Squirt Hockey Photos--My 2nd Attempt

Hello! No doubt about it...hockey has to be one of the toughest sports to photograph. My first attempt at taking hockey photos with my new 70-200 f/2.8 IS was a big disappointment. Actually, I vowed never to take that lens indoors again. But after reading numerous comments and threads in this forum I mustered the nerve to give it yet another chance.

Here's a couple of shots from this past weekend at my stepson's squirt hockey game (that's him taking the shot in the first picture). I was shooting at 1600 ISO, 1/320 sec @ f/3.5. I had the EC set at +2/3 with the white balance set to flourescent. I was also shooting through the plexiglass as I had no other ideal options for positioning. Any suggestions on how I could improve the IQ for future games?

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Number 1 is a cool shot! Maybe try cropping tighter and pay attention to keeping your camera straight while framing the shot. Hard sometimes, but tilted pics can be distracting. You can always straighten them in PP if they come out a little off. It’s hard to keep things straight sometimes when the action is moving fast!

I hope you don't mind, but I cropped, straightend, and did a bit of color correction.

Hey, thanks for the PP. I posted the original as I do not have PS CS2 yet...but I did shoot the image in RAW so someday I can go back and do those little edits when I get to that point in my skill level. Right now I am just concentrating on trying to do the fundamentals correctly when composing the picture. Thanks again for taking the time to make the comments and the edits. I appreciate it!

shoot at f/2.8 1/400th of a second and just leave IS Off.

ask the coach if you can get in the penalty box, promise free photos to the team (be sure and get one shot of each player). shooting thru glass is a killer at the amateur rinks, as the glass is usually badly scuffed and not well maintained.

custom WB, adjusted for a shot off the ice, will do better for you than flourescent, which gave you a blue cast.

M mode for exposure -- with the auto modes you'll get varying exposure depending on how much ice is in the shot, and that's not what you want.

For little guys, kneel down, so you're shooting level with faces rather than down thru the top of the helmet.

IS mode 2 (panning) or off -- mode 1 just adds blur to the photos if you're panning.

Shot 1 shows good timing.

Thanks, David. That was just what I was looking for...some great advice. The next time there is a game I will try to do just that. My problem was this past weekend it was a tournament for the little tikes and there was a commercial interest there taking photos and selling the CD to the teams. I felt like I had to step kind of lightly for fear of ruffling the feathers of the tournament organizers because I'm quite certain they received something out of the deal.

I'm just wondering...aside from the NHL or other "pro" leagues...are photographers with big lenses shooting an event ever discouraged from taking photos because they conflict with other interests at the arena? Is this something others have heard of?

Hi Jim,

There is a photographer here that sells prints, CDs, etc. to people at our weekend tournaments. He shoots all sports in the area and does quite well. I had a chat with him at one of the tournaments and he was very helpful and even offered to share his 'scaffold'. The local hockey association has no arrangement with him other than to encourage him to be at the tournaments. We publicize his website and provide him space but nothing more.

He was not concerned about me shooting the games at all.

Dan

Thanks for the info, Dan. I guess whenever someone is trying to make a buck it always makes me wonder if my hobby is somehow infringing on what they are trying to do professionally . I had several people come up to me asking if I was "the official photographer" for the games, and of course I said, no...just a parent wanting some action shots of his kid. Maybe it was the way they framed the question to me, but I felt just a little strange about it. I guess this shows I'm still a newbie at sports photography and probably shouldn't even be concerned about such things.

Warning... Tread jack!

Off topic, but it's a good topic. I was just discussing this with someone. I know the feeling. Not an issue with the hockey league my son is in, but with my daughter's gymnastic meets I always feel like I am walking on eggshells! Not only because they normally have a hired photographer selling very expensive mouse pads, 8X10s, and key chains, but more so because this world we live in immediately casts suspicion on those snapping photos around kids. I make it VERY obvious that I am shooting one kid, mine, unless a parent from HER TEAM asks me to shoot their kid too. Maybe I am just being paranoid, but the way things are, I don't take the chance.

On the flip side. I have to admit that if some creepy looking dude (not that I'm ALL THAT creepy looking) was at a meet taking photos of my daughter with a huge (to most people) camera and lens, and I knew he wasn't the hired photog or from a local newspaper, I may have to wonder why... Sad but true!

Excellent point. I think in the case of hockey with them wearing so many pads and loose fitting clothing I find it hard to believe some pervert could get many thrills from hockey photos...but then again, I don't know what pops their cork. After seeing some of my hockey pictures I had a volleyball coach (friend of my wife's) ask if I could take pictures of her team in action. These would be young girls wearing tight fitting clothing. I politely declined mostly because I wanted this to remain fun and not something I felt pressured to do. The thought never occured to me that others could be wondering about the intentions of the photog. But I think you are right on by bringing this topic up for at least some careful consideration by all of us who take pictures on a freelance basis.

David gave you some good advice. Ask the coach if it is ok to sit in the penelty box or even on the bench. Put any good photos up on a web site like flicker etc to allow parents access. At this level it should is possible if you have the right coach. I have been shooting my son's team for two years from the bench. Stay with the 70-200. It will do great if you just keep working at it. I shoot with the old 1D 4MP and it works great. good luck.

I forgot one important thing, use a momo pod. It will definatley help improve your shots..

Thanks, Minimako! Yea, I do use a monopod. There's some great advice on here that I intend to try for my next game. Unfortunately, I am heading out of town on business until next week so it will have to wait awhile to give it all a try. Thanks again to all who answered this thread.