My Question Is At The End

I hope when I grow up, I can shoot like Wilson, Daniel, and a few other of you

guys!

 

I know some of my limitations, such as bloody awful eyes and can't shoot with

my glasses on, get shivers from being cold in these arenas.

 

I know that we started Spring Training about 7 weeks ago, indoors until late

April, and that means that outdoor training is only another 7 weeks away, if

all the snow is gone by then. It also means, snow being gone, that our outdoor

stuff will be much easier to shoot, and my number of keepers will go way up. Of

course, Summer hockey starts in 3 weeks too, so not free from the rinks for

more than a week as winter league playoffs just started.

 

My question is, if you could give me just one piece of advice to improve my

shots, what would it be?

 

Shots will follow in individual posts, coz I can't figure out how to post more

than one in-line.<div></div>

#2<div></div>

Of course, if you want to tell me more than one thing, please do. All shots with Canon 40D, Sigma 70-200 2.8 and 3200 ISO, handheld.<div></div>

Chris - had a look at your photos - not bad at all. I've done only one hockey game with my D70 and 70-200 2.8 lens - shot at ISO 400, shutter speed 1/500, aperture 2.8. If I can figure out how to post a couple of shots I will, but here's something I experimented with that helped me: use a monopod (big help). Also try pre-focusing on a specific area of the rink (in my case, the goaltender's crease. I learned through 3 periods of hockey to shoot with both eyes open (one eye thru the viewfinder)- doing that enabled me to anticipate when some goalmouth action was imminent. Don't get caught up in trying to follow the action as it unfolds - you can't focus that fast, trust me. These shots aren't in the class of the guys you mentioned, but like you, I'm still learning as well.<div></div>

Chris - sorry - too large to view - I have some posted in my gallery if you'd care to have a peek - Glen

Chris - I am honored and humbled to be mentioned in the same sentence as Wilson Tsoi. I

think you have some very good stuff. One of the things I have noticed is that the higher

the level the athlete, the generally better action shots one tends to get. I've not really been

happy with the JV stuff I shot. Varsity is better, and college shots better still. Just an

observation on my own work.<br>

<br>

What Glen said is what I was going to mention. Shoot alot. Most of the shots I've posted

were one of a rapid fire of 3 to 5 frames. Anticipate the action. I try shooting with both

eyes open. This is easier said than done. Sometimes the results can also be interesting.

Yesterday, a right handed batter was up. A fastball pitcher on the mound. Usually the

hitter pulls the ball so I focused on the shortsop and watched the batter with the other

eye. Sure enough he pulled the pitch on the ground so I pressed the shutter and fired off

several frames getting the shot below. Notice no ball? The third baseman came up with it!

<br>

<a href="http://s254.photobucket.com/albums/hh102/gaelson/photnet/?

action=view&current=080309-MNLO-WES-251-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://

i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh102/gaelson/photnet/080309-MNLO-WES-251-1.jpg"

border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br>

To post several in line you need a little HTML knowledge. My pictures are actually on

photobucket.

Here are a couple of mine shot manually, 75-300mm 4-5.6

#1<div></div>

Glenn - thanks for the advice - shooting with both eyes open is something that I want to figure out, and will probably take one lens out of a pair of glasses to make it happen. I find that I have a lot more keepers without the monopod, I think because it is easy to move too fast with the pod.

 

 

Daniel - I do shoot a lot, bursts of 6 to 10 RAW at a time, mostly. Anticipating the action is the key, and I am starting to think that the 70-200 is not the best lens, as 70 is too long for the goal action shots. I'll take my other body with the 50/1.8 on it and see how the 2 different ones work out.

 

I find a lot more keepers at baseball than I do hockey, probably for a bunch of different reasons not just limited to the lighting environment.

I am limited to lighting as the 75-300 4-5.6 is not ideal. I bump the exposure to +1 to help. There are different kelvin settings for different lighting in rinks. A fellow hockey dad uses 3600.<div></div>

Lighting is an awful problem in nearly all municipal arenas, so I, too, add in +1 exposure compensation.

 

I am very pleased that the Summer Hockey is a private enterprise (60 minutes of 3-on-3) and the arenas are lit up better than many NHL rinks, so shooting is a breee.

