Getting There Early Pays Off
Canon 1D Mark III with 70-200 f/2.8L IS II. 110mm, ISO 1600, 1/400 sec @ f/2.8.
I arrive at KeyArena 1.5 hours before tipoff. That may seem like a long time before the action starts, but it takes time to review the requested shots for the game, plan out where I need to be for the various timeouts, and check for any last minute changes to the event script. It also gives me a chance to double-check the camera gear, format the media cards, and get everything ready for shooting.
While I’m doing all those things the teams are warming up on the court. I always keep an eye out during these early warm-up sessions for any non-action shots that might help tell the overall story of the game. On Friday night I lucked out: Lin Dunn, the current head coach of the Indiana Fever (and the first ever coach for the Seattle Storm) was sitting courtside with Lauren Jackson. Coach Dunn was LJ’s first coach in the WNBA. The two of them were just chatting and having a good laugh.
My problem? I was also at the courtside seats, just a little farther down the row, and the angle was all wrong to capture the moment. This is why I wear sneakers to game day! I ran for the other side of the court, aimed the camera, and took a burst of images. By the time I was shooting LJ was already standing, but the all-important smiles were still there.
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