FieldHockey- any tips out there?

anselwannab
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · FieldHockey- any tips out there?

Second year of girls HS fieldhockey for my daughter. Upgrades from 3002.8ISv1 to a 200-400/4-1.4x for this season- and WOW, what a lens. I though that the less light and depth control might be an issue- but the range on that on my 1DXII is just AMAZING. And great quality.

I watched a couple of pros shoot the varsity teams. One had at least a 400/2.8 and shot from the the sidelines about 1/3 from one goal end. When my daughters game came on, I went to the other teams gaol end and shot from the end line back up the field. I try to be on the left side of the goal, so I get more of the right hander shots. (I guess they are all pretty much right handed). the 200-400+1.4 lets me shoot all the wya down the field and even get pretty good defense shots (as long as no one is in the way). With some cropping in post, the shots are plenty good for the girls Insta posts.

I guess my shots aren't that much different than the ones from the end. As the girls have gotten faster, I've moved away from nearer the goal to make sure I don't get beaned. I can even be 5-10 yards from the end line. I like that I think I get better face-on shots from the ends.

Where do most people stand for pics? I get the side shots, but sometimes I feel like I'm either blocking people (I sit on a stool for lower height) or people get in my way as a shoot down the longer side.

No one has stopped me from shooting from the ends. I don't look that friendly and a 300 or 200-400 pretty much makes people think I should be there.

Is there a 'greatest' shooter for fieldhockey?

Aug 31, 2023 at 12:49 AM

cocodrillo
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · FieldHockey- any tips out there?

I haven't shot a lot of field hockey -- last game I did was for the Aussie men's national team about a decade ago. I don't think anything I did is any different and certainly not any better than what you've been doing. I was shooting with a 500mm lens the whole time, aiming for faces up and body contact/contestation for the ball.

I sat my butt down on the end line inside the fence towards the outside edge of the field. Originally I was lined up with with where the 'D' line meets the end line. Bad idea... that, apparently, was a key target for the passing routes. I moved.

One thing I did and one thing I would do next time. What I did was bring a rubber mat to sit on due to the spraying of the field -- I wanted to stay dry. What I would do now is bring something like a length of 4x4 wrapped in old towels or something like that and put in front of my position. At the level I shot the ball stayed on the ground out where I was sitting.

I did also do some shooting from about fifteen yards up the sideline for open-field action.

Sep 03, 2023 at 07:20 AM

themb3life
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · FieldHockey- any tips out there?

My oldest plays HS F/H, this week I was on vaca and shot both games. I used my R6 with a Sigma 150-600 (rental) as that field stadium was huge so thought I could use it but the sun was in the worst spot so I didn’t sit in the stands. It ended up being too much so I had to stand way back on the grounds to get the most of it. Her team isn’t very good so what I did was be 15-20yds up field from their goal as I knew a lot of the action would be there.

The 2nd game I just used my G2 70-200 and sat close to the field, I just used the 1.6x crop to punch in if I needed it. For this game, I sat the same distance up the field, I got some great close shots.

What I found was the 150-600 was too long as I was too close. I was telling a buddy who shoots his son’s soccer games with his RF100-500. I felt that a 100-300/350 type lens was the best range. I would rather need to crop in than be too close.

My daughter is a Sr Captn and for Sr. Night, I am going to rent the RF100-300 so I can shoot all the seniors close so the parents can get some printable size files.

I am far from a sports shooter but I got a better flow on game 2. If you wanna see the pics, I have them on my FB page for the parents. Michael Frederick Photography. (I have a blue shirt and scally cap as profile pic).

Sep 09, 2023 at 08:37 PM

jcnemy
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · FieldHockey- any tips out there?

I've never shot field hockey....a few lacrosse games...which I suspect the shooting techniques would be the same.

Good advice has already been shared but I'll add some general concepts to consider, which I suspect you're aware of...but in case:

- position where the light is the best on the players. For me, I always try to keep the sun behind me or position myself where the shadow angle on faces is the least impacting.

- position where you can capture frontal action or enough of it to get faces, eyes, and/or expression.

- Shoot low

- Position where backgrounds are smooth or not distracting. Try to keep all the field clutter out of shots...very hard to do in a lot of places...so it's a constant struggle and could limit a lot of shots.

- lastly, be situationally aware of players and the ball. As they say in football...."head on a swivel" so not to get hurt by a player extending to make a play or that ball hitting you or your gear.

Based on the above...rarely do all those come into play at once, so it's a juggle/balance act of making lemonade out of the lemons handed to you.

JC

Sep 10, 2023 at 11:01 AM

Llewtwo
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · FieldHockey- any tips out there?

It's a fun sport to photograph. A 400 is about ideal so long as you have a 70-200 or similar on a second body. When they have passed the midline and are approaching the goal you will want to switch to the shorter lens. The end line gives the best, in my opinion, head on photographs. The sideline is not a bad place but the shots are more of the side than the head on view you get from the end line. I will slide up the sideline if my team is not attacking my goal as much as I would like. Over the course of the game it's good to mix it up some. It's a difficult sport to get the player shooting the ball and the ball going in. Most goals seemed to be scored off from scrums in front of the goal so it's not the cleanest of action. You do not want to lower your camera when they are battling in front of the goal. Most fields offer some very nice backgrounds and on a cloudy day to filter the harsh sunlight you can obtain some very nice images. They generally do not receive the attention that other sports do so they seem appreciative of the coverage.

Sep 13, 2023 at 03:13 PM


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