Yup I know what you mean about the horns when in the catwalks. I will say you might want to check if you have any restrictions being above the ice during the games. I have had some problems being above a playing surface to check equipment. One time I almost got my credential pulled except as some sites consider that a no-no.
I am shooting for the local radio station that broadcasts the game, and have a proper media credential. Hopefully that'll clear up some questions about how I get the angles I do!
It is my pleasure to share some highlights, the rest can be see on my gallery here.
My goal is photojournalism style, and shots that can be hung on the wall at a sports bar or similar, or anything that could sell. I'm still trying to define WHAT it is I'm trying to capture. Comments and critique are welcome.
#1
#2
#3 Aaron Johnson suffers an injury to his "left side" during the game. Gotta love the NHL's injury disclosure rules.
#4 Duncan Keith makes a quick save after the puck trickles past backup goaltender Cristobal Huet, who replaced the injured Johnson from the above photo.
#5 Victory! Three games in the making, previous games there were no faceoffs directly below me.
#6 Patrick Marleau scores using a wrap-around move that catches backup goaltender Cristobal Huet out of position.
#7 Patrick Marleau celebrating shortly after. This is not the best angle to capture it, but it was the best I could do with my angle and I think it turned out good in that respect.
#8 Fog horn used when the San Jose Sharks score a goal. Take a look at this quote from the manufacturer's website:
It's a bit scary when it's used and I'm in the catwalks!
-Justin
justin, it's great that you are shooting for the radio station, it's great you have a credential.
i have a credential also, my stuff stays private for a number of reasons.
I love being a rafter rat. I always leave all my equipment outside or on the main catwalk to make sure I dont drop anything.
I love the first photo, interesting framing.
Some of the photos I wouldnt know what was going out with out the captions, like the goal celebration. From that angle it could be lining up for a faceoff, or skating off the ice.
Personally for one ice level I like to shoot from deep in the corners, or if access is available center ice (with a hole). I think moments like the D-man saving the puck would proably be better from there. That being said, sitting from the face off dot you can get the shots of the goalies handing the puck, D men pushing people around and such.
Can you tell I think alot about this?
Great job overall, I wish I got to enjoy NHL light arenas year round, but I do shoot at the Garden at least twice a year for the Beanpot and for the Hockey East Tournament, man I wish I could have light like that year round!
I do like that you tried different angles. The type of shot will depend a lot on who your audience is.
For example - a sports bar that has autographs typically would be a photo showing the face of the player - isolation shots can be popular for this type of thing over peak action. For newsprint the reverse is true. The more you have to explain the shot the more that shot should be for an educated audience. Something that is going to be hanging on a wall should tell the story without a caption - so even if a person doesn't know the name they see it and say 'cool'. Versus shots you'll see in magazines where there's a story about a player - you'll see some creative staged shots and probably an isolation or action shot. So, since it sounds like you want to make money off this - find out what client base you want to sell to and start looking at the pro work they're currently buying.
On the shots - I like 1 and 5 they're both interesting to me as a non hockey fan. The others don't work much for me - but don't take that too hard, I'm just not a hockey fan. So, for a hockey shot to interest me it has to be either great action / emotion or just a unique composition. So the other shots from the rafters for me lose the sense of action. It works for the face-off because of composition but for the other shots it loses too much of the human element for me. Good luck and keep trying new things.
Hello BradfordBenn, thanks for the concern. I make sure to ask beforehand. Loosing the privilege is the last thing I want to do, some very nice people have trusted me with something special and I try my best to respect it.
Hey Winger, thanks for the comments. Most time is spent in one of the holes at the corner of the rink by the face off circles as you mentioned. But sometimes I volunteer the hole to another photog and head upstairs for the overhead shots (which are tons of fun). Yes I can see you really enjoy what you do, but I find that more I try and think about shooting the less keepers I get. When following the action without thought I tend to get my better shots.
And as for you Marc, I don't know where to begin. I feel like you're not done complaining though, so go ahead and get it all out of your system.
I'm a big hockey fan, and these are some very good shots. Good job Justin.
On a side note though, I do have to mention that the caption for #4 doesn't make sense, as Johnson is a defenseman and Huet is a goalie (thus Huet wouldn't have been replacing Johnson).
