From the Goalie's viewpoint

[Maritimer1]

It's hockey season again. In an attempt to try something a bit different, I decided to try a few shots from behind the goalie. This is just one of the series I took as the opposing team advanced down the ice towards him. (Yes, indeed, there is a lot of reflection in the picture from the glass and items behind (like a big, garage type door) behind me!) Just for the record, I would NOT want to be a goalie in any sport. Talk about intense!


IMG_9908 by M.J. Hencher, on Flickr

Shot with Canon 40D and an 85/1.8

[harmon1]

Great shot, someone needs to feel what he sees.

[epmi314]

This shot really captures the moment. Focus and exposure are spot on... it's just that bright light in the top right that as you mentioned is really the only issue I see. Great shot. I feel it!

[Maritimer1]

Oops! You're right. That's a window. I tend not to edit out things for sports, but I really should have before posting it here. Pretty blown out

[Dovrob]

Nice shot. Good use of depth of view. What about a similar shot with the goalie out of focus with the advancing players sharp, as an alternative view?

[Dovrob]

"depth of view", meant "depth of field", sorry but I still like the photo

[Donald]

Now, that is good. That is very good.

There are probably technical bits that can be developed, but the vision to 'see' that shot in the first place, is admirable.

That takes us right down onto the rink and puts us into the game. Wonderful.

I don't think the reflections from the glass are really an issue. Okay, you get them in the upper portion where the background is dark, but you don't really get them from the area covered by the rink. Might be a problem if you tried the shot of a goalie who had a dark shirt/uniform.

Well done Myra. More please.

[rpcrowe]

Myra,
What do you think of a closer crop like this one???

[Maritimer1]

Thanks for the feedback! David, there is a game tonight and your idea is exactly what I had in mind. This fellow is "our" goalie. Tonight, I want to try the same location and focus on our forwards as they come tearing toward the net.

The closer crop looks good to me!

Donald, I have started to really like shooting sports. Now, that is kind of funny because except for the horses, I've never played sports in my life. So far this fall, I've done a little soccer and about 9 hockey games. I have all my hockey shots on the flikre site (below). The soccer was school based, though, so I didn't feel comfortable posting them anywhere. My 85/1.8 has turned out to be quite the little workhorse.


Myra

[speedneeder]

Stupid rink glass! I know what you mean too well
For me the image is great. I think it the way the name on the jersey is captured makes the photo. If my name was Lawrence I would want that photo!
As far as the reflections go, speaking as a hockey dad, this is something I look for often when shooting games. No one fusses when I sit on the bench and don't have to look through the glass either Though you couldn't get this perspective that way.
Great goalie shot!

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Myra,

Good to have you posting again

Being sensitive to you not want to clone stuff out, as these are more 'documentary' in shots, I offer this;



I knocked down the over exposure on the top right window and the light or screen thing just above your team's player advancing on left hand edge. I tried cropping it off, but it spoiled the composition too much.

I also applied a blur to take the sharpness off the reflected bits.

Total improvement; barely 10% (if that) - I think you were almost there.

I included the original in a quote, so that in the Lytebox, they can be 'clicked between' (Orig = PREV, mine = NEXT) to see the differences - I haven't done that yet.

EDIT: Now I have compared, I now think my 'improvements' are even less obvious than I predicted - very subtle indeed, 3% 'better' tops. Well done on a great original.

Cheers,

[FrankMi]

Hi Myra, except for the title, this is a great shot. I don't mean this to sound stupid but with this title, the goalie seriously needs glasses.

How about this for an idea. Next time you get to shoot this scene, try to get a shot of the field as sharp as possible when the goalie is off to one side of the net, then take a second shot similar to the one above and combine them in post processing. With that, you can concentrate on getting the best astion capture on the ice and with the entire image sharp, the image would be more appropriate for the title.

[Maritimer1]

<LOL> You guys are going to kill me! I will want to make all these changes and do all the "fun stuff" and have to stay up 23 hours a day Totally agree with making the tweaks and post processing, however, these shots are only used for the team's program (nice 6 page colour spread with sponsors, photos, stats etc) and are put on Flikre for the players and their families. I don't expect payment from "our" team. This is just something I do on Friday night to keep me off the couch and away from the TV and snacks. My husband is the team's trainer and my best friend's husband is a coach. My taking shots of the games started last year and it quickly became something everyone looked for. I enjoy it, learn a whole lot about light etc etc and their "thank you's" are nice. Some of these players travel 100km to get here for practices and games and others don't have a lot of extra money after the fees and equipment are paid for. I really hope they do pick up the photos and stick them in a file or have them printed so they can look back on themselves in 20 years time.

