My Goal for 2013

There’s good news in our household…at least, for me. 🙂  My camera is home!!

I had a pretty good year in 2012, I think.  I got to my goal weight, started running (?!), successfully kept my blog up-to-date, and had good success at my job. But one area where I felt I didn’t really improve was my photography.

Since I have a whole category on my blog dedicated to “hockey photography,” you can guess that means I love to take pictures of my kids playing hockey. But beyond my own kids, I love taking pictures of every player on their respective teams. It’s so much fun to capture the excitement and intensity of these kids. Sometimes, when I look back at the photos, I’m amazed that they’re only 6-10 years old!

At this point, though, I feel like I do just okay as a “team photographer.” (Although, considering most youth hockey teams probably don’t have an official photographer at all, I’m probably already among the best in my class. ;))  But I really want to get better at it, and I mean truly better, to the point where my hockey photos really stand out.  I don’t have any desire to become a professional sports photographer or anything…I just want to take really good pictures of my kids’ hockey teams!

To that end, I decided that 2013 would be the year I actually take the time to learn about photography.  I’ve taken the first step by signing up for a simple one-day class later this month.  I’m very excited about it!  It’s actually only about 3 hours, but it’s taught by a couple of professional photographers, and they seem eager to help me take better hockey pictures.  I figure it’s a good start, and once I learn some very rudimentary basics, I’ll hopefully have an idea of where to go next.

For now, I’m just happy to be able to actually take pictures at the hockey games, now that my camera is out of the shop. I thought I would celebrate its return by showcasing some photos from a couple of my oldest son’s games. I had an opportunity to request permission from a few more hockey moms to use their sons’ game photos on my blog, and I’m anxious to show them off.  I do love taking pictures of these kids!  And it’s my hope that I will use these as a reference at the end of 2013 to show myself how far I have (hopefully!) come.

So, below are some photos from a game back in December, as well as yesterday’s game.  We actually lost both games, but I find that no matter what the final score, the games always give me a chance to showcase the kids and their talents. They truly are amazing!

Thanks to the parents who have allowed me to use their kids’ pictures on my blog!

This is from the December game, back when my camera was still not focusing properly.  I’m actually surprised at how well-focused this one is! This kid is pretty quick and I’m happy when he’s not a total blur. 😉  Still, I struggle with the exposure and white balance…there’s no “oomph” to this shot, in my opinion, which I think there should be.  I’m hopeful that I’ll learn some good tips at the class to help me make these shots stand out more.

This is a good still shot, showcasing this player, ready for action.  I do better when they aren’t skating away from me at breakneck speed, ha ha! 😉

Another decent shot from December, where this forward is clearly focused on making sure that puck is on his stick before he makes the pass!

This is one of my favorites.  I love to get the close-up shots of the kids when you can tell they’re clearly concentrating.  I especially love these close-up goalie shots, because I think that goalies play a special position, one that requires a lot of internal stamina. On the other hand, the close-up shots are always hard–the exposure is always a crap-shoot for me!

Another thing I like to do is try to capture the “team” moments, where the kids interact.  I love this shot of a defenseman and his goalie, side-by-side, ready to take on the opponent together.

A good action shot, I think, but it could have been zoomed in more, and again, it lacks oomph.

My kid makes me laugh when he’s on the ice.  This is what I consider to be his famous “You tryin’ to get by me?” pose. 😉

The shots around the back of the net are always interesting, because so much can happen back there.  It can be tough to catch them, because they can move from one side to another so fast!

The face-off shots are fun, because the expressions are always so serious.  Again, I’m amazed at the fact that these are only 9 or 10-year-olds!

Another so-so shot.  I want it closer, clearer, and with more excitement–because believe me, the excitement is always there! 🙂

This one isn’t bad…you can definitely feel the action here. And it’s a bit brighter than the others.  I’m learning, a little at a time!

Goalies rock. 😀  They are so fun to photograph, because they can make some amazing moves!

Another shot at the face-off, this one of a defenseman.  The kids are always so focused when they play…I often wish I had the intensity of a ten-year-old hockey player!

The one above and the next two tell a story of my son and his usual job.  If you don’t know anything about hockey (which I didn’t 7 years ago when my husband decided my son should play!), let me explain the job of a defenseman in his own zone: keep the other team’s forward (scoring player) from having a good shot at getting the puck.  This means you keep at him…

…moving wherever he moves…

…and never letting him have a moment’s peace, lol!

The job of a defensman when in the offensive zone is to always be ready to keep the puck from leaving the zone!

I see lots of problems with this shot, nothing to do with the player or the game, but with the photographer! I feel like I zoomed this one too close, and, like so many others, it’s not crisp at all.  There’s definitely room for improvement!

Another great shot of one of our goalies, holding onto the puck to save his life. Like I said before, goalies are fun to shoot!

Now this one I like.   I get lucky sometimes and can get their facial expressions, which always show how serious the game is. 🙂

I told you–goalies work hard and move fast!  I do like this one. 🙂

And finally, I have found that occasionally, the best photos are not on the ice at all.  Anyone who knows anything about hockey can see this shot and know that it’s an exciting game. 😀

Thanks so much for reading my hockey post…I’m hoping to have better pictures to show as the year goes on!