Your two down lowest green positions will be best for overall coverage, and given that it's a fairly new and large rink there will probably be cut-out holes in the glass in one or both those positions.
Really, can anyone say there is a "best for overall coverage"? I don't believe so.
I have found that I can get goalies up top just as easily as from ground level. I only have one on my PBase account now, but the last game I shot a few weeks ago I came home with a bunch of shots of the goalie crowding the corner of the goal, looking around the goal with the puck being moved behind him, and save shots. Short of putting a remote in the goal I wasn't sure what more I could have gotten.
Granted, there are times when I have to shoot the goalie and action at ice-level but, again, I wouldn't say it's "best".
Scott Sewell wrote:
Mark, I am curious why you suggest this. Whether shooting through glass or a fence (baseball), I have found that make adjustments in processing yeilds better results than trying to do something in the camera (other than getting exposure).
Just seen this Scott, sorry for the delay in replying..
The less I have to do in post, the better....I work for a wire agency and speed is critical.
I have also found that the glass can dull the shot.
If I know I'm going to be shooting through the glass I'll bring some 'Goo Be Gone', Windex and some paper towels and clean the glass during the time ice is being cleaned and the door is swung back. It helps quite a bit. The shooting angle from behind the goal line provides a great perspective of the shooter's "intensity".
While "goo-off" and Windex are great to clean dirty glass ... bring a razor blade with you (handle optional) and it'll make your cleaning a whole lot easier.
I shot a girls game last week at a municipal think through the glass. The glass was pretty clean and I removed the hood to reduce the reflections off of glass. Held my hand at the end of the lens to prevent banging the lens.
Just shot my first hockey last Saturday night. Through the glass with a 70-200 2.8IS Canon on a 30D. Pressed the hood against the glass. As mentioned earlier, just watch for the flare from not having the hood flat.
That's my cousin playing goalie for the Eastern Washington University Eagles.
Yes the focus tracking is not as crisp as if you were shooting through an opening but I have found it depends on how clean the glass is and what lense. The 300 does not have as much of a problem as the 24-70 with the 70-200 in the middle. The focusing distance is probably the reason, not sure, just what I have experienced.
Another factor is probably how perpindicular you are to the glass.
If shooting kids you really want shots of them coming down scoring a goal with emphasis on the "eyes" so the green dots are best for that. Next the best pictures are when you are level with the players again the "eye" factor not that the high pictures are bad they are just different. The perfect shot will have the goallie, and the player making the shot with the puck between the two with the shooters stick in serious flex mode ie Jim's picture number 2.
BTW Jim GREAT shots of the awesome NU team, "all hail the gang is here"!!!