Dave, thanks for taking the time to edit the photo. That window is so badly blown it's pretty much beyond help. The door behind is a huge one, with grey slats, that opens to allow the zamboni (ice cleaning machine) in and out.

Frank, good observation! Good thing I didn't call it "Through the Goalie's Eyes" <LOL>.

I took my old 18-55 kit lens (not sharp at all and fringes terribly) to the game last night and tried to get a shot from behind the goalie with the players in focus. Well, I stood and waited and waited, but the crush of players rushing the net just wasn't happening (slow game) so I gave up and paid attention to the rest of the action. I'll post one, anyway, just to give you an idea.

Thanks for all the comments!

Myra

[Maritimer1]

This was was taken with the 18-55 kit lens (3.5 is as wide as it will go in perfect conditions). The centering is not good as there is a bar that supports the glass at my left so I cannot get directly centered behind the nets. I chose to try to centre the roof instead of the net. To get this exposure, I had to go to 18mm at f/4, 1/100, iso 1000 and then bring up the exposure again in ACR. The shutter speed is too slow for action so the photo is not sharp. I would love to try this angle with a faster wide angle lens. (Dream on.) In real distance, I am standing about two meters behind the front of the net.


IMG_0096 by M.J. Hencher, on Flickr


After I switched back to the 85mm, I tried again to get sharp players and an out of focus goalie. This is as close as I got:


IMG_0166 by M.J. Hencher, on Flickr

The rink maintenance fellow always says to me "Still clicking away?" On Friday night, he pointed up to the rafters and suggested tieing me to a harness so I could swing back and forth and get better shots. Funny man...

[Donald]

I don't care about the pictures. I just want to know why Lawrence was dropped as Goalminder? He didn't do too bad last week, did he?

[Maritimer1]

I was wondering if anyone would pick up on that<LOL> No, Lawrence is still very much a part of the team. To keep things fair, the two goalies are rotated from game to game. He was on the bench, dressed and ready to go, should something happen to Nolan.

Lawrence is in his second year with us. Just a note about him. He's such a nice guy that last year he decided to have his long hair (as in a lengthy pony tail) cut and donated to a program that makes wigs for those who have lost their hair to cancer.

[GrahamH]

Hockey? Oh yeah ICE hockey not FIELD. Always get the two mixed up. Obviously not a native Canadian am I eh!

Nevertheless, nice shot. My first impression is of tension, getting prepared for the oncoming onslaught. Nothing worse than the waiting BEFORE the action, once the action takes place, it's so much easier (if more painful .

And don't get me started on a little game where the funny shaped ball is handled for most of the game - and the North American call it FOOTball. (Now there's an idea, how about a game which is played primarily by using the feet?).


Graham H
(Still struggling to learn Canadian after 12 years).

[Maritimer1]

Graham, I am strugging to learn sports<LOL>. A few years ago, when our son played hockey as a kid and then teenager, I used to drive him to the games and then sit in the van and read. I couldn't stand to watch the whole game for fear someone would get hurt. Those games could get brutal, and the parents were sometimes just as nasty with all their catcalling from the sidelines. I would creep in if an ambulance pulled up to the door to make sure that a) it wasn't my son and b) it wasn't my son who caused the injury. This was about six years ago before the rules were greatly changed as to checking and dropping the gloves.

I just found out last year that the person who keeps the balls out of the net in soccer (your football) is a keeper. Who knew?

Despite the same son trying to indoctrinate me in the terms of basketball, I'm still hopeless. I do enjoy trying to get some shots, though

[Dave Humphries]

And don't get me started on a little game where the funny shaped ball is handled for most of the game - and the North American call it FOOTball. (Now there's an idea, how about a game which is played primarily by using the feet?).

Yeah, we could wear boots and call it socker

[Maritimer1]

Yeah, we could wear boots and call it socker

Oh, groan! There's that British humour....