Youth Hockey - first experience photographing

rkw624

I was invited to take a few photos at a youth hockey game. Just got a Canon 40D last week. Lens was a 28-135 IS. Way above the 20D for sure. Here are a few shots. I shot in both JPG and RAW. I think I really like shooting in RAW. Just minor adjustments PP both RAW and JPG. PP seemed very easy to perform in Lightroom. Overall, I think they came out pretty good. C&C welcome.

All Aperture Priority - ISO 800 available light - no flash - AI Servo
1-2-3 JPG
4-5-6-7 RAW

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#7

aktse

rkw624 wrote:

...I shot in both JPG and RAW. I... Just minor adjustments PP both RAW and JPG. PP seemed very easy to perform in Lightroom. Overall, I think they came out pretty good. C&C welcome.

All Aperture Priority - ISO 800 available light - no flash - AI Servo
1-2-3 JPG
4-5-6-7 RAW

.

I think you did well for the lens that you were using, but I find that hockey really requires a faster lens than the one that you're using for this shoot.

I find that that everything that you posted is underexposed and you need to play around with curves, level, etc. a bit.

I'm at work and my monitor that is very off, but these are two examples...

1.



2.




This might be a bit blown out (sorry, can't really tell with this monitor), but this is the general idea.

I suggest that you might want to bump up the ISO to help the lens that you're using. Also, are you doing a custom white balance? In addition, you should exposure compensate a stop or so in Av mode. In additions, the faces are in shadow and the compensation will help that a bit.

Your compositions are well done; you captured the action, puck and faces.

rkw624

aktse wrote:

I think you did well for the lens that you were using, but I find that hockey really requires a faster lens than the one that you're using for this shoot.

I find that that everything that you posted is underexposed and you need to play around with curves, level, etc. a bit.

I'm at work and my monitor that is very off, but these are two examples...

1.



2.




This might be a bit blown out (sorry, can't really tell with this monitor), but this is the general idea.

I suggest that you might want to bump up the ISO to help the lens that you're using. Also, are you doing a custom white balance? In addition, you should exposure compensate a stop or so in Av mode. In additions, the faces are in shadow and the compensation will help that a bit.

Your compositions are well done; you captured the action, puck and faces.

Thank you for taking a look. I'll give your suggestions a try. First time shooting with this lens and camera. Next try I'll use my 24-70L and see what that does at ISO 1600.

aktse

rkw624 wrote:

Thank you for taking a look. I'll give your suggestions a try. First time shooting with this lens and camera. Next try I'll use my 24-70L and see what that does at ISO 1600.

The 24-70L is a much better choice.

I shoot a lot of ice hockey and I picked up a few tips and posted them in this other thread.

The other thing that I forgot to include in that thread is that you might want to change your focus point to center point only. Good luck and post again! You should do pretty well if you follow these tips and use that lens.

sportsshooter06

Nice try at a difficult sport to shoot. Hockey moves fast, changes direction, the puck is tiny. To shoot hockey and other fast moving sports sucessfully, you must understand a little about the game.
Use the correct technique, usually AF-C, aperture wide open for the best light. High ISO to keep shutter speed as high as possible, minimum 1/400 for age 12 and above. The idea is clean, sharp, tight, as few backs as you can get. Pictures of players with Puck.
I love faceoffs, and good goalie shots. You need to anticipate the action, sometimes you need to use both eyes, one on the image thru the viewfinder, and the other seeing some of the action.
Shooting behind the glass is ok, you lose a little light, but you can still get great action.
Equipment, fast lens, fast lens if in good light you may get away with f4, but you need ISO 2500 or better for it. Most hockey shooters use lens at f2.8 as a minimum, you need some reach as tight shots are what look the best and become keepers.
Just going out and taking a 1000 photos is not how you get it done, be selective and look for action coming at you, a skater coming down the ice, with the puck, is he ahead of the defense, then maybe a shot on goal.
Your photos are underexposed, they need more light.
good try, but no keepers that i have seen, keep trying, hockey is great sport. :ivar

rkw624

sportsshooter06 wrote:

Nice try at a difficult sport to shoot. Hockey moves fast, changes direction, the puck is tiny. To shoot hockey and other fast moving sports sucessfully, you must understand a little about the game.
Use the correct technique, usually AF-C, aperture wide open for the best light. High ISO to keep shutter speed as high as possible, minimum 1/400 for age 12 and above. The idea is clean, sharp, tight, as few backs as you can get. Pictures of players with Puck.
I love faceoffs, and good goalie shots. You need to anticipate the action, sometimes you need to use both eyes, one on the image thru the viewfinder, and the other seeing some of the action.
Shooting behind the glass is ok, you lose a little light, but you can still get great action.
Equipment, fast lens, fast lens if in good light you may get away with f4, but you need ISO 2500 or better for it. Most hockey shooters use lens at f2.8 as a minimum, you need some reach as tight shots are what look the best and become keepers.
Just going out and taking a 1000 photos is not how you get it done, be selective and look for action coming at you, a skater coming down the ice, with the puck, is he ahead of the defense, then maybe a shot on goal.
Your photos are underexposed, they need more light.
good try, but no keepers that i have seen, keep trying, hockey is great sport. :ivar

Thanks for taking a look and the advice. I do realize that the lens I was using is not fast enough but I was curious how it would do. Next time I'll use faster glass and a higher ISO. Looking forward to it.

dadwtwins

aktse wrote:

I think you did well for the lens that you were using, but I find that hockey really requires a faster lens than the one that you're using for this shoot.

