There are interesting shots wherever people congregate. I packed an Olympus OM-D E-M10 with a Panasonic 20mm F/1.7 II ASPH lens, set the ISO to 800 and the aperture wide open, then explored the venue before gametime.

Staffer at Oracle Arena. Photos by Derrick Story.

The confined space kept people close together and generated a kind of human energy, that for me, comes across in the images. Plus, the anticipation of the first NBA playoff game of the season for the front-running Warriors definitely served as a booster.

Fan with Foam Finger

The Panasonic 20mm is a terrific street shooting lens for micro four thirds cameras. It has a natural field of view, is very fast, and it doesn't attract attention to itself, especially on the petite E-M10.

Young Fan

Everyone around me knew I was taking pictures. Although I worked quickly and composed on the tilting LCD screen. I think it's less intrusive to photograph people that way than to hold the camera up to my face and direct it at theirs.

Young Girl with Knit Warriors Cap

Once the game started, I switched to the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 for crowd portraits and action on the court. Again, wide open, but this time at ISO 1600 to compensate for the lower light levels.

Vendor in the Aisles

I organized the images in Aperture 3.6 and processed the B&W in Nik's Sliver Efex Pro 2.

The OM-D E-M10 with the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 has a high Nimbleosity Rating. What does that mean? You can learn about Nimbleosity and more by visiting TheNimblePhotographer.com.

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