How to Photograph Ice Hockey

(All images copyright Michael Berkeley Photography - no reproduction without permission)

I love photographing ice hockey - it is fast, exciting and a spectacle. I first contacted Swindon Wildcats back in autumn 2017 and they kindly allowed me to photograph the match against the Hull Pirates; and I have been back on 3 further occasions.

Ice hockey isn’t a sport that I know a huge amount about, so I did some research on Google before my first visit to Swindon to find out more about the sport and to see what sort of images other photographers were getting. I found out that some rinks have a ‘photographers’ hole’ – which is a hole in the Plexiglas big enough for a camera lens to go through, thereby providing an uninterrupted view of the action – but I have seen a video where the puck was hit through the hole and injured the photographer badly, so I wasn’t too enthusiastic about that!

(Sony A9II; 70-200mm at 200mm; f/2.8; 1/1000th sec; ISO 1600)

As it happens, there isn’t a hole at Swindon, so my first task was to find a suitable position from which to shoot. Following my practice at other ‘end to end’ sports such as football, rugby, polo and basketball, I positioned myself at rink level, on the corner. This afforded good views down the rink, as well as of the goal – while ensuring that the view through the Plexiglas was not too oblique, as that would have created unwanted reflections. I also checked that the Plexiglas in front of me didn’t have too many scratches or smears so that the images were as clear as possible.

As I didn’t have a dedicated spot, I ensured that I arrived early to reserve my space before too many spectators arrived. This proved more of a problem for the ‘local derby’ against Basingstoke on New Year’s Day 2020, as there were many more visiting fans than for the game against Hull back in 2017.

(Nikon D500; 70-200mm at 122mm - f/2.8; 1/1000th sec; ISO 280)

Also, as a match has 3 periods of 20 minutes each where the teams alternate ends, it is worth positioning yourself at the end that ‘your’ team is attacking in the first period, as you will then have 2 periods where they are primarily skating towards you on the attack.

I used the general principles for camera settings set out in my blog Getting into Sport and Music Photography. This meant that I set the lens as wide open as possible to reduce the depth of field (normally f/2.8 with the lenses I have); set the shutter speed to a level where I reckoned the puck would be frozen, even when hit at speed (so, at least 1/1000th sec); and put the ISO setting to Auto within max/min limits (although, as the light levels were constant, I reckon I could have set the ISO to one particular level).

(Nikon D500; 18-55mm at 18mm - f/3.5; 1/1000th sec; ISO 900)

I have experimented with a number of different lenses over the 4 games I have covered and, on balance, the 70-200mm zoom is the most versatile if using only one body (I find it difficult swapping bodies at speed, considering how quickly an ice hockey match unfolds). As far as focussing is concerned, I used continuous-servo AF on the Nikon, with 3D-tracking, which worked well with the fast-moving skaters.

The image above was taken with an 18-55mm lens, however, and the wide angle gives a dramatic perspective when the action is so close. Note the reflection in the Plexiglas on the right of the image, because I was shooting obliquely through it.

Ice hockey is of course played indoors under lights and this adds the complication of getting the white balance correct, which isn’t such an issue with sports outdoors. I haven’t found this too much of a problem, especially with the Sony A9II, so I leave White Balance on Auto and I work on this while reviewing the photos on Lightroom back at home.

(Sony A9II; 70-200mm at 200mm - f/2.8; 1/1000th sec; ISO 2000)

With ice hockey, the action moves at high speed from one end of the rink to the other, and there is often quite a crush around the goal, making it difficult to isolate the action in a photograph that doesn’t have a crowd of players displaying more backs than faces. It’s very similar to basketball in this respect.

In the image above, the camera has picked up the player that I wanted to focus on, even though other players have moved in front of him, so this illustrates how difficult it is to get an uninterrupted view of the player you want to photograph. I quite like the position of the puck and the sticks, but I am not sure that this is a ‘keeper’.

The easiest time to grab ‘stock shots’ of the players is when they were moving from one end of the rink to the other, because they are facing you, and also they often don’t have opposition players obscuring them (see below).

I aim to get a recognisable face, the puck and the stick(s) fully in the picture if possible. As with other arena sports, the background can be distracting because I am shooting from rink level and the adverts and the spectators therefore come into play.

In the image below, I have darkened the image in post-production to obscure the spectators. Maybe it’s the wrong image to use (too much empty space top right), but I find the lack of spectators weird. As a principle, I feel spectators provide context and atmosphere, although it is good to blur them as much as the lens will allow – hence the importance of making the depth of field as shallow as possible by having the lens wide open.

(Nikon D500; 70-210mm at 70mm - f/4; 1/1250th sec; ISO 560)

Having photographed players moving from one end of the rink to the other, the next challenge is to capture the goal-mouth action. As previously stated, this can be tricky with the number of players involved and the speed with which everything happens – but it is not impossible. Using continuous shooting is also helpful, because that increases the likelihood of capturing the precise moment you want.

As always, the better you understand the sport, the easier it is to anticipate what is going to happen – whether it is shot on goal or when a fight is brewing, which is a part of the game that is immensely popular with the spectators!

In the image below, the Wildcats player in red is facing the camera and the puck is in a good position in relation to the goalie.

(Sony A9II; 70-200mm at 121mm - f/2.8; 1/1000th sec; ISO 2500)

Part of the challenge is also to capture the emotion of the players - the highs and the lows. In the image below, the concentration and determination on the face of the Wildcats’ attacking player in red is contrasted with the frustration of the Bisons’ defenders who cannot get to the puck. This provides a tension in the picture and starts to tell a story.

(Sony A9II; 70-200mm at 70mm - f/2.8; 1/1000th sec; ISO 2500)

Ice hockey is a very physical game, often involving hits and altercations between the players – this is just part of the spectacle (see below). Sometimes these can happen right in front of you, so close in fact that it is not possible to capture them.

Also, there are some good images to be had when a player stops quickly and his skates throw up ice (see below).

(Nikon D500; 70-210mm at 70mm - f/4; 1/1000th sec; ISO 720)

As always, I am on the lookout for pictures that provide atmosphere, such as the goal celebration and player shots below. Celebrations in any sport reflect emotion and success, so they are firm favourites with the club involved.

(Sony A9II; 70-200mm at 120mm - f/2.8; 1/1000th sec; ISO 2500)

(Nikon D500; 70-200mm at 200mm - f2.8; 1/1000th sec; ISO 450)

I would jump at the opportunity to photograph ice hockey again. It is high octane fun – and a challenge photographically to capture images that make artistic sense when the play appears fairly chaotic. If you get a chance, I would strongly recommend that you give it a go!

With special thanks to Swindon Wildcats.

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