Project 365: Jan 24, 2008

Nikolai Khabibulin, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender

Went to the Hawks game with my friend Deb, her friend Sis, and my cousin's wife's sister Shannon and her boys. The Hawks lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 1-0, but it was a fun time anyway. It was Shannon and the boys' first hockey game :)

Since there wasn't much scoring action going on, I was trying to get pictures that included players' faces. It's tough, when you're looking down on them from stadium seating, and they rarely look up!

I think I like shooting from the 2nd level better, only because it's easier to get good angles. I was fighting with the seams between the glass all night, and it seemed like I got more peoples' heads in my shots from the lower level. It's definitely fun to watch from the lower level - just not as fun to photograph!

Stadium lighting, at least at United Center for Blackhawks games, is really difficult to shoot in. I shot most of the night in shutter priority mode, 1/125 second - which is pretty slow, particularly when I was at the long end of my lens (300mm). Even with aperature wide open (f/4-5.6), my shots were underexposed by about a stop. I had to boost them in Lightroom. Most of my shots aren't as crisp as I'd have liked, but if I went any faster on the shutter speed, there just wasn't enough light.