** Scroll down to view photo galleries of RFSC events **

Below are photo galleries of RFSC events. These galleries give you the option of ordering prints through a provider from NGIN. This service is independent of the Roseville Figure Skating Club.

Please note that most of the photos in the galleries below are property of the RFSC. Electronic copies of full size images are available free of charge to RFSC members. Please contact Garth Scholten for details.

Skating is a sport that mixes athleticism with artistry into a fluid movement on ice. Capturing exciting moments on a single image can be quite challenging – and rewarding. There are the easy shots that one can get, such as the spiral. But, as the skater's skills increase, so do photographer's challenges. Speed and rotational moves become integral aspects of the skater's routine. Both require faster shutter speeds and better timing to capture the moment. Below are some tips that may help.

-- Focus on the skater's the eyes. This is a basic principle in sports photography. The athlete's eyes are the key to capturing the emotion of the moment. There are exceptions. A finish pose with the skater's back to the camera and facing with a shadow in a spotlight dominating the photograph can convey the moment from the skater's perspective. But, for most shots, the emotion of the moment is best expressed on the skater's face. Capture the skater's eyes to capture this emotion.

-- The easy shots. The starting position and finish pose are the easiest to photograph. Next are in-line moves such as lunges and spirals. Often times, the most dramatic photo is of the spiral. But, these moves are best when captured as the skater approaches the photographer. Once the skater passes you, the photo becomes less dramatic and less flattering.

-- Timing spins. Generally, that 90 degrees of the rotation when the skater starts to look in your direction and then starts to look away is often the most flattering. It takes practice to get this shot. You can't always rely on high speed burst modes. 8 frames per second might just give you 8 frames of the skater's back. Fortunately, spins are often 6-8 revolutions giving you 6-8 chances to get the shot. Take every chance. The more you shoot, the better the chance that you get a flattering moment. So, how do you time it? Sometimes reverse psychology works. Try to capture the skater's back during the spin. You'll likely miss and get the skater as he/she is rotating into view.

-- If you saw the best shot in the viewfinder, you just missed it. Sports photography often requires a bit of anticipation. Due to the shutter lag with point-n-shoot cameras, sports photography is the domain of the DSLR with its near instant shutter response. But, don't forget. The mirror must be out of the way for the shutter to trip. The viewfinder will be black during the image capture. So, if you see the best shot in your viewfinder, you missed it.

-- Split jumps are the easiest to capture. But, you have one shot. Try to time it to capture the jump just as the skater reaches the apex of the jump. Of all the jumps, this can be the most dramatic because the skater is essentially posing in midair.

-- Rotational jumps give you three opportunities for good images – the approach, the apex, and the landing. Most everything in between is a less than flattering. The approach gives you a few brief moments when the concentration for the jump is fully expressed in the skater's eyes. The jump itself gives you a moment at the apex of the jump to capture the athleticism of the move. Unlike spins, you typically have only one chance to get this shot. The skater will rotate 1-3 times at most, but the rotations will be much quicker than a spin. The landing gives you a chance to capture the thrill of victory as the skater completes the move.

-- Jumps with a twist. There is one added twist that makes photographing jumps challenging. Unless the skater is performing a double jump, you can't always get flattering shots of both the approach and the jump itself from the same location. During many jumps, such as the split jump and the flip, the skater will face one direction during the approach then the opposite direction during the apex of the jump. The Axle is one of the few jumps where the skater faces the same direction during the approach, the apex, and the landing.

-- Know the routine and plan your shots. If your skater is performing in a show, attend the practice sessions. Get to know the routine and learn where to be for the best vantage point. Don't expect to get every move. Decide which moves you want to photograph and from where it will be easiest to do so. If there's a spiral or a splits, find out which part of the stands your skater will face during the move.

-- Shoot from the top of the bleachers. Most rinks have Plexiglas that gets in the way of your image. If you are allowed to shoot from a player's box, this can be the best vantage point. But, this may be reserved for a professional photographer. This leaves the top of the bleachers as your best vantage point since it gives you the opportunity to shoot over the Plexiglass.


Next, the equipment tips.

[posted by Garth Scholten, 5-8-2012]

Timing and lighting are the keys to photographing figure skating. Timing is critical for capturing flattering moments of moves, particularly of spins and jumps. As the skater's skills improve, timing the shot gets more challenging and faster shutter speeds are necessary to freeze the moment. But, lighting is often poor and limits your options in selecting shutter speeds.

