Even as many high school gyms across the state are getting new LED lights installed, helping many get better photos without having to sacrifice the quality that comes with low-light settings on a camera. There’s still one old-school trick that many professional and major college programs use in their arenas that make a much bigger difference for great basketball or volleyball photos.
A recent assignment had me at Rich Township High School, the former Rich South, and they are one of the few high school gyms I’ve seen that take a page out of the professional gym’s playbook. That is having a ceiling that is painted black or a dark color.
You can see in the two images below how much of a difference the ceiling color can make. The first is from Rich Township and the second is from Evergreen Park.
This photo from the Big Dipper Tournament of Crete-Monee’s Jayden Preston on a layup, is helped out tremendously by the black ceiling at Rich Township. It’s not perfect compared to pro-arenas, but compared to the next photo it’s definitely better. (photo by Vincent D. Johnson)This shot of Bloom Township’s Kamryn Turner (0) in Evergreen Park’s north gym is a good inverse of the photo above from Rich. The dark ceiling creates a negative space and is less distracting to the eye. (Photo copyright of Vincent D. Johnson)Even at eye level in UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena, the low lights over the seating area and dark walls make Rich Township’s Ikee Brooks (1) stand out as he passes the ball against Duncanville during a Chicago Elite Classic game on Dec. 7, 2024. (Vincent D. Johnson)While the ceiling at the State Farm Center/Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois, isn’t exactly painted a dark color. It actually has grayish sound-proofing paneling. The lights are also hung lower and shine down from the sides of the court. This limits reflections directly upward. It’s also a great distance to reflect back up. Something many high school gyms don’t physically have as an option. Phillips Celebrates their Class 2A state championship game at State Farm Center in Champaign on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Photo copyright of Vincent D. Johnson)While pro and college arenas have their benefits, they do fail sometimes when it comes to photos. At UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena a circular ring around the court at the base of the upper-level seating often creates a white streak across photos. Rich Township taking on Duncanville, Texas during the Chicago Elite Classic in Chicago on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (Photo copyright of Vincent D. Johnson)Another down side of LED displays & scoreboards besides being bright spots in your photos, display refresh rates are rarely as fast as the camera’s shutter speeds. Meaning photos will have lines in the display. St. Laurence’s E.J. Mosley Jr (5) drive s to the basket as Lincoln Park’s Kaydin Williams (1) tries to defend during the Chicago Elite Classic Shootout at the Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (Vincent D. Johnson / for the Daily Southtown)
Want to see more photos from the games shown here? Follow this link to my personal website where most of my sports photography is posted.
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