I find that that everything that you posted is underexposed and you need to play around with curves, level, etc. a bit.

I'm at work and my monitor that is very off, but these are two examples...

1.



2.




This might be a bit blown out (sorry, can't really tell with this monitor), but this is the general idea.

I suggest that you might want to bump up the ISO to help the lens that you're using. Also, are you doing a custom white balance? In addition, you should exposure compensate a stop or so in Av mode. In additions, the faces are in shadow and the compensation will help that a bit.

Your compositions are well done; you captured the action, puck and faces.

I would follow april's advice. i think she is a fantastic Hockey photographer. She has helped me tremendously in shooting Hockey in bad lighting. I usually shoot portraits, landscapes and wildlife where I have plenty of time to compose and set up the shot.

April's words of wisdom quote:

"In sports especially hockey there is no second chance. Set the camera before the match to achieve and capture the best shot possible for the equipment you have. Don't be shy about clicking away, missed shots never come back. Learn the game to better anticipate the keeper shots. Practice, practice and practice. When you feel you have practiced enough, go out and practice some more. Above all, have fun and enjoy".

Now that is some invaluable advice:D

zack75144

Considering the lens and the lighting situations, I think it was a success.
I have the 40D and the kits lens you used and let me tell you. It's no fast glass.
I HIGHLY recommend the f/2.8 200mm L series lens. It is sharp as a tack and half as much as the f/2.8 70-200mm L. Obviously it is a fixed lens so you have less flexibility, but it performs way above its price tag.

winger

rkw624 wrote:

Thanks for taking a look and the advice. I do realize that the lens I was using is not fast enough but I was curious how it would do. Next time I'll use faster glass and a higher ISO. Looking forward to it.

I just went from a 20d to a 40d, and you could proably bump the iso up to 1600 as well. When I shot with the 20d I was always hestiant to do that, but in some dark rinks (even at the college level) you dont have much choice. But the 40d there is negelgiable noise at the 1600 under level. The other advantage at shooting youth hockey (or womens hockey) is they dont skate as fast as the men (fact of life) and you can get away with slower shutter speeds. With DI mens, I cant really go any lower than 500.

Also dont be afraid to get in there tight, I know its proably going to be harder with the shorter lenses.

I love my 40D and I know that I dont post on here to much, but the sport I shoot most prodomiatly is Hockey. I even had a Mark II at one point and I sold it, for the smaller body (I have small hands and shooting two or three games with the 70-200 on there was just to much, and wasnt worth it for what features you got above the 20d i had at the time). So you have an excellent camera there for hockey.

If the boxes are not glassed in, you might be able to get in there and shoot. Check with both coaches and the refs, but it usually isnt a problem. Just be aware of flying pucks! I usually try not to point people in that direction unless they really know the game, but at the youth level, they are typically not going to be able to throw the puck that hard (well until you start getting to peewees and up!)

Here is a thread I posted recently:
http://www.digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=86877
to give you an idea. Its a 40d with a 70-200 (except the wide angle shot, I now throw my 10-22 on my 20d and fart around with that sometimes).

rkw624

winger wrote:

I just went from a 20d to a 40d, and you could proably bump the iso up to 1600 as well. When I shot with the 20d I was always hestiant to do that, but in some dark rinks (even at the college level) you dont have much choice. But the 40d there is negelgiable noise at the 1600 under level. The other advantage at shooting youth hockey (or womens hockey) is they dont skate as fast as the men (fact of life) and you can get away with slower shutter speeds. With DI mens, I cant really go any lower than 500.

Also dont be afraid to get in there tight, I know its proably going to be harder with the shorter lenses.

I love my 40D and I know that I dont post on here to much, but the sport I shoot most prodomiatly is Hockey. I even had a Mark II at one point and I sold it, for the smaller body (I have small hands and shooting two or three games with the 70-200 on there was just to much, and wasnt worth it for what features you got above the 20d i had at the time). So you have an excellent camera there for hockey.

If the boxes are not glassed in, you might be able to get in there and shoot. Check with both coaches and the refs, but it usually isnt a problem. Just be aware of flying pucks! I usually try not to point people in that direction unless they really know the game, but at the youth level, they are typically not going to be able to throw the puck that hard (well until you start getting to peewees and up!)

Here is a thread I posted recently:
http://www.digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=86877
to give you an idea. Its a 40d with a 70-200 (except the wide angle shot, I now throw my 10-22 on my 20d and fart around with that sometimes).

Thanks for the advice. Can't wait to try out the 40D at 1600. Everything I have seen and read says it performs well. I will try and post more photos soon. My wife is not going to like it but I see a 70-200 2.8 coming soon!