-- DSLR's are the best tools for shooting figure skating. They help with timing the shot because they have virtually no shutter lag and current DSLR's are very good in low light. Point-n-shoot cameras are plagued by shutter lag and tiny sensors. The delay between pressing the shutter button and the firing of the shutter makes timing the shot very difficult. In addition, the tiny sensor is not very effective in low light situations.

-- High ISO DSLR's conquer the lighting challenges. You don't need the professional full-frame DSLR to get good low-light images. Most current model Canon and Nikon "crop-sensor" DSLR's, the entry-level and semi-pro models, work quite well at the rink. Look for models that can handle ISO up 6400. They should handle the desired 1600-3200 range well.

-- Fast zooms are ideal. Wide aperture "professional grade" 70-200 f2.8 zoom lenses with image stabilization are ideal for shooting figure skating. When matched with a crop sensor body, they offer a range that enables you to zoom close on a single skater at every corner of the rink. They are called “fast” because they let in more light and enable faster shutter speeds. These lenses give you that extra "pop" that makes an image stand out. The larger aperture means a smaller depth-of-field to help isolate the subject from the background and the lens itself tends to be sharper than so-called "consumer" zooms. But, they come with a high price. Consumer zooms that cover the 70-200 range require higher ISO or slower shutter speeds to deal with the f4.0-5.6 aperture range. Still, these lenses can produce very good results.

-- Image Stabilization is a must. Lenses with image stabilization is must to limit camera shake from blurring your image. Old-school rule of thumb suggests that a 200 mm lens needs a 1/200 second shutter speed to compensate for hand held camera movement. But, with a crop sensor camera, that 200 mm lens has the magnification of a 300-320 mm lens on that old-school 35 mm film camera. This ups the minimum safe shutter speed to 1/320 second – if you are holding very still. But, you won't be. You will be following the skater around the rink and often in less than ideal positions to hold the camera steady. Bottom line, Canon IS and Nikon VR lenses give you an extra edge to getting sharper images even at relatively high shutter speeds of 1/400 to 1/500 second.

-- Monopod also helps. Monopods can offer an added edge in sharpening your images – especially if using the heavy 3.5 pound professional grade lenses. A big benefit of the monopod is in supporting the weight of the camera and lens, which keeps your hands free to operate the camera and the zoom ring on the lens. If you lens doesn't have a tripod collar, add a tilt head to the monopod for rotating from horizontal to vertical.

-- Skip the flash. Don't even try using a flash. Built-in flashes have an effective range of 10-15 feet. Even the range of the more powerful external flash units is too short for most rinks. If the flash is strong enough to reach the rink, it will most likely give and ugly reflective glare off the Plexiglass. Flash photography in an ice rink is a distraction to the audience on the other side of the rink and should be avoided.

– Filters can add glare. Beware of bargain filters. They make a good lens into a cheap one. B+W and Hoya HD are among the best filters and typically offer added protection without degrading the image quality or adding glare. But, this depends on the lens. Filters on lenses with small, deep front elements like the Canon 50 f1.8 are more susceptible to glare. An ice show spotlight can bounce off the ice and then between the front element and the backside of the filter and ruin a good shot. This is more of an issue during ice shows than a fully light arena.

-- Lens hoods add protection. Lens hoods not only help prevent glare from stray light and spotlights, but they also add a little protection when trying to navigate the crowds of an ice show.

-- Nifty Fifty. The Canon and Nikon 50 mm f1.8 lenses are great for low light shooting. These lenses are relatively inexpensive (around $125) and very sharp, generally sharper than standard zooms. The focal length is short for the rink, but if your zoom is too slow, this lens may save the night.


Next, the exposure.

[posted by Garth Scholten, 5-9-2012]

The digital age has turned the relatively simple SLR into a complex, computerized DSLR. These cameras can have many automatic modes that cover many situations quite effectively. Unfortunately, figure skating is not one of them. Below are some tips for getting more out of your camera and properly exposing the image.

