High School Hockey

[Lacks_focus]

Haven't posted in sports for a while. Hockey season has started; we are only 3 games in to it so far. Thought I'd post a few. CC is most welcome as I'm trying to improve as the season progresses.

All are with my 1D2 and 70-200. I did get to shoot in a college rink for one game. The light was good enough to use my 300 f/4! ISO is 1600 and all are shot wide open. Shutter speeds vary per rink, but typicaly are 1/320. PP is resize, levels, and USM only.

1. A little dark in this rink. Pre season game. I was shaking the cobwebs out, hadn't shot hockey for several months before this.
http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/photos/436458615_nBDwj-XL.jpg

2.
http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/photos/439212763_g8b7K-XL.jpg

3. with the 300 f/4
http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/photos/442512724_rCEkP-XL.jpg

4.
http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/photos/444227012_rmALS-XL.jpg

5.
http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/photos/444207549_MgP2N-XL.jpg

[Tigron]

Nice !

[dawiyo]

Shots look great. Only advice would maybe be a tighter crop on #1.

[tomd]

Looks like these kids don't use the mouth guard much. It's hanging from the side of their mouth. (shots #2, #4)

Nice shots.

[Lacks_focus]

Looks like these kids don't use the mouth guard much. It's hanging from the side of their mouth. (shots #2, #4).

Yeah, I think they are basically decorations. I haven't noticed the Refs or Coaches saying anything. League rules. I guess they can enforce having them, but actually using them...

Thanks for the comments. I agree on a tighter crop for #1. My work flow is pick the 100 to 150 shots I want to keep out of the 700-900 shots per game. Then have a quick second look (using large thumbnails) for any that NEED to be cropped. After that, batch process!!! I'm lazy! I do try to get it framed while shooting, but some slip through. Also, I promised I'd have the pics up that night or next day by lunch at the latest, so I can't afford to spend too much time per pic and I am not quitting the day job any time soon:o...

[SquareOne]

I love #4. Great WB, like the DOF/Blur of the puck coming at the viewer, and a great facial capture (which can be hard with kids w/cages). Can't wait to see more from this season.

-Robbo

[dlpasco]

Nice shots. I haven't tried using my 300 f/4 indoors yet. After seeing how nice it works for you I may give it a go this weekend.

For USA Hockey youth divisions, the referee issues a warning for the first "mouthguard not in place" infraction for the team. After that, it is a ten minute misconduct penalty.

[namasste]

1 and 4 are quite good. 2 and 3 just aren't keepers imo. 2 has no puck and both sticks cutoff and 3 cuts off the top player and the angle is a bit awkward. The last is good but I'd straighten the horizon and crop to eliminate most of the net as it adds little but makes the composition odd. I did a really quick edit of 1 just to show you a tiny bit of time (less than 1 minute in this case) can really improve an image. Straighten, crop, a little shadow lift in the face, small exposure bump, and a little added saturation and that's that.

http://www.sephotos.net/img/v5/p871204354-3.jpg

[Lacks_focus]

Thanks for the suggestions. I agree, and like your edit. I used to spend a lot more time per pic, but that was when I was just shooting my own kid and processing at my own pace. This is a little different for me. Now I'm shooting for a team and try to have the pics up right away. After a few games, the pictures are starting to look the same to me! The opposing team jerseys and the rinks are the starting to be the only difference I can see between the games. A few kids really break out and wind up in my view finder most of the time. I don’t want to miss any action, so I'll still shoot everything; I think I'll just be more selective on what gets worked.

[CanadianKitKat]

Nice shots. I really like 4.

[kwkodiak]

Good action. Have you tried to take some shots vertically?

[namasste]

Thanks for the suggestions. I agree, and like your edit. I used to spend a lot more time per pic, but that was when I was just shooting my own kid and processing at my own pace. This is a little different for me. Now I'm shooting for a team and try to have the pics up right away. After a few games, the pictures are starting to look the same to me! The opposing team jerseys and the rinks are the starting to be the only difference I can see between the games. A few kids really break out and wind up in my view finder most of the time. I don’t want to miss any action, so I'll still shoot everything; I think I'll just be more selective on what gets worked.I find that once I find a "zone" in my post work I can roll through images really quickly.

