Best method to photograph ice hockey?

I currently use a Canon 30D with a Canon 70-200 f2.8L set manually at 1/250,

f2.8 and an iso of 800-1200 attached to a monopod. The results are far

superior to my previous sigma 100-400 f4.

 

I would like to perfect the images even further...what white balance, meter

mode, etc would any experienced hockey photographers recommend?

 

Any insight would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Glenn

I suggest you shoot at ISO 1600 to get a faster shutterspeed. Also use a monopod. These would make your image sharper. I am rareley satisfied with the sharpness of 1/250th for sports. If sharpness is a problem (you did not say it was), you could shoot an even higher ISO if the 30D will do it. My experiance is that above 1600 the increased noise will be a trade-off though. I have used noise reducing software with good results when shooting at ISO 3200.

-Neil

Shoot hockey in raw format and correct the white balance in post. I've tried to white balance off the ice but if they have blue or some other color lights on it it looks terrible. Keep the meter mode to evaluative and watch skin tones.

Glenn, I would suggest using a 135 F/2.0L lens as this is a wonderful fast lens. Depending on the arena, this will let you shoot in darker arenas at 400 ISO, and at 1/500. I try to stay at or above the 1/500 for Ice Hockey as it is so fast. Unless you are shooting Mites or 1st yr Peewees, 1/250 will not work. At the High school levels the lighting is a bit better and can get upwards of 1/800 at f/2.8 or even f/3.2. If you are doing college your setup is perfect.

 

Shoot RAW! Shoot, Shoot, and more shoot. I figure a 10% success rate is darn good for hockey, and 5% is ok.

 

Sometimes the white ice and the white boards can confuse the WB a bit, but if you shoot in RAW this can be corrected. White jerseys can also be a problem.

 

Try using center AF and follow the action. Knowing and predicting the action is required to shoot hockey. If you shoot for a specific team all of the time, you will learn to predict the player?s alot better over the year. This will allow you to get the right player in focus because while your shooting at a f/2.0 or 2.8 the depth of field is real shallow and your subject(player) will not be the focal point all of the time.

 

Position your self to always get a face in the image. Never shoot from the rafters as they say. Ice level shooting through the glass is not that hard as your focal point is well beyond the glass anyway, and you will not see the lighter scuff marks you?re shooting through. You can get nice shots form the blueline area and sometimes from the penalty box if they let you have access to the area. I have even asked the coaches if I can shoot from inside the player?s bench. Most coaches are ok with this although the arena may have some problems with it.

 

You don't say if you?re a parent or a pro, this makes a huge difference in the way you?re treated at the arena. Parents get the stands as the pros get the boxes and bench areas.

<p>i use same lense as you with a canon 7d. i shoot well over a 100,000 photos a season of mites to U18. Most rinks are very poorly lit for photography and also have mixed light bulbs which adds to the problem. i shoot at shutter priority, 1/320, iso 1600 or 2400, single point auto focus, and partial (exposure) metering. the depth of field will be very short, so some will be out of focus. i usually shoot from the penalty box and use a monopod but have to hand hold for close in play. most photos come out well, some need some photoshopping. try shooting some raw rather than jpg and see how that works for you when it comes to adjusting the photo(s) later. also don't hesitate to shoot a ton of frames. by sheer blind luck some will be great. good luckl<br>

Warren (Pa) Rich</p>

<p>I shoot NHL hockey using Nikon D3S. My settings are ISO 2000 at 1/800th to 1/1000 at f/4 in manual mode. The ISO could change depending on shooting location. Sometimes media gets ice level and other times you may be forced to an upper level. Sometimes it can change from period to period. The NHL typically has about 6 to 8 cutouts in the glass to shoot through and in a large market there could be 15 photographers in shooting. I typically set my white balance off the ice to get a nice look. Once I know the setting for a particular arena I just set it manually.<br>

<p>I would add to my response of 9/1/13 a couple of items I neglected to mention. First, as others have responded here, set your custom white balance before shooting. Second, especially for photos taken in local rinks with typically poor and/or mixed type lighting, you might look into using Lightroom to make your adjustments (if needed) to raw photos. If you are not familiar with the program, check out info on it on the net.<br>

Warren</p>

I usually shoot JPEG just to keep file processing to a minimum. There are some rinks with very bad lighting where RAW

helps but most newer ones have a consistent colour temperature (if not light level). I usually take the white balance from

the ice (choose a clean section where there is no light directly above). As for camera settings I will usually shoot ISO

1600 or even 3200 in dark rinks. If I can I try and give the lens a stop on latitude (e.g. I shoot at F4 when I can with my

70-200f2.8) to help the AF. Set the AF to AI Servo and if your body can shoot centre plus some expansion points this is

usually the best. Try not to shoot through the glass - either use a small ladder and one of the holes in the glass for

cameras or if you can shoot from the end of the bench (at most junior games this is usually OK if you stay out of the way)

 

Depending on the rink and the lighting I will set the camera in Manual (difficult lighting and very dark), shutter priority

(usually 1/500 or 1/640 but sometimes 1/800) and occasionally aperture priority when I have lots of light and want one

stop better than the lens (e.g. F4) and where I get a minimum f 1/500 in the darkest corner. If I am using an automatic

exposure mode I use partial for metering. Zooms are better than primes as they help you frame and I would just shoot

one body to start with (I use two a 300 and. 70-200 mounted on each one but the 70-200 does most of the work). It will

take a few games to adjust to framing and choosing shots. I tend to take a few short busts in high speed mode when I

think I have a good shot - 3-5 frames for something on the ice and perhaps 10+ for goal mouth action as it can be hard to

predict when the puck goes in the net. This is one advantage of JPEG over raw as a good camera can keep up with all

the action. In RAW I have found myself missing a goal as the buffer catches up - this is especially true where it take Sam

few attempts to get the puck in.