Field Hockey Photography Is Tough

– The Sport –

I wen to the first annual Ernesto Rodriguez Youth Rugby and Field Hockey Festival in Vina del Mar. Even though I am a rugby fan and I could photograph rugby all day, my goal was to try photographing field hockey. I have never photographed it, I have never played it, and I do not know any of the rules. The lack of this knowledge definitely makes it tough to photograph the sport.

– The Problems –

Common sense would tell you to just follow the ball. However, in this sport, it is not that simple. The strangest aspect of the game, for me, were the angles. The athletes actually speed a lot of time in a crouched positio when in possession of the ball. Then when a player goes to strike the ball, their body basically bends over and turns sideways. I was like what did I just see? All of this happens in a matter of one to two seconds. Trying to follow that action looking through a camera is not as easy as it sounds.

What is even harder to track with a camera is the ball. I did not realize how fast the ball travels when a player strikes it with the stick. This size of the ball makes it even more difficult to follow, not to mention that it is white too. Sometimes the ball would just disappear even though it is there.

– The Warning –

If your are going to try to photography field hockey from the sidelines, especially from behind or close to the goal, be prepared to run. I defiantly had to run a few times to keep to get the ball from hitting me or damaging my camera. The field hockey maybe be small, but it is very hard and you do not want to get hit bay one. This was something I had not considered when I decided to photograph field hockey. One would be wise to even where some protective gear if you really want to be in the danger zones. Good luck.