Mites hockey advice

Hello, I have been asked by a friend to take pictures of her sons hockey team while playing hockey (mites) inside.

My equiptment I will use is a Canon 40D and 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM. I would like to know what settings I should use?

Thank you. Have a great day.

A good starting point : 1600 Iso, f2.8, 1/320 shutter. If overexposed, drop ISO one stop, then increase shutter speed, etc. If underexposed, try 3200 ISO and then increase shutter until exposure is good. You can check some of my photos, click on the "info" button to get camera settings info.

 

http://stevepalmerphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/6507836_3wPqw#413447280_o3YHj

Cynthia - Forgot to mention about a few other details. Depending on your camera, AWB may be all you need. If the

pictures are a shade off, try Custom WB, using the ice as a reference point. Metering Mode: Evaluative; Focus: Center

point select. FYI - Flash is out of the question.

Cynthia, I'm sure you know that hockey rinks have notoriously bad lighting conditions. Worse than basketball

gyms most of the time. You're definitely using the right lens.

 

You'll want to shoot wide open and use whatever ISO will allow you to shoot at 1/250 at least - 1/320 is better.

Shoot the kids during warm-ups and check your histograms. Once you have the right exposure, lock it in in

manual. Don't try to shoot shutter or aperture priority. Your meter won't be your friend when shooting sports.

 

Also, set the camera on auto white balance. Rinks usually use mercury vapor lights, but whatever they use,

there's a lot of variation. Let the camera do the best it can and fine tune it in Photoshop.

 

Finally, get in the penalty box or somewhere that you won't have to shoot through glass. Don't ask, just get in

there.

 

Good luck and post some examples.<div></div>

Hi Dan and Steve.....Well I want to thank you both for your help and I thought I would add a photo I took last night. I cropped it because I had a tendency to not be close enough to these youngens with my lens but live and learn. I also sharpened it some. My settings were 1600 ISO, f2.8, 1/320 shutter. I also did a custom white balance inside the rink. I'm able to take the photos without glass in front so that is a big plus as you both know I'm sure. Last night was just a practice for me and the team so it was great to be able to see what I can do before the real game next time. It is exciting and fun to take photos of these little hockey players. I thank you both again for your help, very informative information for sure. May you both find peace at your doorstep everyday. Take care<div></div>

Cynthia - did you forget to attach your pic?

Hi Dan, I had a little trouble adding it but here it is. Thanks

Here is one that was in a little better lighted area of the rink.<div></div>

Looks good. You just need to bump up the exposure and maybe the contrast a little.

The second one is better. Still a little room to brighten it up, but it looks like you know what you're doing!

Thank you Dan...I'm adding this last image again with the contast added through the magic of PS.

Not sure why it isnt loading, will try again

Not sure why it isnt loading, will try again and again...sorry

I'm thinking I will post the image a little later.

Cynthia, The photos look good. I agree with Dan, they could be brighter, but sometimes you are at the mercy of the terrible rink lighting. Next time, I would try taking a few shots at ISO 3200, bump up camera sharpness, and bump up your shutter speed. Keep a close eye on your brightness histogram, go as far to the right side without clipping. I have done this, then applied noise reduction software afterwards with some improvement on photos typical of yours. Another option would be to simply drop your shutter speed to 1/250. Mites are slow enough where blur is a non-factor.

Hi Steve, thank you on the complimenta and also for your extra added technique with the camera settings. I really appreciate you coming by very much. I will for sure jot all these informative responses in my books. I'm going to try to add the same photo above, to below that I added contrast too, not sure why I couldnt post it before. Have a wonderful life Steve. Take care<div></div>

Dan...forgive my rudness but I love the image you posted. Great work I must add. Take care

Thanks, Cynthia! And you weren't rude at all.

Your welcome Dan. ;) Take care

I've always used a flash for hockey action, either a White Lightning unit or a Metz CT-4.

<p>Thank you Ron for your input. Appreciated. Have a good day</p>