Ice Hockey 2 - Choosing a Shot

Guildford Flames vs Basingstoke Bison
Originally uploaded by Photo Plod

Once you've got your camera set up, the next challenge is to choose your shots. The official NHL togs are able to capture moments of explosive action from any angle in the rink, thanks to banks of remotely-triggered cameras in positions that you and I could never get to. That doesn't mean I can't get good shots, though.

Vantage point is very important, and what you can achieve will depend on what the rink allows. I find the most effective shots come from next to the glass. Don't worry about smudges and smears (generally) on the glass - your f/2.8 (or similar) aperture will shoot through them with barely a mark on your image.

I find that the most effective shots tend to fall into distinct categories - for my own purposes, I call these "explosive action", "on the puck" and "players". I always try to capture the puck in shot.

"Explosive Action" are moments that show intense activity in the game - like the shot above. You can see the failed attempt to take the puck away from the forward, and you can see that he's really struggling to stay on his skates as he drives forward hard. Players crashing into each other also make good "explosive action" shots, but so do shots even as simple as one player turning hard on the ice, frequently sending up a cloud of fine ice spray behind them. "Explosive Action" shots are always the most difficult to achieve with great accuracy, and it will take plenty of practice to capture the "decisive moment" when everything comes together. Don't be afraid to spray & pray with your shots when the action comes close to you, and don't check your shots until there's a break in the game - I've lost count of the number of times I've lost perfectly good shots because I've been reviewing my images instead of watching the action.

"On the Puck" shots are those that show players in the normal course of the game - perhaps like a standard press shot - where the player is skating with the puck. I try to keep these shots as interesting as possible and sharp - I'm far less forgiving than I am with "explosive action" shots.

"Players" shots are not necessarily on the puck at all. I reserve these for close-up shots of the players themselves. Framing is all-important, and I find it crucial to have the player almost full-face onto the camera..

In terms of framing, always try to get as much of the action as large in the frame as possible. Unless you're using a 400mm or 600mm lens - which means you're probably a pro - you'll end up cropping the finished result to achieve this. 200mm or less will end up with too much junk in the image, and most British rinks look pretty poor and shabby.

Next time, I'll have a look at the post-processing steps I usually go through to get my finished images.