My 1st hockey Shoot

[tcc]

Hello All,

With the help of great threads posted here about how to set up your camera and other tips, I shot my first hockey game Friday. It's just a friendly game of pick-up with guys from my work. Usually I'd play but with the way my back has been I'm sidelined for now.

I picked up a 70-200 2.8 IS recently and wanted to test this bad boy out. WOW!! Even with an XTi I was amazed at the quality I got.

All pictures were custom white balanced from a shot of the ice, set on Av at 2.8, and iso at 1600. A little PP was done and some noise reduction.

CC welcome.

Btw one of the players, co-worker, wants me to send him these pictures so it can be posted on the work intranet. Should I copyright them like below or just give him the touched up versions (no watermark, etc)?

1.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/slvr-bullet/Hockey/36.jpg

2.
Yes that's a girl and the only one.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/slvr-bullet/Hockey/37.jpg

3.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/slvr-bullet/Hockey/10.jpg

4.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/slvr-bullet/Hockey/13.jpg

5.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/slvr-bullet/Hockey/23.jpg

6.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/slvr-bullet/Hockey/24.jpg

7.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/slvr-bullet/Hockey/35.jpg

8.
Although a little OOF, I like the ice spray.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/slvr-bullet/Hockey/4.jpg

[DHMN]

If your friends/co-workers plan on making prints from your pictures then the copyright will require you to give them releases or the Wal-Mart or wherever employees aren't supposed to let copyright material leave the store when you go to have them "coded" (aka print the bar-code for your photo envelope) for the cashier to scan. Better off leaving the mark off if its' just co-workers.

[Darsk47]

Some CC - you need faces and pucks. You've got only one decent shot of a face in the mix. (#4) Face -puck-net is the trifecta. Shoot tight and crop tighter, watch the dasher board stays level or your skaters are going downhill (#2).

Cheers

[tcc]

Thanks Darsk47. As this being my 1st hockey game I didn't know what I should be looking for. Albeit I was situated in the penalty box and couldn't get nice head-on shots unless the player(s) were coming up/down the side board closest to me. That's why the back/side shots.

For some strange reason I tend to have my camera tilted to the right. I found when PP the pictures I had to straighten most of them. Hence #2 looks like downhill. If I were to straighten it out I would've lost the image of the puck.

Another thing I found REALLY hard was that I was constantly zooming in and out as the players went up and down the ice. Is this what I should be doing or is there a certain technique I should be using?

[Daniel Silva]

Hi tcc

very impressive pictures, im not a fan of hockey but I like photography and this ones are nice pics, :) you should be a reporter :)

[Darsk47]

Thanks Darsk47. As this being my 1st hockey game I didn't know what I should be looking for. Albeit I was situated in the penalty box and couldn't get nice head-on shots unless the player(s) were coming up/down the side board closest to me. That's why the back/side shots.

For some strange reason I tend to have my camera tilted to the right. I found when PP the pictures I had to straighten most of them. Hence #2 looks like downhill. If I were to straighten it out I would've lost the image of the puck.

Another thing I found REALLY hard was that I was constantly zooming in and out as the players went up and down the ice. Is this what I should be doing or is there a certain technique I should be using?

Since you play, you should anticipate the play. Don't try to follow it like a video camera. Watch for the breakout play to turn up ice and know the wingers are coming at you and attempt to shoot them then. Know most players are turning right foot over left so anticipate it and be prepared.

If you have that much of a tilt and can't straighten it or you lose the puck, then the shot is not likely worth saving. It would have to some really some bizarre play happening that you couldn't catch again. Your tilted shot is just the backside of two players fighting for the puck - honestly I wouldn't even make it to PP with that.

On the 70-200, I'm forever zooming with it - my preference. I'm attempting to fill as much of the frame as possible with something relevant. There's a few members on here who shoot hockey with a 100mm or 300mm prime and even the odd 400mm. (that's a lot of reach for a hockey rink) The primes are a different thought process to capturing the shots.

Read as much as you can about it here and other sports too - many of the points made can apply across different sports.

Keep shooting and keep posting.

Cheers,

[tcc]

Since you play, you should anticipate the play. Don't try to follow it like a video camera. Watch for the breakout play to turn up ice and know the wingers are coming at you and attempt to shoot them then. Know most players are turning right foot over left so anticipate it and be prepared.

Thank you for the tip. That's exactly what I was doing (video camera style) at first and then found it hard to keep track of the play/puck.

Without having good vantage points behind the goalies to get on coming shots/breakaways I didn't like the fact that I had to get the player's back while taking a shot at the net/goalie.

Also it would probably help if I had better equipment with faster fps :D

[Darsk47]

Without having good vantage points behind the goalies to get on coming shots/breakaways I didn't like the fact that I had to get the player's back while taking a shot at the net/goalie.


Behind the goalie is a tough spot. Look at the plexi back there next time you're in a rink. Thousands of puck marks among other nasties on the glass. You spent some serious coin on getting a nice lens, and now will shoot through that mess? If there is a photo hole in the corner, good. A penalty box without plexi is prime real estate, especially if you have free access to it.


Also it would probably help if I had better equipment with faster fps

You've got sufficient gear now. There are a ton of shooters on here, this sports section of the forum specifically, who would love to have a 70-200 2.8L. A body that delivers a faster fps does not mean you get a better shot .....the spray and pray method.

You'll find that it's better to time your shots, anticipate the play.

cheers

[vector18]

Hi

Great pictures

I find it easy to shoot from the left or right side of the goalie, easier to get good focus compared to having the players comming towards you.

I also try to use a shutter speed between 800-1250 (depends on the amount of availible light at the rink) to freeze the moment as good as possible.

I think Hockey is one of the hardest sports to take pictures off, and lots of practice is needed to get a good resault.

I use Nikon 80-200mm F2.8

Morten

My hockey pictures
www.rustad.net

[tomd]

Morten,
Very nice shots on your web site.

[tcc]

Behind the goalie is a tough spot. Look at the plexi back there next time you're in a rink. Thousands of puck marks among other nasties on the glass. You spent some serious coin on getting a nice lens, and now will shoot through that mess? If there is a photo hole in the corner, good. A penalty box without plexi is prime real estate, especially if you have free access to it.

You've got sufficient gear now. There are a ton of shooters on here, this sports section of the forum specifically, who would love to have a 70-200 2.8L. A body that delivers a faster fps does not mean you get a better shot .....the spray and pray method.

You'll find that it's better to time your shots, anticipate the play.

cheers

Yah I know that shooting through the plexi is a no no. I just wish that more rinks or rinks in general had photo holes in them to get those types of shots.

Although fps won't help in a better shot but would enable me to get THE shot. As I'm following the play and start snapping away there's a point where my camera will be busy writing to the card and that's where the fps might help so I don't miss that important play/picture. 3fps vs 6.3/6.5 fps (40D/50D).

@ vector18
Very nice shots. Were there photo holes at the side which enabled you to get those side goalie shots?

[vector18]

Photo holes are not aloud in Norway, so all picture are shot through the plexi. The plexi are usualy cleaner at the sides then behind the goalie.

Morten

My hockey pictures
www.rustad.net