Comments on: Hockey Photography: A How-To Guide http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/2009/07/06/how-to-take-hockey-action-photography-tips/ Hockey t-shirts, stories and stuff Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:59:36 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Andy http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/2009/07/06/how-to-take-hockey-action-photography-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-206 Andy Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:59:36 +0000 http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/?p=112#comment-206 Nice little article. I didn't personally learn much from it beyond what I already know, but it's always nice to get another person's perspective on things, especially when it comes to stuff like lenses. I know the most recent comments are 6 months old, but I have a few thoughts. For WB, I usually take a custom reading off the ice. The lighting is actually pretty even at the local rinks, so this seems to work well. Even if the light varies a bit, it should stay close enough to fix it up in post-processing. As for exposure settings, probably the best option is to expose off of a gray card and leave it at that. Again, your mileage may vary depending on the lighting at your rink. It takes a lot of practice, and some intuition to get it right and much of the time the exposure just isn't going to be right anyway. If you don't have a gray card, try exposing off of a player's face (that's really what you're after anyway -- there's so much emotion in hockey, and the expression on a player's face is hands down the best way to capture that), or use your hand. My hand is about two stops over the gray card exposure. If I may make a recommendation, a place called lensrentals.com provides rentals for numerous lenses, cameras, and accessories, so that may be a good way to go to try things out. Better to spend $40 to rent a Canon 70-200 for four days than $1200+ to buy one to find out you hate shooting hockey. They have a huge inventory (or so they claim), good customer service, and fast turnaround. Just make sure you pay the extra few bucks for the damage waiver! Nice little article. I didn’t personally learn much from it beyond what I already know, but it’s always nice to get another person’s perspective on things, especially when it comes to stuff like lenses.

I know the most recent comments are 6 months old, but I have a few thoughts. For WB, I usually take a custom reading off the ice. The lighting is actually pretty even at the local rinks, so this seems to work well. Even if the light varies a bit, it should stay close enough to fix it up in post-processing.

As for exposure settings, probably the best option is to expose off of a gray card and leave it at that. Again, your mileage may vary depending on the lighting at your rink. It takes a lot of practice, and some intuition to get it right and much of the time the exposure just isn’t going to be right anyway.

If you don’t have a gray card, try exposing off of a player’s face (that’s really what you’re after anyway — there’s so much emotion in hockey, and the expression on a player’s face is hands down the best way to capture that), or use your hand. My hand is about two stops over the gray card exposure.

If I may make a recommendation, a place called lensrentals.com provides rentals for numerous lenses, cameras, and accessories, so that may be a good way to go to try things out. Better to spend $40 to rent a Canon 70-200 for four days than $1200+ to buy one to find out you hate shooting hockey. They have a huge inventory (or so they claim), good customer service, and fast turnaround. Just make sure you pay the extra few bucks for the damage waiver!

]]> By: Mark http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/2009/07/06/how-to-take-hockey-action-photography-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-144 Mark Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:16:09 +0000 http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/?p=112#comment-144 Thanks so much for contributing, Chris. You are far more ambitious than I with the goal mounted camera. You would most definitely get some awesome shots if you can work that out. Hopefully someone will pitch in some advice on the topic. I'd love to know more about it myself. Good luck! Thanks so much for contributing, Chris. You are far more ambitious than I with the goal mounted camera. You would most definitely get some awesome shots if you can work that out. Hopefully someone will pitch in some advice on the topic. I’d love to know more about it myself. Good luck!

]]> By: Chris http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/2009/07/06/how-to-take-hockey-action-photography-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-143 Chris Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:42:30 +0000 http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/?p=112#comment-143 Thanks for the thoughts. I have been shooting in a variety of rinks and finally hit upon the correct White Balance and speed settings to make the pictures acceptable. Normally the setting is somewhere between 3500 and 4000 k if your camera can adjust K value. My next challenge is to figure out how to mount a camera inside the goal. I have all of the necessary remote equipment, but I looking for a box to protect the camera. They are used in the NHL, but I cannot find one on line. Any one have an idea before I build one myself. Chris Thanks for the thoughts. I have been shooting in a variety of rinks and finally hit upon the correct White Balance and speed settings to make the pictures acceptable. Normally the setting is somewhere between 3500 and 4000 k if your camera can adjust K value.

My next challenge is to figure out how to mount a camera inside the goal. I have all of the necessary remote equipment, but I looking for a box to protect the camera. They are used in the NHL, but I cannot find one on line. Any one have an idea before I build one myself.

Chris

]]> By: Mark http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/2009/07/06/how-to-take-hockey-action-photography-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-140 Mark Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:08:53 +0000 http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/?p=112#comment-140 Thanks for the nice comment, Alicia. Glad I could be of some help. You also ask a great question about metering. I would actually love to hear some other opinions on that topic. But for what it's worth, here's what I do. . . I use Evaluative metering and then overexpose by one stop to compensate for the bright white ice. I basically try to get the best exposure of the players' faces as possible. With this in mind, I also use a single autofocus point (top center) so that I am zeroing my focus in on the player's face. Because of the very narrow depth-of-field you get at around f/2, this helps me get their faces in focus. Mark Thanks for the nice comment, Alicia. Glad I could be of some help.
You also ask a great question about metering. I would actually love to hear some other opinions on that topic. But for what it’s worth, here’s what I do. . .

I use Evaluative metering and then overexpose by one stop to compensate for the bright white ice. I basically try to get the best exposure of the players’ faces as possible. With this in mind, I also use a single autofocus point (top center) so that I am zeroing my focus in on the player’s face. Because of the very narrow depth-of-field you get at around f/2, this helps me get their faces in focus.

Mark

]]> By: Alicia http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/2009/07/06/how-to-take-hockey-action-photography-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-139 Alicia Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:04:06 +0000 http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/?p=112#comment-139 Your site has been very helpful - as hockey and photographer "want to be" it has enlightened me on a couple things - 1 - the lens - I have to bite the bullet and get the right lens instead of continuing to be frustrated with my cheapo! Darnit anyway - if I would have done that in the first place i probably would have saved myself alot of time and frustrations!!!!! Thanks again for the great pointers! Any thoughts on how I should set the metering? Evaluative, Partial, or Center Weighted????? Your site has been very helpful – as hockey and photographer “want to be” it has enlightened me on a couple things – 1 – the lens – I have to bite the bullet and get the right lens instead of continuing to be frustrated with my cheapo! Darnit anyway – if I would have done that in the first place i probably would have saved myself alot of time and frustrations!!!!! Thanks again for the great pointers! Any thoughts on how I should set the metering? Evaluative, Partial, or Center Weighted?????

]]> By: Bob http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/2009/07/06/how-to-take-hockey-action-photography-tips/comment-page-1/#comment-76 Bob Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:38:37 +0000 http://hockeyshirtshop.com/blog/?p=112#comment-76 Wow! Finally, an easy-to-understand walk-through of how to shoot hockey photos! This is exactly what I've been looking for, a no-bs-here's-what-you-need-to-do-this explanation in layman's terms. Thank you so much! Wow! Finally, an easy-to-understand walk-through of how to shoot hockey photos! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for, a no-bs-here’s-what-you-need-to-do-this explanation in layman’s terms.

Thank you so much!

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