Wireless Remotes Are Great, Until They’re Not

I’m a HUGE fan of remote-controlled cameras. I’ll use them anywhere I can, and do. They require more effort in set-up and post-processing, but the results are well worth the effort.

Word of caution: Always check with the home team media relations contact before using remotes. Some locations are restricted, and other locations may require special permission. I’ve had one requests taken to the league offices because that remote placement location had never been considered.

I wasn’t always enthusiastic about remotes. Why? Because they didn’t always work.

There is no worse experience than to photograph an entire game and eagerly retrieve your remote, only to discover it never fired. This happens despite doing all the right things in the setup and testing. (See my article entitled “Become a Great Sport Photographer Using Remote Cameras” to learn all the right things).

I have asked photographers from AP, Getty and USA Today, one with 40 years’ experience, how they use remotes. I even asked Canon’s Explorer of Light for sports. None of them had a complete answer.

Thankfully, through much trial and error, I finally cracked to code to consistently getting great results from a wide assortment of arenas and locations. These are my secrets.

The PocketWizard is the most popular radio-controlled devise used by sports photographers. All my tips are in terms of the PocketWizard PLUS III and the PLUS IIIe. The PLUS IIIe is essentially the PLUS III with a software upgrade that can be purchased.

Hint #1 Select All Channels – The PocketWizard had 32 channels, with each channel controlling four zones. A transmitting remote will trigger a receiving remote if they are on the same channel and zone. The changing of channels requires deliberate effort; however, the changing of zones is very easy, and can often be changed accidentally. Transmitters and receivers on different zones won’t fire. Avoid this problem by selecting all four zones on the transmitter and receiver. The remotes will still fire if one zone is accidentally turned off.

Hint #2 Maintain Line of Sight - Radio transmitters cannot penetrate solid objects scoreboards or structures like catwalks over arena floors. Insure there is line of sight between the transmitter and the receiver.

Hint #3 Extended Range Feature - Sometimes there may be line of sight between the radios but the distance between the radios is too great. PocketWizards have a feature termed “long range (LR)” to extend the range.

Hint #4 Bend Corners with Repeater Mode – Many times it’s not possible to have line of sight between the radios. This often happens when placing a remote in the catwalk looking down at the arena floor and a structure like the catwalk structure or the scoreboard is between the transmitter and the receiver. The PocketWizard has a Repeater (RP) feature to address these situations. The repeater is placed at a location visible to both the transmitter and the receiver. In this arrangement the transmitting and repeating radios are set to channel X, and the receiving radio is set to channel X+1.

November 26, 2024

About the Author

Andy Nietupski founded TTL Sport Media in 2015 after a corporate career of business start-ups and turn-arounds. TTLSports Media helps sports organizations optimize their business results using the latest digital sales and marketing techniques. TTL Sports Media publishes thousands of pieces of content annually and curates a catalog of more than 180,000 items on behalf of its client’s interests.

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