Sports Photography: Amateur sports, a photo opportunity

In honor of the Stanley cup playoffs and the just completed Memorial Cup Championship I thought I would post some of my pictures from the local OHL team.  The Ontario Hockey League is one of three premier junior hockey leagues in North America.  The league is represented by two local teams in my area, the Plymouth (MI) Whalers and the newly crowned Memorial Cup Champion Windsor (Ont, Canada) Spitfires. 

We have had season tickets for the Whalers since the early 90s.  The players are 16 to 20 years old and the quality is excellent.  A number of players on each team have been drafted by an NHL team and are completing their development in the OHL.  The best thing is that the tickets cost a fraction of the equivalent seats in the NHL. 

 

Nikon D300,  Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 150mm,  ISO 3200,  1/500 @ f/5

When you go to a small arena like those where junior hockey is played, the big problem is lighting.  The lighting tends to be dark and the rules usually preclude the use of flash (the action is often too far away for flash anyway).  Add to that the necessity to use as long a lens as possible and you get the need to up the ISO.  With my 80-400 f4.5-5.6 VR lens I find that ISO 1600 – 3200 is necessary to get the shutter speeds necessary to stop most action.

Nikon D300,  Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 @ 155mm,  ISO 800,  1/400 @ f/2.8

Most of the action is around the net but don’t ignore other parts of the playing surface.  It is always a good idea to get some shots of some of the aggressive play especially near the boards.  Sometimes a good hit make a very nice image.

Nikon D300,  Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm,  ISO 800,  1/250 @ f/2.8

Make sure you get some shots of the bench as well as the ice.  Here coach Mike Vellucci attempts, unsuccessfully I might add, to make a point to the officials.

Nikon D300,  Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 150mm,  ISO 3200,  1/500 @ f/5

If permitted a monopod is a handy item to have with you.  I normally shoot with my Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8 AFD or my Nikkor 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 VR.  I set the ISO at 800, 1600 or 3200 and live with the resulting grain, which with the D300 is not too bad.  Just remember not to block the view of other spectators or interfere with the game or arena in any way.

Minor league, high school, junior and other amateur sports matches are a great place to hone your skills and have a great time shooting like the big boys.

© Tim Marks

Comments

[Dominique]

Nice shots! Baseball next?
I keep thinking of those guys at the newspaper who thought they could get good sports shots with that old Mavica...

[Tim]

Baseball would be cool. The high school state tourney is coming up. Think I'll grab my 80-400 and hit some of the games.

[Becks Davis]

Those are some great shots Tim! I'm hoping to get a DSLR for my birthday this year, I'd love to be able to take pictures like these.

[Tim]

Thanks Becks. Once you get the DSLR you'll have to find more time to shoot