New York Times talks to NBA photogs, including Bruce Ely

Alex Wong of the New York Times talked to NBA photographers and came away with some interesting insights in a recent article. Wong focuses on how technology has re-shaped the job in recent years, and even took the time to get a quote from Blazers team photographer Bruce Ely:

On game day, Butler uses a combination of tethered remotes and custom phone apps to operate any number of cameras in an arena.

He sends photographs to a team of editors in Secaucus, N.J., with the press of a button. In seconds, they can be published on the league’s official social media feeds and reach millions of people around the world.

Despite the technological advances, shooting an N.B.A. game can be more difficult than one would think. “A basketball game is a complex situation,” said Bruce Ely, the lead photographer of the Portland Trail Blazers. “There are a lot of moving parts.”

Like a fan’s arms waving across the frame just as Damian Lillard makes a 3-pointer. Or the leg of another player sneaking into the edge of the image, ruining a portrait. Another time, it might be a referee walking into a perfect shot.

Head over to Twitter to see more of Ely’s work.