He Shoots, He Scores! Snapshots of Slapshots.

Coming into this course I knew I would like to shoot sports. Sports have always been a passion of mine and when I saw the assignment to cover a sporting event I was looking forward to it. When the time came to do the assignment I was hit with some bad timing.

First, I had my heart set on covering a Wayne State basketball game. I had never seen one in person and I thought it would be a great opportunity. It was also one of only a few events I could find that fit around my class and work schedule.

Being ignorant to the process of photography a sports team like WSU’s, I was made aware that I had to sign a usage agreement waiver for the director of media relations before I would be allowed to shoot the event. Unfortunately I realized this too late and wasn’t able to submit it in time for the Sunday opener I wished to cover. I ended up having to work that day anyhow.

Then came a classic instance of miscommunication. Jeff Weiss, the media director, said “Why don’t you shoot Tuesday’s game?” And I thought, well I’ll have to cut out of my other class early to get there, but it’s doable -- and at this point, necessary to make deadline. So I gave the schedule a glance to check the start time of the game and submitted the usage agreement.

I left my Tuesday class early and walked over to Matthai. It seemed quiet for a gameday. I asked for Jeff Weiss or his assistant, who I was told would show me where I could and couldn’t be during the game. Everyone was looking at me strange. I asked “There’s a game tonight right?” and they said no as they tried to understand why I thought there was a game that night. Turns out the game was NEXT Tuesday. I left feeling like an idiot.

I finally decided to catch a late hockey game at my local Troy Sports Center. It is the Troy Adult Hockey League. I attended the game between Nitro and Smart Lighting LLC. Being in a more intimate venue, I was able to shoot right up against the glass. There weren’t many fans there, but the shot I did get for my fan feature was of an adorable little girl who spent the majority of the game up by the glass watching her dad play. The only downside was that there weren't any coaches as the teams designate a player-coach. So because I couldn't fulfill that shot, I included some additional action shots to make up for it.

The things I enjoyed most about shooting sports, in this instance at least, was the fact that the light was consistent. Once I adjusted my settings to my liking I could forget about it. I could shoot on consistent, and follow the action while firing away. A sport like hockey is very fast paced and it is tricky at times to follow the action – especially when you’re so close.

The game itself was more exciting than I anticipated. I figured it was a bunch of old guys who just joined a league to get out of the house, but these were younger guys who played full speed and pulled no punches. Saw some gnarly collisions, a few of which I got decent shots. Caught a couple great saves, and slick moves that led to goals. I worked on trying to keep the players full bodies in the frame, working different angles, and anticipating the action. Nitro ended up winning 3-2 in a close and exciting game.

I also used the professors advice of shooting after a play happened to catch jersey numbers in order to later identify the players – a great pro tip.

All-in-all this was a very fun assignment, and I was relieved to get a great experience and some nice shots to make up for the frustration I went through just trying to get to an event.

LINK TO BOXSCORE AND ROSTERS: http://www.troysports.com/game/show/19842610?subseason=418298&referrer=3504572