Hockey, hockey and more hockey. That pretty sums up the next 7 months here
in Edmonton. I enjoy shooting it (maybe not as much as football) but I think
what I really enjoy is getting a chance to meet up with several other
photographers and shoot the shit before every game. The Sun will usually
send one photographer, the Journal will send two, one photog from Reuters,
one from Getty (sometimes I'll shoot for them), and then either myself or my
colleague will shoot for Canadian Press. Oh, and the Oilers have two
photographers. So, that's quite a few shooters.

It's interesting to hear some of the veteran photographers talk about
shooting in the Gretzky era. The excitement of multiple Cup finals and
knowing that you are covering something important in Sports history. I'm
sure that is what it's like right now shooting the Penguins or Capitals.
Those photos will live on.

The Technical Stuff: Shot with a Nikon D700 (and grip to get 8 frames a
second), 400mm lens for shooting from a high position, 300mm lens and
70-200mm lens when shooting from down low through a hole. All shot at ISO
2500 and 1/800 sec shutter. The ice level position I try to shoot from is
called the suicide hole. It looks straight up the ice so that you can cover
almost the whole ice surface. Longer lens for shooting opposite net. Of
course you risk getting a puck in your face. Or worse, one in your lens.

           

Photos from the Calgary Stampeders vs Edmonton Eskimos game. Calgary beat
Edmonton 35-34 in a nail biter.
 
Ok, so I have to admit that I really enjoy shooting sports. There's just
something about being able to predict where there will be some peak action
and being able to capture a good photo from it. It's also one of those
events which really challenges you because there are other photographers out
there trying to outshoot, and just as important, send out to their
respective wires/papers first. It's about who is going to get that important
shot and have it printed in papers and websites around the world.
 
I've been shooting sports for a few years now, mostly for the Canadian Press
or Getty and I just love the thrill of working my butt off to get shots for
these two great wire services. In my experience, the two are very different.
The Canadian Press, which also feeds to Associated Press, is very much The
Newspaper Wire Service. And at one time, that was its main purpose. Getty,
on the other hand, seems to have more of a marketing edge. There photos seem
more suited for magazines and commercial usage (which is why a lot of their
hockey shots are lit) and therefore those are the types of photos that they
like to see. A little more artsy, little looser, more iconic images. Getty
even wants us to send them soft, blurry photos if they look cool. Which is
better? I think they both serve their purposes.
 
The Technical Stuff: I shot this game with a Nikon 400mm lens and had the
ISO from 1600 - 3200 (game started late in the evening). Usually I like to
shoot downfield a ways so that the action comes to me. Unless I'm looking
for some QB shots (which you always need to send) then I'll shoot from near
the line of scrimmage or even behind it. I'll also carry a second body with a 70-200mm lens or even a wide zoom.