-- Learn your camera. Long before the performance, play with the menu settings of the camera. Go through the manual and identify the settings that may have relevance to your photography and learn how to use them. If you are photographing your child during the annual ice show, you only have a few minutes to capture that moment to hang on the wall. This is not the time to be fiddling with your camera because a setting was bumped and you don't know how to set it back.

-- Practice shooting figure skating. Go to the show practice sessions and practice using your camera. Not only will this help you familiarize yourself with techniques for shooting figure skating, but it will also help you learn your skater's routine so you know where to be during the show.

-- Use center-point focus. Your camera may have 9 or more focus points. By default, the camera will try to determine your subject based on the focus points that find something upon which to focus. Unfortunately, this might not be your skater. Learn how to set the active focus points on your camera and set it use only the center point. All you have to worry about is aiming that center point on your subject to maintain focus. Plus, with many DSLR's, the center point is more sensitive than the surrounding points and, in low light, this can be a benefit.

-- Use continuous servo focus mode. Your camera will likely have at least two focus modes – single shot where focus is achieved once upon partially depressing the shutter button and continuous servo mode where the camera tracks your subject to constantly adjust focus as necessary. Canon calls this "AI Servo", Nikon calls it "AF-C." Single shot is typically the default. But, if your subject moves, you need to lift off the shutter button and depress it again to refocus. This can get cumbersome during a skating routine. Continuous servo mode helps solve this problem

-- Restart servo focusing. Continuous servo mode is a big plus in shooting moving subjects. But, understand that it is a predictive method. The camera tracks the movement of the subject then predicts where it will be when the shutter is released. This means that the camera can be fooled if the subjects takes a sudden turn in a different direction. Dual-processor cameras do a great job keeping up, but less expensive camera's might not. The simple fix is to momentarily lift your finger off the shutter or focus button, then depress it again to restart the process.

-- Use back-button focusing. This tip isn't for everyone. It works easier on some cameras than others. But, many swear by it. By default, partially depressing the shutter button focuses the lens and sets the exposure. Many photographers who use center-point focusing will aim at the subject, partially depress the shutter button, then recompose the image before firing the shutter. This is fine for the first shot. But, if you are trying to quickly get additional shots, you have to repeat the process otherwise the camera will focus on something else. Fortunately, many DSLR's let you re-assign the buttons. You can assign a back button, near your thumb for focusing and leave the shutter button for exposure alone. This means that you have to get into the habit of focusing with your thumb on the back button. The plus is that you can lift off the back button, recompose the image, then fire several shots without needing to refocus in between. This is how I get shots of the skater in the spotlight with the shadow dominating the frame. To learn how to set this feature, Google your camera make and model plus the words "back button focus" and you likely find server guides to help you.

-- Set lens stabilization to pan mode. Some lenses with image stabilization have two modes – standard and panning (often mode 2). If left to standard mode, the lens may fight you when you pan with your subject. Set it to pan mode and the lens will stabilize vertical movement, but not try to correct your horizontal panning. Be sure to check your lens manual for panning tips. Some lenses can only pan while the camera is in the horizontal (landscape) position. Some can auto-detect panning and don't need this mode switch.

-- Use manual exposure control. Some pros swear by shutter-priority mode and rely on the camera's metering system to set the aperture. But, figure skating can challenge a metering system. There's a lot of white ice that can throw off metering and give you dark images. You need to compensate for this. During ice shows, the light changes frequently depending on the number of spotlights on your skater. If your aren't zoomed in tight, much of your background will be dark and your metering system may overexpose the image. Plus, the skater's costume, if all dark or all white, can throw off automatic metering. Instead of fighting the camera's metering, it can often be simpler to use full manual. Set your aperture to the largest setting (usually f2.8 for "pro lenses" or f5.6 for for "consumer" lenses). Then play with your shutter speed as you shoot.

-- When to shoot RAW. Anytime lighting is challenging or an event cannot be re-shot, shoot RAW. Ice shows are very challenging with lighting which often changes color. RAW is quite helpful here because the color and even the noise is easier to fix with software in post processing. Understand that there is a cost to shooting RAW. The file size is significantly larger which means the camera has more data to save to the card. This dramatically reduces the number of shots you can take repetitively without filling the buffer. Do NOT shoot both RAW+JPG because this will fill your camera's buffer even quicker. Lighting during practice ice is more consistent. If you can find a white balance setting that fits your arena, you can get away with shooting in JPG mode.

