Shooting Indoor Hockey Events: Is it possible to get good close to the action hockey shots through the rink protective glass- if so better results holding lens tight against the glass...

dmorse

Is it possible to get good close to the action hockey shots through the rink protective glass- if so better results holding lens tight against the glass to eliminate glare? Any other suggestions? TX

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

You are better off getting above the glass.

ronz Loc: Florida

Most rinks have holes in the glass you can use but yes you can shoot thru the glass, just choose your spot

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

You can also try rubber lens hoods. Hold the lens hood against the glass to keep the reflections out.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Shooting from above the glass or through the holes will be the best option. I would not want to put a lens directly against the glass as someone slamming into the glass hard might possibly damage your camera or lens.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

smilex3md

dmorse wrote:

Is it possible to get good close to the action hockey shots through the rink protective glass- if so better results holding lens tight against the glass to eliminate glare? Any other suggestions? TX

All of the suggestions you have received are good--look for the photographers port (hole in the glass but few rinks have this in my experience), look for a place above the board to shoot from, etc. I have a few others to add.

1. Sometimes the penalty boxes are open to the ice and if you are associated with a team request to work the penalty box.
2. Same thing for the bench. If you can stay out of the way some coaches might allow you on a corner of the bench.
3. Go to the rink before the game you are interested in and practice a bit.
4. Play with higher ISO settings.
5. Remember to compensate your exposure so the ice is white!
6. Sometimes you can clone/heal reflections in post-processing or at least minimize them.

Here is an example of a hockey photograph I took through the class and composition and content aside, I think the quality is acceptable.

Best,
Alan

(Download)

Shutterbugsailer Loc: Staten Island NY (AKA Cincinnati by the Sea)

smilex3md wrote:

All of the suggestions you have received are good-... (show quote)

Who won the fight?

Wanderer2 Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains

Actually that doesn't appear to be a fight - note that both still have their sticks in hand, but rather a check. According to the current rules however that's elbowing and targeting the head and would be penalized. Years past that tended to be ignored but with current knowledge of Traumatic Brain Encephalopathy any contact to the head is against the rules.

This discussion brought back many memories. I was a hockey dad whose son played through some college and shot hundreds of photos of him on the ice. There's lots of good advice above and the only thing I could add is that some cameras have a through glass setting and on my Panasonic Z-40 it really does work quite well, although I've never tried that at a rink - that wasn't a camera feature back in my son's playing days (although he still plays in an adult league).

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Y'all are going to kill me. A fb friend of mine, who was a teacher at my h.s. and now teaches at a Catholic college, posted some excellent photos from both the mens' basketball game and hockey game. The lighting was great and the shots were sharp. Since these types of topics recur on UHH, I asked him what kind of camera and lens he was using. It was an iPhone.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Alan, Did you use any Dehaze on this through the glass shot?

Best,
Todd Ferguson

smilex3md wrote:

All of the suggestions you have received are good-... (show quote)

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

As long as it can stop the motion. That is the problem I see with iPhone on some subjects...not fast enough shutter speed. They are probably getting better every generation though...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

SteveR wrote:

Y'all are going to kill me. A fb friend of mine, who was a teacher at my h.s. and now teaches at a Catholic college, posted some excellent photos from both the mens' basketball game and hockey game. The lighting was great and the shots were sharp. Since these types of topics recur on UHH, I asked him what kind of camera and lens he was using. It was an iPhone.

lbrande

A note that you should understand. If you are at a registered tournament, you may not be permitted to shoot in the penalty box, nor the team bench because of USA Hockey rules, and because you are competing with the local pros that are taking shots there. At a weekend game, at least in my case CAHA, they had rules against allowing parents either in the penalty box, or the team bench. Typically, I would shoot in the benches above the glass with a 200mm and a 1.4 extender on a Canon 50D. I would get some pretty impressive shots. All my travel time, I shot through the glass. Typically I would clean the glass, and the Refs would clean the inside glass as a favor. Always set your white balance correctly to accommodate the different lighting. Enjoy. I shot over 5000 pictures of my daughters figure, ice hockey, and my sons ice hockey all around the continent.

smilex3md

Notorious T.O.D. wrote:

Alan, Did you use any Dehaze on this through the glass shot?

Best,
Todd Ferguson

Not for that photograph. I pushed the clarity a bit which, along with the higher ISO increases the graininess. I have found shooting hockey games involves lots of quality trade-offs like this. Dehaze, as you suggest, is another good tool in the toolkit. Global adjustments are not always great so I usually turn to local adjustments like cloning and healing to address reflections. It often depends on what is in the scene and how well healing will work.

Best,
Alan

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Thanks for the answer. I hope to shoot some hockey one day... Seems like a great challenge...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

smilex3md wrote:

Not for that photograph. I pushed the clarity a bit which, along with the higher ISO increases the graininess. I have found shooting hockey games involves lots of quality trade-offs like this. Dehaze, as you suggest, is another good tool in the toolkit. Global adjustments are not always great so I usually turn to local adjustments like cloning and healing to address reflections. It often depends on what is in the scene and how well healing will work.

Best,
Alan

smilex3md

Notorious T.O.D. wrote:

Thanks for the answer. I hope to shoot some hockey one day... Seems like a great challenge...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

It also helps if you know the sport well to anticipate where and when the action will probably happen. Another part of the enjoyment of photography. I suspect the best bird and animal photographers I see on UHH have the same sense of anticipation.