Adjusting Exposure in Basketball Gym with Flash

[poker]

I've been reading a lot on using high mounted flashes in basketball gyms. Most use some type of remote trigger therefore they are using manual exposure.

I thought the the strength of light decreases with distance. I'm assuming the exposure would need to change if the player is at different parts of the court. How does a photographer make adjustments in a fast pace environment? Or do they wait for the action to be in their "zone" so they know their setting are good to go with the flash?

[jorgemonkey]

The few times I've strobed a basketball game, I figured out my exposure when the players were near the basket. I also figured out the exposure at different places down the court. Then during the game I'd just adjust my aperture depending on where the players were on the court.

[poker]

The few times I've strobed a basketball game, I figured out my exposure when the players were near the basket. I also figured out the exposure at different places down the court. Then during the game I'd just adjust my aperture depending on where the players were on the court.

Good to know! Thanks!

[brmill26]

Following on what Scott said, remember that aperture controls the amount of flash your camera takes in, while shutter speed controls the ambient (and in this case, freezes the action). So in other words, it should take only a couple clicks of the aperture setting to adjust for anywhere on the court. ISO and shutter can stay the same.