[Shadiow]

Nice shots. I haven't tried using my 300 f/4 indoors yet. After seeing how nice it works for you I may give it a go this weekend.

For USA Hockey youth divisions, the referee issues a warning for the first "mouthguard not in place" infraction for the team. After that, it is a ten minute misconduct penalty.

I have officiated Ice Hockey (USA/NFHS/NCAA) for 14 years. I have penalized someone for a mouthgaurd violation... maybe once. The only time I can recall was when I asked a kid to get it in and he pulled it out of a glove during summer hockey. I told he made us both look like an ass and stuck him in the box. Officials RARELY penalize anyone for mouthguard violations.

[Lacks_focus]

Good action. Have you tried to take some shots vertically?

I have shot in the vertical / portrait mode to see what I end up with. It does work, but when I try it, I end up with sportrait style shots. To me hockey is a "horizontal" sport, and to capture the action you should use that orientation.

Have you had luck capturing action in portrait mode?

I have a game tonight; maybe I’ll give it another try.

http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/photos/436454017_4NwFe-XL.jpg

[Hotsauce]

I have officiated Ice Hockey (USA/NFHS/NCAA) for 14 years. I have penalized someone for a mouthgaurd violation... maybe once. The only time I can recall was when I asked a kid to get it in and he pulled it out of a glove during summer hockey. I told he made us both look like an ass and stuck him in the box. Officials RARELY penalize anyone for mouthguard violations.

Not where I play. If it was dangling like that the ref would come to the bench and give the whole team a warning and next person to get caught gets 10 minutes to think.

Nice shots :)

[Shadiow]

Not where I play. If it was dangling like that the ref would come to the bench and give the whole team a warning and next person to get caught gets 10 minutes to think.

Nice shots :)

Hockey Canada is much more progressive on equipment violations than we are in the states. Hell, you guys have been required to wear neck guards for as long as I can remember. In my area... we do checks at the face off... and then that's it.

My line goes a little like this: "Centers... Come into my face off with your mouthpiece in your mouth. What you do with it after that... I don't care. Just don't make us all look like ass holes in front of the fans and my supervisors and we will all be good." And every single face off they come in with it in. I might dish a few centers, but I never send them to the bench.

[dlpasco]

I'm just getting ready to leave for a hockey tournament in Rock Springs, WY - High School A division. I can guarantee that if any of my players has his mouthpiece out of place that there will be one warning given to the team and the next will be a ten minute misconduct. We are part of the Northern Plains District of USA Hockey.

BTW - I, like almost all USAH certified coaches in the Wyoming Hockey Association, am a certified USAH official as well.

Hockey Canada is much more progressive on equipment violations than we are in the states. Hell, you guys have been required to wear neck guards for as long as I can remember. In my area... we do checks at the face off... and then that's it.

My line goes a little like this: "Centers... Come into my face off with your mouthpiece in your mouth. What you do with it after that... I don't care. Just don't make us all look like ass holes in front of the fans and my supervisors and we will all be good." And every single face off they come in with it in. I might dish a few centers, but I never send them to the bench.

[kwkodiak]

I have shot in the vertical / portrait mode to see what I end up with. It does work, but when I try it, I end up with sportrait style shots. To me hockey is a "horizontal" sport, and to capture the action you should use that orientation.

Have you had luck capturing action in portrait mode?

I have a game tonight; maybe I’ll give it another try.

http://lacks-focus.smugmug.com/photos/436454017_4NwFe-XL.jpg

Here's a few examples of vertical hockey shots:

#1

http://leephotography.smugmug.com/photos/447609035_onMSt-XL.jpg


#2

http://leephotography.smugmug.com/photos/447609024_zHUbK-XL.jpg

#3

http://leephotography.smugmug.com/photos/413279867_DsRGn-XL.jpg

#1 were shot with a 300mm; #3 was shot with a 70-200; all are uncropped.