I'd love to get some thoughts on my first photos from a Hockey Game. All Nikon D300 with grip (loaded with AA's for 8 fps), ISO 1600 or 3200, 80-200 f2.8, mostly wide open.
Welcome to the wonderful world of hockey photography...
1) Just missed the action in this picture. #24 at the far left looks like he is flying (probably in the process of falling) having him in the frame would be a keeper.
2) Delete. Kind of boring, can't see the eyes of the players...
3) Wow, lots going on here and you have some competition in row one, near the righ of the picture. Might look better cropped on the action, but is a bit too busy (for me)
4) Nice "safe" hockey shot, not too boring, not too exciting, but a good hockey card pic.
5) Delete, see #2.
6) You saved the best for last. Excellent grab. Looks like the linesman is telling the players to slow down. Can't tell if he's a ref, but what's a linesman doing at the goal line? Is that the goal judge sleeping above the linemans left shoulder?
All-in-all nice grabs. I shoot with a D300 as well, but never above ISO200 for the most part. The noise looks awful, but I'm not sure if that's normal for this cam. I should try it sometime and see.
Your white balance and exposure look excellent, now you need to work on composition and anticipation...
For some reason these web shots look worse than the actual files... I'm wondering if LR oversharpened or overcompressed on export. Still less grain then P3200 and good enough for the newspaper. I also think I underexposed slightly, which was corrected in post which may have lead to more noise issues. High ISO can be a crapshoot on the D300. If you absolutely nail the exposure, the images are great; low noise, good color balance and high acuity. If you're off by more than a third of stop, the noise gets bad though.
Sorry Thought I included that. Full Manual, 1/800th @ ISO 3200, f2.8. Shot four was f4.5 @ 1/320th of a second. I'll try a lower ISO and slower speed next time as well. I was a bit hurried; my cut off at the paper is 8:00, and the game didn't start until 5:30 and I had to drive a half hour to get back. Left precious little time to shoot the game. I have to say this was one of the toughest sports I've ever photographed. The action is all over the place, lots of impediments (dirty glass, netting and sheer number of people on the ice) and its happening at a breakneck speed. This makes horse racing, polo, snowmobile racing and skiing look tame. Even rodeo's are easier to figure out.
Awasos23 wrote:
I have to say this was one of the toughest sports I've ever photographed. The action is all over the place, lots of impediments (dirty glass, netting and sheer number of people on the ice) and its happening at a breakneck speed.
It's all about anticipation. If you try to follow the action (watch the bouncing puck), you'll be overwhelmed. Hockey is pretty simple, if you can anticipate.
Players react the same way depending on the circumstance (also depends on the level of hockey, for this, we'll assume professional levels).
Take power plays for example. If you're shooting the home or visiting team which end of the ice to shoot from is important. If I'm shooting the home team (and am at ice level), but in the visitor's end. I know in the 1st and 3rd period, I'm going to get the home team forwards more then the home teams defense men. Conversely, I'll also get the visiting team's goalie and defense men more then the visitors forwards.
I also try to follow one or two players per shift. You can't follow the puck, or you'll be randomly shooting anything that moves. If I'm watching #19 for the home side, I'll follow him, and only him during his shift (again depends on the period and where I am sitting.)
If #19 is a forward, and I'm in the visitor's end, I'll get plenty of shots of #19 (standing in front of the net, digging in the corners). But if I'm in the home teams side, and I am following #19, then I won't get many shots, as that's the nature of the game. I will get shots of him, during power plays, after the visiting team has cleared the puck, and the home team rallies on the home side, to head up ice...
Anticipation...
If you have a plan going in, it's really not that fast a sport... Pick a player or two per shift, and then you'll get the hang of things...
Awasos23 -
Additionally, I would suggest watching the bench a bit also, both for body language and as well as those 'moments' that are reflected in players faces during 'down' (non-shift) times. If you watch the bench, you can somtimes tell what's going to happen 1 or 2 shifts away, be it a grudge match, an attempt at retribution, setting up a 'special occasion' line, etc.
Most important thing you can do is practice - and when you 'shift' levels (say from pro to youth), it's a whole new game again.
BTW, would love to have even that lighting in some of my dungeons...
