Small, hard balls...

[gmen]

...and they move incredibly fast too.

I keep plugging away - here are some hockey pics from this weekend. I'm keen to hear what y'all think of 'em...

[metoliusdmm]

I don't think i have ever seen field hockey, that is what this looks like, if i am wrong let me know. Anyway i like them a lot, the DOF is really cool with the spectators in the background. I like the expresions caught, all in all i am impressed, great shots.

Devin

[gahspidy]

Gmen,
these are all very good. As usual your action shots have all that are expected. sharpness, color, good action and expressions of the players, and framing.. just curious. . . I figure you would be snapping away in rapid fire as your following the action and then picking the best shots from the bunch. how many shots do you go through to get the good ones?

[gmen]

Gary - That's a very good question indeed... I'll try my best to answer it!

These games were shot for the local paper and I took around 300 shots at each game. It can be a lot more if I'm covering a whole football or cricket match.

Of that 300, around 230-250 were keepers - i.e. I dispose of the pics that are: out of focus, those that show just the backs of players, where there's no ball where the ball is needed, where a player has stepped in front of the action, etc.

Bear in mind that not all the shots are of action. When I'm covering a job for the paper, I also try to shoot a variety of images that can be used as stock - i.e. pics of the managers and coaches as well as shots of individual players.

I tend to shoot in short bursts of 2, 3 or 4 rather than lay on the shutter release. I concentrate on timing the shot to catch the peak action ad then the aftermath, rather than hoping to get the peak action in the middle of a sequence of shots.

I submit on average 6 action images from each game to the paper. Then I follow that up with a batch of stock pics that I think will come in useful. As long as the stock photos are captioned well in the IPTC data, the paper can archive them and search for players' names as and when needed - it creates another small revenue stream for me!

I don't post the shots that the paper uses on any websites (even my own) as I have guaranteed them exclusivity and I like to remain ethical in these things!

I use a further selection of 12 shots from each event on my own website - these games can be seen here:

http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/ol071104/index.html
http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/oll071104/index.html
http://www.tgsphoto.co.uk/ri061104/index.html

And then, from time to time, I pick a small selection to post here in the hope that you guys will like 'em!!

When it comes to 'portfolio' type shots - these are much rarer - one in a thousand or less! I guess I'm in the business of getting good, solid action shots to satisfy the needs of the paper - and then the odd jewel pops out that I can add to my 'folio.

I hope that makes sense!

[Old Timer]

Very good reply to Gary's question. If from your reply I can assume that the images you post are not your best of the best, than I am even more impressed with your ability.

[gmen]

Thanks Old Timer.

Some of the shots I send into the paper are not always the 'best', but the most 'newsworthy'. I will often send in shots of goals or celebrations that capture the story rather than the very best action peak-action shot.

So, sometimes, the shots I post here are (subjectively) the 'best' from that particular game/event and sometimes they're not!

[gahspidy]

Thanks for the in-depth response. Keep up the great work.

[Todd Patten]

Isn't it interesting that Field Hockey is purely a womans sport in the U.S.? Just a social commentary.

[gmen]

Todd - I was just looking through some hockey links and the US field hockey website certainly features men's hockey: http://www.usfieldhockey.com/ - but I guess the women's teams get a much greater share of the media coverage.

The GB men's international hockey team has been more successful in recent years than their female counterparts. They won the Gold Medal in the 1988 Olympics for example and men's hockey still retains a higher profile in the UK.

[shesells]

Gmen... if you notice, I don't ever comment on sports pics. Basically I hate sports like football or hockey.. lol sorry and barely stand to look at pics of it. Something to do with my father watching all the time...shrink time. lol Anyway these are so entertaining that I'll make an exception. They are also quite sharp and you can even see the dirt flying up from their feet. What makes them though is the looks on their faces, they make me laugh. It's amazing to me that you can get such great shots in such a fleeting moment. They're excellent.
Kit

[gmen]

Gmen... if you notice, I don't ever comment on sports pics. Basically I hate sports like football or hockey.. lol sorry and barely stand to look at pics of it. Something to do with my father watching all the time...shrink time. lol Anyway these are so entertaining that I'll make an exception. They are also quite sharp and you can even see the dirt flying up from their feet. What makes them though is the looks on their faces, they make me laugh. It's amazing to me that you can get such great shots in such a fleeting moment. They're excellent.
Kit

Thanks Kit - your comments are much appreciated. I have to say I always try to take shots that show the players faces - the pics of backs generally find their way into the recycle bin!

[opus]

gmen, I thank you for your detailed explanation of the process you go through for newspaper publication. You've inadvertently answered several questions I've always had but never asked.

Thank you.

[gmen]

Thanks Kelly - glad to be of assistance in some way!

I'm more than happy to elaborate further if need be (re: workflow and all that jazz) - once I start typing, sometimes I just can't stop!