Hockey Shot

Beanbagfrags

Senior Member
Looking for comments/critiques on the below photo, image looks dull and I am wondering what steps in lightroom can be done to give it more colour/punch. I found depending where the players were on the ice (below a light, or not) changed the overall outcome of my photo. Raw file before I did anything to photo can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9qjo2azygv1xke1/SIP_6114.NEF?dl=0
SIP_6114.jpg
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Looking for comments/critiques on the below photo, image looks dull and I am wondering what steps in lightroom can be done to give it more colour/punch.
Well these small JPG's are hard to work with and someone else could probably do better, but...

Here's you Original:
SIP_6114.jpg



.....
And here it is with some adjustments made:
SIP_6114-1.jpg




Unfortunately I'm not a Lightroom user so while I can tell you what I did, using Camera Raw/Photoshop, I can't tell you how to replicate those steps using Lightroom. What I thought the shot needed right off the bat was a white balance adjustment, a minor increase in overall exposure, and a contrast adjustment. Then I corrected the color and sharpened it a bit. There's a bit of green cast on the players face I got a big chunk of, but I wasn't able to remove it completely. Last I removed the vignette and re-vignetted it. Vignettes, IMO, need to be very subtle like you see here. Just my take of course.

In the final analysis I'm not thrilled with the color; it's still "off". Still, I think it's looking better overall.

Hope that helps!
...
 

Beanbagfrags

Senior Member
Well these small JPG's are hard to work with and someone else could probably do better, but...

Here's you Original:
View attachment 239823


.....
And here it is with some adjustments made:
View attachment 239824



Unfortunately I'm not a Lightroom user so while I can tell you what I did, using Camera Raw/Photoshop, I can't tell you how to replicate those steps using Lightroom. What I thought the shot needed right off the bat was a white balance adjustment, a minor increase in overall exposure, and a contrast adjustment. Then I corrected the color and sharpened it a bit. There's a bit of green cast on the players face I got a big chunk of, but I wasn't able to remove it completely. Last I removed the vignette and re-vignetted it. Vignettes, IMO, need to be very subtle like you see here. Just my take of course.

In the final analysis I'm not thrilled with the color; it's still "off". Still, I think it's looking better overall.

Hope that helps!
...

Definitely helped. I tried using expodisc to preset WB, but in reality couldn't get onto ice to set, so it was done from the stands. I am hoping I will be able to sign some sort of waiver that will allow me to get onto corner of bench so that I am not having to shoot through the netting or glass.

Thank you again for taking a look at it.


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JH Foto

Senior Member
The edited image is very much better than your original, the way I learned how to give images a bit of sparkle was trial and error in Photoshop. Good luck....
 

Beanbagfrags

Senior Member
I find most of the edits done look over exposed except for Scotts. I have also come to realize that my lower end monitor that I plug into my laptop is most likely not properly calibrated although photos always do look better on it. I am glad to see so many people chiming in on this photo and appreciate all the comments/critiques and will try to get my photo to each look to see exactly what was done to achieve it. Thanks again everyone :)


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carguy

Senior Member
It appears this was shot in RAW by the .NEF in your dropbox link. The image does look a bit dark.
Can you share the camera, lens an EXIF details?

Personally, I'd brighten it up using the Exposure slider in LR.
I'd add a bit of Vibrance and play with the white balance as well.

Composition: I'd have left a little room in front of the player and try to not cut off key elements like the puck. Looks like a great start however, how long have you been shooting hockey?
 

Beanbagfrags

Senior Member
It appears this was shot in RAW by the .NEF in your dropbox link. The image does look a bit dark.
Can you share the camera, lens an EXIF details?

Personally, I'd brighten it up using the Exposure slider in LR.
I'd add a bit of Vibrance and play with the white balance as well.

Composition: I'd have left a little room in front of the player and try to not cut off key elements like the puck. Looks like a great start however, how long have you been shooting hockey?
Cannot confirm EXIF data on image from my phone using tapatalk so will post when I get home.