Since I recently got a D300, I have not used my D70S inside. Shooting indoor PeeWee A2 hockey tournament last week, I shot at ISO3200, 1/400, f2.8, center area focusing, AF - slow 'burst' mode. Getting pretty good shots, but not SI quality though. Someday, maybe, hopefully! I'm also using the Sigma 70-200 f2.8, but questioning whether it is really fast enough to focus. Can't afford the Nikon, so...! Also, have problem with the 70-200. When attached to the body it can rotate a very slight amount - but just enough to mess up the electropnic connection and get black frames on the card. This started last year when using it with the D70s and first thought it was the CF cards. But, not the case. I'm sending it back to Sigma to check it out this week.

 

My tournament photos are at shoppix.exposuremanager.com. Other images from last 2 yrs are at shoppix.smugmug.com. Take a look and critique as you see fit!

 

Steve Hopkins

Hi Chris

 

If you are shooting full manual you don't need to set in the +1 exp comp. You defacto do that when you you set the camera manually.

 

If you shoot any sort of P mode sure, as the lightmeter is fooled by all the white ice (same issue with snow) I would add in the compensation.

 

I usually hang a couple of SBs on the glass pointed up at the roof (usually some sort of reflective material on them whether silver 80% of the time or just plain white) and fire them remotely. Or one on the camera the other just forward of the goal line.

 

That usually gets me enough light to get rid of the colour cast and gets my ISO down to 400 to 640 and 5.6ish. Of course S is 1/250 but with good panning technique it works well. Gets rid of colour cast and improves "pop" in the uniforms and gets rid of shadows in the faces.

 

I have NEVER had anyone complain or even notice the flash. If any does have an issue I would just slide them an 8*12 of their kid and problem goes away :)

 

 

G..

Steve - I had the similar problem with my Sigma - it worked loose 10 days before an out-of-country tourney, and I was freaking, but got it back from Sigma to the camera store where I bought it in time for the tourney. My 120-300 was a different story though - it had an argument with the drivewa, lost, and cost me a lot of money to fix a 4-month old lens, and took some time too.

 

Gord - I've never thought about the strobes - good idea. I shoot manual RAW all the time, but I don't understand your comment "You do that defacto when you set the camera manually". I over-expose to +1 all the time, figuring that happens because I have set the exp compensation to +1.

Hi Chris

 

I can't remember what camera you are using (think it's Canon) but that doesn't matter much.

 

When you are shooting manual the automagic stuff doesn't come into play. The camera thinks "oh, you know better than I and I'll leave you alone".

 

So even though you have some EV dialed in it won't effect the final exposure because you have have set it to what you want. So if you are shooting manual and want some over comp, say 1 stop, YOU have to add the +1 in your settings. Whether that be opening up a stop, slowing shutter a stop, or adjusting the ASA a stop.

 

If you have been setting +1 EV and then shooting M, I'm afraid you haven't been getting the exposure you wanted. Yo got what you set.

 

If you are shooting in some form of P mode, whether that be A or S or full P and dial in some EV the camera will then adjust as necessary.

 

Does that make sense I tried to keep it brief.

 

Gord

 

The attached two pis were taken with an SB28@1/2 power hanging on the glass bounced off the ceiling as well as an SB800 on the camera also bounced off the ceiling. I have done NOTHING to these pics except convert to JPG and resize to fit PN<div></div>

And the second

 

The first pic was 640ASA, 1/250 and f2.8

the second was 400ASA, f2.8 and 1/250.<div></div>

Oh yeah, D200, 70-20VR, center spot continuous focus.

 

an addendum, if you have Nikon you could use FP sync and get the shutter speed higher than 1/250 (or if you use a D70s which syncs at 1/500)

Shoot a lot. Always use manual exposure. Get yourself in the best position to shoot.<div></div>

Same two pics with minimal PPing<div></div>

Pic 2<div></div>

Capture the moment. Faces are important. And (almost) always get the puck/ball in the

shot.<div></div>

Ohh that's gotta hurt :)

So Dan, when you said "get the ball in the shot", were you giving advice to the photographer or the player?? Just kiddin.

Thanks Gord - finally found my 40D manual, and now get it about EC in manual.

 

Cheers

My pleasure. Glad I could provide something useful :)