I'm shooting a hockey team photo on the ice this friday. I've done plenty of action shooting, but never a team shot (in any sport). Looking for guidance in all areas ... posing, settings, flash?, etc. It's a team only shoot, no individual. I'm shooting action the rest of the game.
I guess my question for lighting is can I simply mount a 580ex on my MkIII and take the shot or is it more complex than that?
Posing ... is there a standard pose for hockey teams? I assume you'd want the goalie(s) in the front row so you see their pads, but then the front row probably isn't standing?
I can use any and all help in any aspect of taking the team photo ...
I'd try to get three rows if possible. If you can bring benches or chairs onto the ice, that would help a lot. Don't let the front row stand. (Of course, this is for a standard posed team shot. Another variation is the mosh-pit approach you often see after a tournament win.) As for lighting, I'd expose for the ambient conditions in the rink, and not try to make your flash the key light. Be mindful of depth of field, and don't shoot it at f/2.8. A simple 580 EX on the hotshoe can provide fill; you'll also get fill from the ice itself. If you can get your flash off-camera, then raise it above and shoot a bit downward; pull out the wide angle diffuser. ETTL will probably work well here; you may have to dial it up or down to taste.
I don't know if I can get benches on the ice or not. Assuming worst case (meaning not), how would I pose them in three rows. I would assume front row kneeling with sticks in front (or do I lose the sticks altogether?), one row standing, but what about the 'other' row? Sitting in front? I would assume goalie(s) would stand on the side(s) so you can see their pads, with coaches outside of them ... ?
F16, 1/160th
three lights, center left and right, as high up as you can and get them pointing back down at the team
pose them at the blue line with the bulk of the ice behind you
this will give you great fall off.
as mentioned three rows works best, just pull some benches from the team bench or locker rooms.
if you cant do three, you'll have to do two, but with the same concept
Thanks Rick. Assuming I can get the benches, how do I arrange the three rows. Obviously, first row is sitting on the bench and the last row is standing. What's the middle row doing?
I don't have a remote flash. I'm pretty well stuck with a flash (580ex II) on the hotshoe.
Thanks Frank. Two rows makes for a wider shot, but it sure does simplify the process and I'm guessing I won't have a tremendous amount of time to get this done.
In the absence of a bench I can just have the front row kneel and the goalies stand on the outside of the back row so you can see their pads flanked by the coaches.
I like Rick's idea of posing them on the blue line so I'm not dealing with the glass flashing in the background (hadn't really thought about that happening - that would probably also play some evil tricks with the exposure ...).
Just for snorts and giggles Frank, where did you have the flash placed for this shot?
Gary....I left out some detail...sorry. For this shoot I was only doing the team and normally I shoot without a tripod. For this one I had the camera on a tripod and I triggered it with a remote switch. The flash was connected with hotshoe cord and I held it slightly camera left.
Also I normally shoot the team shots proportionate but this is what they wanted to be consistent with previous years team shots.
The benches were center ice when I got there. I'm assuming they got them from the regular area they occupy during the game.
Jeff....yeah I hear ya.....but the organization's call on the goalies. They wanted everyone sitting & standing.
Once they hit about age 13 it is tough to get shots of large teams without a bench because they are really BIG.
One of the arenas here has benches just for photos. If you drag 2 benches out - 1st row seated, 2nd row standing, 3rd row standing on 2nd bench. Gave me the chills the first team that wanted to do that, but hey - "that's what we did last year!"
Sometimes the rink has a rec centre that can lend you chairs. You can't stand on their nice chairs, but if you move over to the players bench - a row of chairs in the front, a 2nd row of the shortest players, and a row of the tallest players sitting on the boards. They will hate it, but you really have to push the lines close together. This works also if the front row is kneeling. The most important thing is to get the tallest guys in the back so they don't get lost. You will have a bit of glare on the glass from this, but it's not terrible.
They usually want captains, assistants in the front row with the goalies on each end of the front. I tell them I am taking 3 shots, but if I catch someone sneezing or goofing off I let them know I need a couple more. Biggest team I've done is 18 plus coaches so you have a few more people to try to keep an eye on. (Yes, 15 year old boys still stick out their tongues for some reason!!!)
I always feel a certain amount of pressure with hockey photos, ice is terribly expensive (over $3/minute here) so you don't want to be out there a second longer than you have to. Make sure everything is metered and on stands, then when the zamboni clears you just need to drag it into place. Tell them roughly where to sit while you are tweaking the lights and then fine tune the pose.
Not sure what you need it for, but I try to make the print work as both a 5x7 and 8x10.
Rick mentioned F16/ above. In all the arenas I've shot in around here the background would be pure black at F16, even at 800 IS0. Arena lights are terrible -unless they happen to broadcast some games from the arena. Then you really appreciate those television networks!
Haha, Jeff - Goalies always look awkward. They look like little ants in all that gear!
I hope there is something in there that might help you. All the best.
Thanks guys. Pixart - everything is a help. I'm going to formulate a game plan based on everything that's been posted and hope it works (with a plan B of course). I don't think they're a real picky group, but I'd like to look like I have some clue out there ...
I didn't really think of it, but you think a tripod is the way to go? Makes sense really, just slide it out there, set up the boys and fire away. Already leveled ...
Given that I'm stuck with on-camera flash, I assume I'm better off to be further away (at the 70mm end of my 24-70) or would I be better closer? Should I let the 580 match my focal length or should I drop the diffuser down and spread the flash wider?
As for the f16 and 1/160, they are posing in their black jerseys, so I'm probably better with a lighter background?
The more I'm learning, the more I realize I don't know ...
Any idea what your settings were for that shot? That would probably be a reasonable starting point for me and I'll adjust as necessary. Custom white balance off the ice work or do I need to come up with a grey card?
Just adding to what everyone is said. Don't forget about the "little things". Such as... make sure you have plenty of batteries. At f/16, ISO 800, the OC flash will be the ONLY source of light and therefore will take a long time to recycle between flashes and drain the batteries quickly.
Gary,,,,if I remember correctly - I think (pretty sure) this was done AWB. ISO was 400, either f4.5 or 5.6 and SS was 1/160.
The background extraction was subbed out to the lab that does my T&I processing. Their billing rate was $50 per hour that wound up actually costing me around $20. That BG material was from my T&I lab and I believe it is called "diamond plate" or someting like that.
This shoot took about 30-40 minutes total because there was the "B" Team to do also.
