1/3200th

Here are the rest of the photos:

I want to thank these photographers/UCI students who lent me equipment:

Michelle Kim
Greg Thompson
Nick Vu
Drew McCarroll

This was the last UCI game of the year, but hopefully there will be a chance for me to shoot some baseball over the summer.

NCAA College Baseball Regionals – Irvine, Ca – Day 2

scaughty — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:20:23 +0000

UCI was scheduled to play Virginia at 8pm. Today I was planning on setting up a remote camera, which I decided to set up for a shot at second base. I was told that I would have to set up my remote before 2pm because that is when the players for the 4pm game would get to the field and start warming up.

I got to the field at around 12:30pm. The decision was either to get a shot at home plate or at second base. My home plate remote success was pretty poor in the past, so i decided to get some action at second base. At first I was going to set up my camera above the dugout at first base, but ended up setting it up underneath the ESPN camera inside the first base photo well. If you look closely you can see it attached to the railing underneath the front of the ESPN camera.

It was at a good ground level angle, which was even better because nobody could physically stand there, so I knew I was the only one getting this shot. Since I had to leave the camera there from 1pm-11pm, I put on a rain cover due to the overcast weather that stayed around all weekend.

After I was done getting the camera clamped down and all the rings taped down, I left and came back at 4pm for the first game of Fresno State vs San Diego State. I remembered that I wanted to try a panning shot of the pitcher for when I shot Stephen Strasburg, but I had forgotten to try it when I shot him on Friday. I decided to try it and found that it was much harder than I had expected. Out of about twenty tries, this was the only shot where I got the pitchers face in focus.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 50iso, 25, 1/13th

During the Fresno State vs San Diego State game I also spotted a guy hanging a huge banner over the top of the parking garage that is behind the outfield wall. I heard that he doesn’t have any affiliation with UCI other than the fact that he likes our team.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 200iso, 2.8, 1/2500th

Below, the umps talk over a call that the Fresno State coach is unhappy with as the coach stands by for their verdict.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 320iso, 2.8, 1/1600th

Below, a SDSU player has a huge diving catch attempt. He didn’t get it.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 320iso, 2.8, 1/2500th

It was a good opportunity for me test my remote in the first game to make sure that my focus was correct. Below, a Fresno State player slides into second as the SDSU second baseman throws to first base for the double play.

Canon 40D, 70-200mm @ 185mm, 320iso, 2.8, 1/320th

The reason why I only had this one shot from this play was because I still had my camera in single shot mode from when i was doing my panning shots. After I realized I was still in single shot, I switched over to continuos and got some more frames of a SDSU player looking to throw the double play.

Canon 40D, 70-200mm @ 185mm, 320iso, 2.8, 1/1000th

After the first game I took out my memory card and downloaded the photos onto my computer to check to see how the shots came out. The focus and everything else looked good and was ready for the UCI game. Below, UC Irvine shortstop Ben Orloff makes the double play against Virginia.

Canon 40D, 70-200mm @ 185mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/500th

Below, UCI’s Eric Deragisch stands outside the dugout before approaching the plate to bat.

Nikon D300, 70-200mm @ 155mm, 2500iso, 2.8, 1/640th

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1000iso, 2.8, 1/400th

Below, a few shots of UCI’s starting pitcher on Saturday, Christian Bergman.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/800th

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/640th

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/800th

Usually my shots of the firstbase man making plays dont turn out too well. They are usually shot from the third base photo well and have a cluttered background. Below, shot from behind home plate, a UCI player slides back to first before the ball reaches the Virginia firstbase man.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/640th

Below, shot from the top of the seats behind home plate, UCI’s Jeff Cusick keeps his foot on the plate to get the batter out at first.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/800th

Below, UCI head coach Mike Gillespie talks with the infielders after speaking with starting pitcher Christian Bergman.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/500th

Below, UCI baseball staff and players review stats and strategy outside of the dugout.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/500th

I still wanted to get a good wide angle shot of a packed UCI ballpark. Here is a shot taken between games from the media tent that overlooks the field.

Canon 5D, 15mm, 500iso, 2.8, 1/400th

I waited till about the 7th inning of the game and then went directly behind home plate at the top of the seats. This is what I ended up with.

Canon 5D, 15mm, 400iso, 2.8, 1/50th

Check back for the last day of the Irvine Regionals.

NCAA College Baseball Regionals – Irvine, Ca – Day 1

scaughty — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:10:46 +0000

This is the first time that UCI has hosted a Baseball Regionals. I came prepared and ready to shoot all weekend. On the first day UCI was scheduled to play their game at 8pm against the previous National Champions, Fresno State. San Diego State has the number one draft pick, pitcher Stephen Strasburg. San Diego State was scheduled to play Virginia at 4pm.

