Shooting Ice Hockey tomorrow

Manfr3dManfr3d Registered Users Posts: 2,008 Major grins
edited December 6, 2006 in Technique
Hi all!

My local student/campus news site wants
me to take pictures of our anual student
vs professors ice hockey cup. It's mostly
a fun event where the teams dress up
like superman, bunnys or in other bizare
outfits.

I've read threads on ice hockey photgraphy
here and on other forums and learned that
high iso and wire open aperature are essential
to not have blurred images. I'm not shooting
with a flash and the arena isn't the most well
lit.

I'm going to be shooting with a 28-75mm/2.8
on a crop body (~45-120mm/2.8). Until now
I've been avoiding the manual mode of my
camera, but some ppl suggest that m mode
is a very good idea for ice hockey because
the lighting stays constant.

I'd like to know what benefits M has over
Av/Tv for my shoot tomorrow. Is there a
trick to get an idea for good exposure
values without alot of trial and error
(like meter of the players jerseys or sth?!).

Also I'd like to know where it's best to stand
(where most action happens) with my zoom range.

Acess is very good in the arena, here are a few overview shots:
87.jpg
110.jpg

I've packed my gloves researched hockey rules
and threads and would apreciate any further
advices you sports shooters can give me!

I hope this shoot isn't going to be a total newbie disaster.
“To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
― Edward Weston

Comments

  • UT ScottUT Scott Registered Users Posts: 175 Major grins
    edited December 6, 2006
    I've never shot hockey but I watch a lot. I'd say the best place to be would be right by the net on the side. You should be able to zoom in close enough to get some good shots. Try getting into a spot where you can shoot the player head on taking a shot.

    About M mode over Av and Tv, if you're in M then you know what the exposure will be once you get it set right. If you're in Av or Tv and something weird happens and the the camera thinks it needs to slow down or speed up the shutter then you will miss the exposure on the shot. Since the lighting is going to be the same then just find the settings that work and keep them there. Most of all, have fun! wings.gif

    Oh yeah, about finding the right settings without a lot of trial and error, you will probably want a shutter of at least 1/250th so chances are your ISO will be jacked up quite a bit. But a little trick I found that works alright to get an idea of where you should be is to put it in Av with your lens wide open and see what shutter the camera is setting it to. Then switch to manual and adjust for the one that works.

    btw, if most of this doesn't make sense it's because I've just spent the last 2 hours writing a paper and my head hurts eek7.gif
    Check out my site
  • controldcontrold Registered Users Posts: 146 Major grins
    edited December 6, 2006
    Manfr3d,

    There are many more qualified than myself - and I suspect you've read the advice from others to me recently in the Sports forum. That being said...

    Most important thing - if you have to shoot through the glass get someone to clean it for you first on the inside! :D I have a bunch of ruined shots from my last attempt at hockey due to smudges on the glass.

    If you are shooting with the 28-75 I'd say your going to want to stick in one corner of the rink for two periods, as you will be limited to that end of the ice, and that will allow you to hopefully get good shots of the attacking team and the defending goalie in each period. If you get a ton of shots you feel good about in the first 2 periods then try something different for the 3rd. Either go to the center ice area, or stand just to the side of the back of the net.

    I've found that it is easier to fix image noise if you don't have to crop too severly than recover a blurry image due to slow shutter, so push that ISO to whatever your rig allows you to take workable shots with and shoot wide open in Av. If you are shooting RAW don't stress about the WB and you can consider going M with a decent shutter speed (based on testing during warmup) and fine tune the exposure in post.

    Hope this helps a bit.

    - Mike
    http://mikeapted.smugmug.com/

    Canon 30D | 10D
    Canon 10-22 | 28-135 f3.5-5.6 | 70-200 f4L | 100-400 f4-5.6L
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  • Manfr3dManfr3d Registered Users Posts: 2,008 Major grins
    edited December 6, 2006
    UT Scott wrote:
    I've never shot hockey but I watch a lot. I'd say the best place to be would be right by the net on the side. You should be able to zoom in close enough to get some good shots. Try getting into a spot where you can shoot the player head on taking a shot.

    About M mode over Av and Tv, if you're in M then you know what the exposure will be once you get it set right. If you're in Av or Tv and something weird happens and the the camera thinks it needs to slow down or speed up the shutter then you will miss the exposure on the shot. Since the lighting is going to be the same then just find the settings that work and keep them there. Most of all, have fun! wings.gif

    Oh yeah, about finding the right settings without a lot of trial and error, you will probably want a shutter of at least 1/250th so chances are your ISO will be jacked up quite a bit. But a little trick I found that works alright to get an idea of where you should be is to put it in Av with your lens wide open and see what shutter the camera is setting it to. Then switch to manual and adjust for the one that works.

    btw, if most of this doesn't make sense it's because I've just spent the last 2 hours writing a paper and my head hurts eek7.gif
    I'm sorry about your head :D but metering in av first
    makes alot of sense (why didn't i think of that ealier!).

    Wasn't there a rule of thumb for shutter speed to freeze
    motion based on focal length (not the 1/mm rule) and
    speed of subject? I know i've read it on sportsshooter.com
    somewhere ...

    controld wrote:
    Manfr3d,
    If you are shooting with the 28-75 I'd say your going to want to stick in one corner of the rink for two periods, as you will be limited to that end of the ice, and that will allow you to hopefully get good shots of the attacking team and the defending goalie in each period. If you get a ton of shots you feel good about in the first 2 periods then try something different for the 3rd. Either go to the center ice area, or stand just to the side of the back of the net.

    I've found that it is easier to fix image noise if you don't have to crop too severly than recover a blurry image due to slow shutter, so push that ISO to whatever your rig allows you to take workable shots with and shoot wide open in Av. If you are shooting RAW don't stress about the WB and you can consider going M with a decent shutter speed (based on testing during warmup) and fine tune the exposure in post.

    Hope this helps a bit.

    - Mike

    Yes thank you. I'll be shooting RAW as usual, the pictures will be for
    editorial use and web display so ISO 1600 or ISO 3200 won't be much
    of a problem. They have thick/big nets instead of plexiglass behind
    the goals. Which somewhat rules out that shooting position. Timing
    shooting positions is sth I haven't thought of. Another great advice.
    Thanks!

    /me goes back to google
    “To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
    ― Edward Weston
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