How to Photograph Hockey (Page 2 of 2)

Article by ryanhfung (163 pts )
Edited & published by Rhonda Callow (10,566 pts ) on Jun 26, 2009

Positioning

These are certainly not the only shooting locations, but they are the most available. (Click on image to enlarge)

From position one, you will be able to catch players skating into the offensive zone, shooting, and checking. One thing you will probably not see is the face of the goaltender. The glass here is usually pretty dirty and more difficult to shoot through so, make sure you find a clean section to shoot through.

Position two will give you a great vantage point for photographing the goaltender. You sacrifice, however, players skating into the zone. From here, you’ll also be able to get close ups of players while facing off. This glass is a lot cleaner because the pucks rarely hit this section.

Another option (not in the diagram) would be to shoot from the stands, above the glass entirely. This will provide the sharpest images since the light does not have to pass through additional glass. The only problem is that the players will seem smaller in the photos compared to those shot from rinkside.

Shooting Holes

Personally I do not recommend using the holes. I have seen pucks, sticks, and other objects fly through the hole, which could easily damage equipment. There is always a place where you can shoot through the glass and get great pictures.

Tips

  • If you do use the shooting hole, use your lens hood as protection. It's better to have a little than none.
  • Watch the plays. If two forwards are skating toward the opponents net, try to guess which forward will be shooting. You don't have enough time to try to watch both players.
  • Watch the point shooters on powerplays, they will often shoot the puck.
  • Don't bother with down-ice photos (the other end of the rink) unless you have the right lens/teleconverter (300mm+ I would say)

 
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