I arrived at the field at 2:30pm. I met up with one of the New University Interns, Lee, who wanted to assist me and check out the 400mm lens that I rented. I picked up my credentials and headed over to the media workroom with Lee where we brought all my equipment. Below, Lee hangs out in the media workroom after helping me carry my equipment.

Today my equipment consisted of:

Canon 1D Mark IIn
Canon 5D
Nikon D300
Canon 400mm f/2.8
Canon 15mm f/2.8
Canon 50mm f/1.8
Canon 17-40mm f/4
Canon 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon 70-200 f/2.8
2x Magic Arms
Several Super Clamps
3 Pocketwizards
Macbook pro
portable hard drive
card reader

I got set up in the workroom and then headed over to the field with my equipment. I was able to get Lee a temporary credential to get into the media workroom but we had to return it so he ended up not being able to assist me for the game.

The first game I was just trying to get shots of Stephan Strasburg for a site that the current New University sports editor has started, called The King of Swagger. The ballpark was packed and everybody was there to see Strasburg pitch. I started out shooting in the third-base photo well because Strasburg is a right-handed pitcher. More than half of the photo well was occupied by the ESPN television camera. There were also a ton of photographers there just to shoot Strasburg, like myself. Below, a photographer and the ESPN camera are on my right while I am pressed up against a wall with another photographer right behind me.

It was a tight squeeze but we made it work. Here are my shots of Strasburg:

I didn’t just limit myself to shooting Strasburg. I knew that I was going to need to get warmed up for shooting the whole weekend, so I made sure I got some practice in during this first game.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 400iso, 2.8, 1/1000th

This was the first time that I have shot baseball with a 400mm. I’ve also never shot a batter from behind. A combination of the two gives a very tight and powerful image, as you can see the force put forth by the Fresno batter.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 400iso, 2.8, 1/1000th

The two photos above were shot from behind home plate. Below, is a shot of where I was shooting from.

At about the 6th inning I had gotten enough shots of Strasburg and decided to head back to the media workroom to upload my images. I hung out there, edited my photos, and ate dinner as I waited to shoot the UCI game at 8pm.

Before going out to the field I saw Stacey, one of the UCI Communications people. I asked her if I could set up a remote camera and she said she would have to check with the NCAA people and ESPN. So for today remotes were out of the picture.

I started the UCI game in the first-base photo well, because our starting pitcher Daniel Bibona is a lefty. From there I usually get pretty good shots at first, second, and home. Below, UCI’s Jeff Cusick gets tagged out as he slides into second base.

Nikon D300, 70-200mm @ 200mm, 2000iso, 2.8, 1/640th

Sometimes I’ll shoot a whole game without ever going over to the first base photo well. But if I do go over, I’ll always have shots from both. Below, Casey Stevenson gets tagged out as he slides into third base.

Nikon D300, 70-200mm @ 200mm, 2000iso, 2.8, 1/640th

Below, UCI’s shortstop Ben Orloff throws across the infield to get the batter out at first.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/800th

Below, UCI’s shortstop Ben Orloff throws across the infield to get the batter out at first.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/800th

Below, starting pitcher Daniel Bibona winds up before throwing to the Fresno Bulldogs.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/800th

Below, starting pitcher Daniel Bibona winds up before throwing to the Fresno Bulldogs.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/800th

Below, Ben Orloff makes contact with a pitch from the Bulldogs.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 1600iso, 2.8, 1/800th

Below, Ronnie Shaeffer gets hit by a pitch. If you look close you can see the ball buried in between his chest and stomach.

Canon 1D Mark IIn, 400mm, 3200iso, 2.8, 1/1000th

The main reason why I rented the 15mm fisheye was to get a shot of the ballpark. I had rented the 15mm before, but had never used it on a full frame camera. Using it on a 5D, I was finally able to see it at its full potential. Below, Cicerone Field is packed on friday night for UCI vs Fresno State baseball game.

Canon 5D, 15mm, 400iso, 2.8, 1/60th

Road to Provo – NCAA Volleyball Championships – Day 4

scaughty — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:39:08 +0000

We got off to a slow start on the championship game day. After checking out of the hotel around 12:30pm, we got lunch and then headed over to the media room. We were the first ones there and later that night, the last ones there as well.

Photos can be purchased on my main site : http://scaughtyphotography.smugmug.com/New%20University/784297

Road to Provo – NCAA Volleyball Championships – Day 3

scaughty — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:37:23 +0000

After UCI beat Ohio State in the semi-finals, we had a day off. Besides a press conference in the morning, we had the whole day free to go explore and see what Provo had to offer. After eating a late lunch we stopped by the Provo Visitors Center across the street from our hotel. That’s where we came across a place called “Jump On It”.

Photos can be purchased on my main site : http://scaughtyphotography.smugmug.com/New%20University/784297