[Leica] SO YOU WANT TO COVER THE OLYMPICS????? :-)HOW TO: HOCKEY GAMES!! :-)

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca)]

Mark Rabiner OFFERED:
>>>One thing I've never done but would love to do is shoot some
Hockey. That would be a real test of ones reflexes.<<<

OK so here's your first lesson on shooting ice hockey. :-) Piece of cake 
really. You just have to be in the right seat and have the right lens with 
the reflexes of a cat or faster! ;-)

1/ YOUR LOCATION SHOULD BE AT THE BOARDS RIGHT INLINE WITH THE GOALIE! In 
effect shooting across the ice and not behind the goalie. You can move 
BEHIND for the third period just for something different.

2/ A LEICA OF YOUR CHOICE WITH A 90MM LENS.  Motor drive or fast Tom 
Abrahamsson's RapidWinder works beautifully! It's preferred, not to machine 
gun film or pixels. But to shoot as fast as possible simply because when the 
action gets hot in front of the net you want that camera clicking quickly as 
things are moving and changing rapidly. Don't think about it! Just shoot it! 
If you are wasting time giving any thought, you will miss the puck as it 
goes in the net! It is very important to be right in line with the goalie or 
the net posts as this lens length will give you lots of nice full frame 
images as the jam-ups occur in front of the net.

3/ A second body, maybe with a 100mm for players faces and tighter images of 
the goalie!

4/ Some also use a 300mm for shooting toward the other end. I never bother 
as rarely are they any good. Unless a fight breaks out on the ice then it's 
of some use.

My suggestion on this use is...... "whack the guy who started the fight a 
good one on the side of his head!!"
"A REAL GOOD ONE, THEN CLAIM ACCIDENTAL SLIP OUT OF YOUR HANDS! BUT GIVE HIM 
ONE HE'LL REMEMBER THE NEXT TIME HE THINKS HE WANTS TO FIGHT!  INSTEAD OF 
SHOWING HOW SKILLED HE IS AT... putting the puck in the net!"

Simply because ice hockey is about skill in skating, stick handling and 
"PLAYING THE GAME!" Not the damn violence we see so much of these days 
encouraged by the team owners who know there is nothing like "a fight to 
bring out the "MENTALLY RETARDED PAYING MIND DEAD MORON FANS " for the next 
game! IE: More money in the owners pockets!!

It does seem I have a bit of an attitude about fighting and playing hockey! 
:-) WHY? Its a beautiful game of a humans' ability for speed, skill of body 
and stick in hands while putting the puck in the net. I played lots of it as 
I grew up and onto high school teams. Loved it for it's speed of motion and 
scoring a goal!

There now, next time you hear of a hockey game being played, all you need is 
a front row seat right at the boards and inline with the goal mouth and a 
90mm lens and yer off to some great action! Oh yeah don't get all hottied-up 
about shooting through the rinkside glass protecting you from sizzling pucks 
through the air and or a stick in the head. You will probably be shooting 
wide open or nearly so and the lens right at the glass. So anything on the 
glass will be out of focus and if your using a Leica nothing will show but 
your great skill at shooting hockey !! :-)

So off you go now lad and post a few come the fall! :-) We'll be watching! 
:-)

cheers,
Dr. ted.