-- White balance settings. For ice shows, use AWB – auto white balance. For practice ice, with all the lights on, custom white balance is often the safest because AWB can be fooled here. Check your camera manual for how to set the custom balance. The process generally involves taking a photo of something white or gray. The white boards often work well. (For the Roseville Ice Arena, try the "white florescent" white balance mode during practice ice.)

-- Use ISO 1600 or 3200. If using a f2.8 lens, ISO 1600 will handle most of your lighting needs. If using a f4-5.6 lens, ISO 1600 will require slower shutter speeds. This may work for younger skaters, but faster skaters may require ISO 3200 to use the shutter speeds necessary to stop the action. Software such as Adobe Lightroom and Noise Ninja can clean-up the "noise" that 3200 might introduce. Note that noise is more noticeable in shadows which are more predominate in ice shows. ISO 3200 might look great and relatively noise free during practice ice when all the lights are on, but the noise will be more noticeable during and ice show for the parts of the image not in the spotlight. Still, a sharp image with some noise is often more desirable than a noiseless blurry image.

-- Recommended shutter speeds. As the skater's skills improve, faster shutter speeds are needed. For beginners, 1/100 to 1/250 can be enough to stop the action. As they start to learn jumps, you will need 1/250 to 1/320. Experienced skaters who have conquered their single jumps and the axle will typically need shutter speeds 1/400-1/500 to freeze the action.

-- Getting the exposure right. Set your meter mode to spot meter (if available) and zoom in and meter off the skater on the ice. Then take some test shots and review the image on your LCD. You should be able to tell if it's too dark. If the ice is all white and you can't make out any texture in it, then the image may be overexposed. While shooting, it often helps to keep experimenting. Don't be afraid to "bracket" your shots by shooting some with a shutter speed faster then your metered speed and some slower.

-- Practice ice exposure at the Roseville Arena. This tip is specific to the Roseville Ice Arena, but may serve as a guide for other rinks. Please note that lighting output can vary at the rink, so use this as a guide. Set the file type to RAW or JPG and the white balance to "white florescent" then try the following settings:

• For f2.8 lens: ISO=1600; aperture=2.8; shutter=1/400-1/500
• For f2.8 lens: ISO=3200; aperture=2.8; shutter=1/800-1/1000
• For f4-5.6 lens: ISO=1600; aperture=5.6; shutter=1/200
• For f4-5.6 lens: ISO=3200; aperture=5.6; shutter=1/400

-- Ice Show exposure at the Roseville Arena. It takes practice to shoot an ice show. Light comes from four spotlights which may be aimed at one skater or in different directions at several skaters. Further, the light might be filtered with color which reduces its output. It helps to learn to spot the change in light output on your skater while you pan with the action. As the light increases, bump up the shutter speed. As it drops, bump it down. During group numbers, spot lights often scan across the skaters. If your skater is stationary, keep the lens trained on the skater and wait for the spotlight to find your skater, then fire the shutter. Sometimes this offers the most dramatic lighting.

With ice shows, there are three distinct lighting scenarios – solo skater with all four spotlights on the skater, a skater in a group with two spotlights on the skater, and a skater in the shadows. In each of these scenarios, the lighting may still change and I often bump the shutter speed up or down accordingly. As a starting point, set the file type to RAW and the white balance to AWB then try the following:

For f2.8 lens:

• Solo skater: ISO=1600; aperture= 2.8; shutter=1/400-500
• Group skater: ISO=1600; aperture= 2.8; shutter=1/250-320
• Skater in shadows: ISO=1600; aperture= 2.8; shutter=1/100-200

For f4-5.6 lens:

• Solo skater: ISO=1600; aperture= 5.6; shutter=1/200
• Solo skater: ISO=3200; aperture= 5.6; shutter=1/400
• Group skater: ISO=1600; aperture= 5.6; shutter=1/100
• Group skater: ISO=3200; aperture= 5.6; shutter=1/200
• Skater in shadows: ISO=1600; aperture= 5.6; shutter=1/30-1/60
• Skater in shadows: ISO=3200; aperture= 5.6; shutter=1/60-1/125

Please, use these recommendations as a guide. It pays to be flexible and experiment with the settings.


[Posted by Garth Scholten, 5-12-2012]