Lens was Nikon 70-200 2.8

This was my first time trying to shoot a hockey game.

I took photos at another game last night (older kids and a faster paced game, but more predictable) I will post some of my shots from that game tonight in the hockey thread.

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Blade Canyon

Senior Member
The EXIF from the RAW file was ISO 5000, Camera D3s, f2.8, shutter 1/1000, focal length 160mm, +.33 exposure compensation, and lens 70-200 2.8.
 

Stoshowicz

Senior Member
If your version of lightroom has automask ,, my idea for you to try is.. First , i would tweak up the clarity slider,,
Since the ice is whiter than the subject I would automask the kid, and tint the ice a tiny bit bluer and darker , so the kid stands out, or at least isnt darker.
I'd want the ice to look clean and a bit dimmer , not gray or funky blue.
Then compensate for the fact that the shirt looks a bit blue to begin with by reducing the saturation of the blue on just the kid and raising his brightness a tad overall.
I'm suggesting merely an approach , its for you to try to make it work , if you think its a good plan.,, but I use photoshop for masking.
But I dont like that the puck is cut off because the action and the kids attention focus on it, and if I couldn't figure a way to fix that , I'd pick a different photo.
 

Beanbagfrags

Senior Member
The EXIF from the RAW file was ISO 5000, Camera D3s, f2.8, shutter 1/1000, focal length 160mm, +.33 exposure compensation, and lens 70-200 2.8.

Thanks

If your version of lightroom has automask ,, my idea for you to try is.. First , i would tweak up the clarity slider,,
Since the ice is whiter than the subject I would automask the kid, and tint the ice a tiny bit bluer and darker , so the kid stands out, or at least isnt darker.
I'd want the ice to look clean and a bit dimmer , not gray or funky blue.
Then compensate for the fact that the shirt looks a bit blue to begin with by reducing the saturation of the blue on just the kid and raising his brightness a tad overall.
I'm suggesting merely an approach , its for you to try to make it work , if you think its a good plan.,, but I use photoshop for masking.
But I dont like that the puck is cut off because the action and the kids attention focus on it, and if I couldn't figure a way to fix that , I'd pick a different photo.

I do agree the puck being cut off isn't good. Haven't had lens long and am still getting used to zooming in and out. I believe this one was taken from the stands, so I had to be zoomed in a bit to be able to not focus on the netting or pickup boards/glass in shot.

I will see if my Lightroom version has masking, or will use photoshop like you did to try the feature. I used this photo as an example as it just didn't seem to come out like the rest, and wanted to know "If this was a game winning shot...could I fix it :)"
 

Stoshowicz

Senior Member
You certainly could, in my opinion, fix it up nice , If it was a special image for me , I would use photoshop to increase the canvas size , giving space beneath the puck , then extend the ice using the healing brushes, and paint in the clipped piece of puck. It might take a few tries to get it right. ...Heck, I might even use the gaussian blur to smudge the stuff farther back a tiny bit more, and maybe even use the--- render / lighting effects / spotlight-- trick to highlight the boy yet again!
Finally , I would add a dark but not black frame by extending the canvas again evenly all around , which will separate the ice from the ultra-bright white of this kind of background , so that it doesn't look dim relatively speaking , either.
The masking thing though , is super useful for me ,,, birds on the water, or in the sky , can look relatively dark even when sufficiently lit, so even a subtle adjustment for this issue helps a great deal.
Always use your best shots , but , always give greatest time and importance to the things and people that are important to you :)
( Oh, and if it was My boy , I would certainly put his name and the date and score on the frame )
 
Last edited:

MAMF

Senior Member
Nice shot but I would have liked the photo to be lighter. The player in the background I would have cropped to remove most of him from the shot.

Part of the puck missing demeans the photo, I would have liked to see more of the puck to give the photograph extra action.
 
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