Stepping aside from the usual nature and landscape imagery, a beautiful day here today in Edmonton at a sunny 17 degrees Celsius…makes me want to talk hockey. That’s right, hockey! We are not going to talk about the Coyotes win against L.A. today to force game five in the Stanley Cup semi finals and we’re not going to discuss what’s going on with the Rangers and the Devils. Nope! We are going right to the games that really count…minor hockey.
Nikon D3S, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR I, 1/640 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, handheld
Nikon D3S, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR I, 1/125 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, handheld
Nikon D3S, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR I, 1/250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, handheld
For the past three years I have set out and photographed three separate tournaments where my good friend Kenton’s son has participated in. For three years… at ages 8, 9 and 10, I have witnessed hockey skills improve dramatically with 1 tournament win, a second and a third place finish. Each years improvement in skills and game knowledge also comes improvement in skating. What this means is that those little buggers are getting faster and faster making it more challenging to capture sharp images. Now generally speaking when photographing minor hockey, it’s all about the kids and the photographers job is to capture little “Johnny” in a tight frame such that he is recognizable either by face or jersey number. An image that Moms and Dads like to put in the family album to remember the 5 a.m practices and those “ hockey “ days long after the kids have grown up and set out on their own.
Nikon D3S, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR I, 1/250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, handheld
I like motion and blurs and those that have visited my impressionist gallery will know what I mean. In the tournament this past March, I wanted to capture the excitement of the game not only in a traditional sense but also in an artistic manner as would be seen from the eyes of an impressionist artist or painter.
Nikon D3S, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR I, 1/10 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 100, handheld
Until next time…
Fab
Where are the mountains? Based off of all your previous blogged photographs I pictured you living in a small hut at the top of a mountain somewhere.:)
The hockey shots look great, nice contrast between the white jerseys and the ice and boards. My favorites? Glad you asked. You’ll need to reference to the gallery. #710 nice crisp clear action shot, great capture. #709 cause I love monochrome. And all the impressionest shots but if I was forced to choose it would be #720 just because.
Gord
Hey Gord, If I had some serious photoshop skills I would make those arenas appear as outdoor rinks in the middle of the mountains.
Give me an internet connection via satellite and that small hut on top of a mountain or better yet, in the middle of the Costa Rican rainforest would make me one happy man! Gord, as always, your thoughts are appreciated.
Fab