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Think of your own safety! (27.01.2016)
Sports photography can rightly be attributed to one of the most difficult genres. Usually you encounter a high-speed shooting of objects, chaotic phases of movement and unpredictability of the following events. This applies to almost all kinds of sports, well, perhaps with the exception of chess... In addition to all - weather conditions, lighting and a limited choice of selecting a spot for shooting. But despite all the "inconvenience", you face the challenge to get the perfect shot, and you will get it.
This time, let us talk about shooting ice hockey. You need to capture a dynamic game, where players sometimes exceed the speed of 40 km/h, while the speed of the puck reaches a peak of 200 km/h. The situation on the ice is changing in a split second, and you have to capture the coolest moment of the game to get the most interesting picture. I'll try to help you in this matter.
Think of your own safety!
Shooting any kind of sports questions your own safety. The weight of a hockey puck is 170 grams and it reaches flight speed of 200 km/h and in a case of a contact it is capable of causing you serious injuries. According to this by choosing to shoot in the first place you need to protect yourself. Ice hockey rink usually is protected by high impact proof windows, and in the end zones, where goaltender’s net is located, there is a safety net above fan’s heads to catch those high flying pucks. If the side glass appears to be clean, which is very rare, especially in Estonia, you can choose a comfortable position to shoot from at the “level of the ice", that is, standing just behind the ice surface. By no means try to be in the range of players' benches. Yes, it might be a very attractive location to shoot from as you can capture both the game and emotions of players and coaches, but beware as there is no protective glass, and the puck can very quickly become yours... in best case it will only harm your equipment, in the worst case - you will be transported to hospital. During major events, such as the Youth World Championship recently held in Helsinki, IIHF official photographers are located between players' benches, and they are obliged to wear protective hockey gear such as helmet, chest and neck protector.
The most secure area for shooting ice hockey are stands, which respectively means that your technical equipment should be wisely reviewed.
What equipment should you bring for shooting ice hockey?
Coming to shoot an ice hockey game in Estonia, I know exactly what will the conditions be like for shooting, and what lenses I will need. On the other hand when it comes to shooting bigger games, I always take a full set of equipment, because you never know where photographers will be located this time. Let’s imagine that you have gotten lucky - side windows are clean, and this location is yours. To shoot from the "level of ice" in this end zone net area you might find the standard 24-70mm Nikkor lens or its equivalent very useful. You can capture a dynamic attack to the net or a fight for the puck. It is also useful to bring Nikkor 70-200mm lens with you. With this lens you can capture the game in midfield, as well as game and player close-ups. Last but not least, if you have brought a Nikkor 300mm lens with you, attack on the opposing net will also be yours.
If you are out of luck and the glass is bleary and dirty, shooting from the "level of ice" isn’t possible... It is not possible as a rule in our local ice halls... Then you have only one choice left - shooting from the stands. In such circumstances lenses to choose are Nikkor 300mm, 400mm or 200-400mm. In rare cases standard telephoto zoom Nikkor 70-200mm lens can be useful. Yes, you can also use this lens with a teleconverter, but it isn’t always possible, read more on that topic later on. While using heavy lenses do not forget to bring a monopod with you, because even with all of your strength and good shape, constantly holding the camera with a telephoto lens might be a big enough of a burden...
Camera bodies... you can capture ice hockey with any SLR camera, as long as you have the appropriate lens. If you have an entry level camera only some restrictions may overshadow your shoot. Owning an enthusiast camera, for example, Nikon D7100 or D7200, as well as the Nikon D300s - will help you cope with the task. 6 frames per second and a fast continuous AF will be enough to catch the beautiful game moments. It is also likely that an attack on the net or even a goal scored will be yours. If your equipment includes any of the professional bodies like Nikon D5 – you are holding a powerful weapon in your hands with a rapid-guidance system :)
Let us capture ice hockey!?
You are in an ice hall, players are warming up before the game... You have enough time to assess the situation, determine settings for your cameras. Lighting, lighting and once again lighting - this is the most serious problem. Quality of the ice rink lighting conditions determines how well you are able to capture the game. Frankly, only one ice hall in Estonia is able to provide more or less acceptable lighting conditions, the new Tondiraba hall. If you happen to be so "lucky" to be in Narva, Kohtla-Jarve or Tartu be prepared to have to squeeze out the maximum ISO settings from your camera to achieve reasonably good quality images. Sometimes lack of quality lighting at ice rinks is astonishing. Well, photographers might have these problems, but hockey players also find it hard to play in these conditions. For example, lighting of the ice hall Hartwall Arena in Helsinki allows to shoot with ISO 800 to 1250 maximum, on the opposite ice hall in Narva demand ISO settings 3200 to 6400. Before game tips off decide with what ISO settings you will be able to shoot at shutter speed 1/800 as minimum value (slower settings will not allow you to capture players, not to mention the puck), provided that aperture is set in the range f/2.8 to f/4 (for greater depth of field, you can limit the diaphragm to a value of 5.6, but this is not always justified). During my last shooting at Hartwall Arena I used the Nikkor 400mm lens and standard settings 1/1000 (adjusted according to different situations), f/4, ISO 1000, where at times ISO value was raised to 1250.
Let us go back to camera itself. Select the AF-C mode for AutoFocus (on some cameras the tracking AF is indicated otherwise). If manufacturer has implemented a 51-point AF with 3D metering in your camera - it's of course a cool spec to have, but not really necessary for you. Reduce the number of autofocus points to maximum 21 and adjust the speed of tracking AF mode response to FAST. If on the other hand you own such "lethal weapons” as Nikon D4 or D4s – there is one important thing to keep in mind: these cool cameras which can shoot at speed of 11 frames per second, steadily lose at least 60% of shots out of focus due to this speed. This is neither equipment failure nor error, and you do not have to bring it to service for repair. The cause for this is autofocus tracking system is not able to capture fast-moving subjects in focus in such a fast shutter speed. Camera manufacturer is aware of this situation and recommends to lower the shooting rate to 10 frames per second, such way only 30% of the shots will be lost and the most desired image is more likely to be in focus.
Your camera is set up, optics are selected – ahead you go! Good luck on the shooting!
Author: Sergei Stepanov
