My LIfe at f/22: Days of 47 Rodeo

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Willem said...: Dear Chris, could you comment on how you shot those Rodeo pictures? The light conditions must have been terrible and you manage to get those crystal clear beautiful pics.

Thanks,

Willem, (terrible amateur from Barcelona); 3:41 AM
Chris Detrick said...: Hi Willem,

Thanks for the note. You are correct, the light in the arena is not very good. During the NBA games, the exposure is around ISO 1250 1/500th @ f/2.8.

When they add all of the dirt for the rodeo, it drops another 1/2 to a full stop.

To help deal with this, The Tribune has a set of strobes permanently installed in the arena.

The first picture was taken while using the strobes. The second one was not. There is a pretty clear difference in what the extra light adds to the picture.

The problem with the strobes is that you only get about one picture every 3-4 seconds (you have to wait for the lights to recharge). In some rodeo events, that could mean you only get one picture each race.

Hope this helps

Chris; 11:43 AM
Willem said...: Thanks!; 1:29 AM