For example - a sports bar that has autographs typically would be a photo showing the face of the player - isolation shots can be popular for this type of thing over peak action. For newsprint the reverse is true. The more you have to explain the shot the more that shot should be for an educated audience. Something that is going to be hanging on a wall should tell the story without a caption - so even if a person doesn't know the name they see it and say 'cool'. Versus shots you'll see in magazines where there's a story about a player - you'll see some creative staged shots and probably an isolation or action shot. So, since it sounds like you want to make money off this - find out what client base you want to sell to and start looking at the pro work they're currently buying.
So, for a hockey shot to interest me it has to be either great action / emotion or just a unique composition.
Both well said. I actually just commented on a photo from the "post your best photo thread" on the same idea. When it is a subject that isnt your interest but someone can STILL pull you in with a photo, that is a great shot!
Now with all this rafter monkey talk, I think I am going to have to head up to the rafters tonight for a period. ( I usually wait until midway thru the season, to make sure I have enough "safety" shots to cover my bases).
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justin, it's great that you are shooting for the radio station, it's great you have a credential.
i have a credential also, my stuff stays private for a number of reasons.
enjoy shooting, and stop bragging.
I love the first photo, interesting framing.
Some of the photos I wouldnt know what was going out with out the captions, like the goal celebration. From that angle it could be lining up for a faceoff, or skating off the ice.
Personally for one ice level I like to shoot from deep in the corners, or if access is available center ice (with a hole). I think moments like the D-man saving the puck would proably be better from there. That being said, sitting from the face off dot you can get the shots of the goalies handing the puck, D men pushing people around and such.
Can you tell I think alot about this?
Great job overall, I wish I got to enjoy NHL light arenas year round, but I do shoot at the Garden at least twice a year for the Beanpot and for the Hockey East Tournament, man I wish I could have light like that year round!
For example - a sports bar that has autographs typically would be a photo showing the face of the player - isolation shots can be popular for this type of thing over peak action. For newsprint the reverse is true. The more you have to explain the shot the more that shot should be for an educated audience. Something that is going to be hanging on a wall should tell the story without a caption - so even if a person doesn't know the name they see it and say 'cool'. Versus shots you'll see in magazines where there's a story about a player - you'll see some creative staged shots and probably an isolation or action shot. So, since it sounds like you want to make money off this - find out what client base you want to sell to and start looking at the pro work they're currently buying.
On the shots - I like 1 and 5 they're both interesting to me as a non hockey fan. The others don't work much for me - but don't take that too hard, I'm just not a hockey fan. So, for a hockey shot to interest me it has to be either great action / emotion or just a unique composition. So the other shots from the rafters for me lose the sense of action. It works for the face-off because of composition but for the other shots it loses too much of the human element for me. Good luck and keep trying new things.
Hey Winger, thanks for the comments. Most time is spent in one of the holes at the corner of the rink by the face off circles as you mentioned. But sometimes I volunteer the hole to another photog and head upstairs for the overhead shots (which are tons of fun). Yes I can see you really enjoy what you do, but I find that more I try and think about shooting the less keepers I get. When following the action without thought I tend to get my better shots.
And as for you Marc, I don't know where to begin. I feel like you're not done complaining though, so go ahead and get it all out of your system.
-J
-J
On a side note though, I do have to mention that the caption for #4 doesn't make sense, as Johnson is a defenseman and Huet is a goalie (thus Huet wouldn't have been replacing Johnson).
http://wolftep.smugmug.com/
Both well said. I actually just commented on a photo from the "post your best photo thread" on the same idea. When it is a subject that isnt your interest but someone can STILL pull you in with a photo, that is a great shot!
Now with all this rafter monkey talk, I think I am going to have to head up to the rafters tonight for a period.
#5 is great, I was at that game. I did see pepole on the cat walk maybe that was you up there. Great photo's by the way.
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brncr6, maybe it was! And thanks for the note.
Andy, nice to finally meet you this weekend. Thanks again for feeding us, the food was great! Cheers,
-Justin
I totally was running around the catwalks on friday night all thanks to this thread.
So sad that the hockey break is coming up. Two whole weeks off from shooting
I'd like to see what you captured!
-J