photo nelly

Kid Line Faces Off

Taken at the United Center in Chicago, with the Blackhawks playing against the San Jose Sharks.

 

What a great time to be a hockey fan in Chicago. I have been a fan of the sport my entire life, yet this past March was really the first time I brought my camera gear to capture the action. We were lucky enough to get great seats at the center line through friends of the family, and that combined with my 300mm telephoto lens, it looks like we were up against the glass.

It is during sporting events like these where having a DSLR with an very fast shutter and interchangable lenses really pays off. I probably didn't do the best with some of the white balance in most of these, but that's what the digital darkroom is for.

Hockey is a very intense and fast-paced game, which makes for a lot of action to shoot as a photographer. Playing the sport for 20 years, I have first hand knowledge of some of the game situations and player behaviors that make for the best photos.

However, for fans at a live hockey game, there is a little something called hockey etiquitte. Out of respect for that, I didn't shoot too much live action, and also because I wanted to enjoy the game. Shots like this from face-offs and goal celebrations were a good compromise.

I was also amazed at how much detail my 2 year own DSLR picked up with my telephoto lens. From the scrapes and shaodws on the ice, to the stick marks on the boards, I was pretty impressed. Now, with my next upgrade to the Canon Rebel XSi, it should be exciting to see how much I can capture this season.

 

Things to Note

As for the game, it was a blast watching Jonathon Toews and Patrick Kane for the first time live. They have really helped turn the excitement back on for hockey fans in Chicago. We originally picked this game because they were playing the San Jose Sharks, and the only time they were visiting the United Center that season. The Sharks roster features my favorite Blackhawks of all time, Jeremy Roenick, so I didn't want to miss that.

Closer to game day (March 7, 2008), we found out that it had been chosen as Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita day. Pre-game ceremonies took place to honor two of the best players to ever dawn the greatest jersey in professional sports. That posed quite a bit of a challange to me in regards to getting some good low-light shots from so far away.

Not many of those came out too well, and the ones that did are still waiting to be edited and uploaded. :)