First, was to get a front row seat. Not behind the net. I was able to get a seat a few feet away from the home penalty box. The good news is I was across from the Flint team bench and I got to see a lot of the bench action. And I was pretty much at eye level as the subjects. Great perspective for many shots. On the not so good side, I had way too much lens for the location. I was using the 70-300. If I had the same seats again, the 18-200 would be it. (Building the case for a 70-200 2.8.) Rookie mistake, but since I seem to have the wrong lens all the time, I still did OK. I have practice.
As with any seat in an arena, there are good and bad elements. The good - great eye level action. Fast. The not so good, parts of the ice that are not visible. In the end, all three seat locations I chose had great points. And some draw backs.
But only in the front row can you see this.
Up Against the Glass
NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6
105 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600 (AUTO)
MANUAL Mode, Size DX
In real life, this happens so fast - and is fun. For photography, this was fun. The reflections of the fan jerseys are very cool. The scratches in the Plexiglas almost look like autograph. Very interesting. Just doesn't look the same from the second row back. I think everyone should have a front row seat once in their life.
Another goal for the night was to set the speed (1/800 sec), the aperture (f/5.6) and let the ISO float. Let the ISO roam everywhere. As long is it was under 6500. In the previous nights out, I tried to keep the ISO at 1000 or 800. I'd make up the difference in software. And that worked OK, but it was work. As I did research (YouTube) on photographing hockey all said I had to free up the ISO - much higher than 1000. And all said the D500 could handle it. Goal set.
The ISO story. And this is embarrassing, because I thought in the even light of the arena all setting should be even. And that is totally incorrect. For the night, the ISO wandered from 1100 to 6400 (Auto Limit). Most images were in the area of 1800 to 2800. But the good news is, even the shots at 6400 came out well and didn't need much work. Moral of the story. Let the camera do the work.
One of the other items to play with the JPG functionality. I set the D500 for Standard. Overall I was pleased with the outcome. It was about 80% of what I'd do. The biggest shortfall was leveling. When you're following fast action around with a few pounds on the front of your face, I've found leveling is the first thing to take a hit. Auto focus is lightning fast, auto leveling not so much. If at all.
Even shooting JPGs, I'd still make a few edits. But if I had to deliver a number of shots, with decent lighting I'd consider going the JPG route. Consider.
So most of the shots are from the front row. I've gotten into the practice of watching the third period from above the seats. That gets me above the Plexiglas and I had plenty of lens. Shots are good, but the angles are a bit off. They'll fix up OK.
I like this shot because of the crown movement in one direction. There is one player basically going right, but looking behind.
Going Left
NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6
142 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3600 (AUTO)
MANUAL Mode, Size DX
Some of the shots I like feature extreme angles. Like making a quick change of direction. Reminds me of the skiing days. Also, in all the Flint shots, the bench for a background is never bad. Everyone is watching the game.
Cut Right
NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6
105 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1400 (AUTO)
MANUAL Mode, Size DX
This is a fun sequence. I could see the shooter winding up for the slapper, and this is the end shot, just before he was prone on the ice. If only the puck were in the shot.
Shot Follow Through
NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6
202 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1400 (AUTO)
MANUAL Mode, Size DX
I had two favorite shots from the night. This is one. Spoiler alert, the puck is in the glove. But this was great to watch develop. Call the cops, this guy was robbed.
The other favorite, unfortunately, will not make the blog. It was from the first row, a breakaway by Guelph to the Flint goal. I had it the whole way. Until the photo access hole in the Plexiglas got in the way. AAAHHHGGG. Wooda, Coulda, Shoulda.
But this will go in the screen saver collection. Top of the crease, text book.
Glove Save
NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6
187 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600 (AUTO)
MANUAL Mode, Size DX
I bet this is the longest two minutes in sports. NCAABB might give it a run, but here you are alone. Unless your teammates decide to keep you company, but that is usually frowned upon. I was waiting for this to happen. I have four shots in the series, but this one seems to have the most character. I like the footwork. This two minutes didn't cost a goal, coming out too fast. Not the walk of shame speed.
Did My Time
NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6
240 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2500 (AUTO)
MANUAL Mode, Size DX
Usually at some point of any game, more than the puck ends up in the net. This was very close to the end of the game, and Guelph was not holding back. The track into the net left by the skate can be seen. Accident investigation. Best fun photo of the evening.
Wrong Thing in the Net
NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6
270 mm, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2000 (AUTO)
MANUAL Mode, Size DX
A very good evening. Great game. Good photos.
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