How do you not overexpose ice hockey?

Hey guys quick question, when shooting ice hockey, how do you not overexpose and blow out the ice? thanks

more like how do you overexpose!??!

Anyways you should be using a proper shutter speed/ aperature. Take your camera off auto and use center weight metering. Also manual find a shutter / aperature combo.

use the histogram. start with a shot in Av mode, ISO 1600, lens wide open, pointed at open, featureless ice. That's your shot for custom white balance. Look at the histogram -- you should have a single big peak in the middle of the histogram. Now look at the shutter speed the camera selected for that shot. Add 2 1/2 stops. Dial that into M mode. That's about it. Shoot some sample shots during warm-up and check the histogram - you should have a large peak near far right, but not all the way crowding the right edge. OK to have a little blown out, but not too much.

Also use evaluative metering and centre focus point. If your camera picks a focus point by the ice then you'll get a blown exposure and probably a blurred picture. AV and TV won't help if you get the wrong spot wheareas M will give you some security because the settings are locked in.

Personally I review the histogram rather than shoot the ice and in a well lit rink you should be able to use 800 ISO. You're also better off shooting slightly dark and using PP to bring it back than blowing highlights and losing detail.

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If you have set manual exposure and aperture, what is the purpose of evaluative metering?....or have I misunderstood your listed settings?

If lighting is pretty consistent I'd agree that manual settings work best (certainly for me they do) and a sample in the warm up with histogram check gets me my best results.

In a poorly lit rink like my local team I have to run at asa 3200 f 2.8 and on a good day 1/320. On a bad day 1/250th. But then I am not spoilt by the lighting at Coventry Scott!!

The best way is to use an incident meter, then shoot in manual with the readings you get. Generally rinks, I know some that are not even close, the lighting is even though out so a reading from say around the penalty box should be good. It would be nice to adjust , but hockey moving as fast as it does perfect exposure can sometimes be a problem. A big help is learning to recognize neutral gray tones so you can meter off them using the camera (easy to say, wish I could more often).

Jack

all too complex.

you know you need a fast shutter, around 1/500, but you don't know exactly what. So dial in the fastest aperature your lens allows. You know the lighting is awful, so set in ISO1600. Now set you camera to Av mode and shoot blank ice. A sample shot is below, with histogram. Look at the shutter speed that shot used. Add a couple stops to the shutter speed, and that's it. Set that combo into M mode so it's locked. Another shot, with histogram, is also attached. You want the ice to make a large bump in the histogram near, but not all the way, to the right side.

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thanks guys, now when you say add a couple of stops to the shutter speed does that actually mean change the shutter speed or use the dial on my camera that will overexpose/underexpose by adding or subtracting stops? THanks

john s wrote in post #2472061
If lighting is pretty consistent I'd agree that manual settings work best (certainly for me they do) and a sample in the warm up with histogram check gets me my best results.

In a poorly lit rink like my local team I have to run at asa 3200 f 2.8 and on a good day 1/320. On a bad day 1/250th. But then I am not spoilt by the lighting at Coventry Scott!!

I've visited Romford rink and it is very bad. I'm there again in March for the figure skating so hope they have repaired the lighting as it was very dark in the afternoon last year.I agree with your settings but its difficult there because of the window at one end. I always try to use manual and overexpose by 2/3-1 stop. The ice will always fool your exposure meter.

Sorry if I was not clear in my post.

The ice shot used for white balance is shot in Av mode. Camera meters it for gray. Typically I'll get 1/2000 at f2.8, ISO1600. That gives a histogram in the middle, as shown. Now set the camera to manual, and dial in 2 stops more exposure (1/500, f2.8, ISO1600) and you move the histogram to the right. You want it to be as far over as possible with a little gap remaining. In the shot I posted there's room for about 1/2 stop more light, but then the shutter speed would be too slow for my taste.

Shoot in Manual mode to get the exposure that you desire. Some (myself included) prefer the ice to be white and slightly overexpose. I don't see much point in shooting in anything besides Manual. With the sun not being a factor since you're indoors and your meter will just get tricked by the ice, boards, and players's uniforms. Sometimes though in not-so-good facilities the lighting is uneven.

troyer16 wrote in post #2470827
Hey guys quick question, when shooting ice hockey, how do you not overexpose and blow out the ice? thanks

take a shot and then adjust the AEB accordingly