San Jose Sharks Photo Tips: Breaking Out of your Comfort Zone

RELATED: [Photo Tips - Use of Light]
It can be so easy for us to get stuck into a rhythm and do the same thing over and over again. We get comfortable and do what is easy.
Trust me, I'm just as guilty of it, but you have to get out of your comfort zone if you want to grow and perfect your craft.
Whether it's trying different lenses, moving around with different angles, or learning a specific style of photography, here are some tips to get you inspired:

Different Lenses provide different results:
With 41 home games in hockey, things can get repetitive when you are shooting the same type of photos repeatedly.
I usually have my go-to lenses that I use when shooting Sharks games, but every now and then I like to mix things up and try a new lens out.
Different lenses can provide you with different perspectives from the same angle. Here are some examples of the Shark Head shot with three different lenses in the same area:
Ultra-wide fisheye lens:

Wide Lens:

Zoom Lens:

(Shot with 8-15mm, 14-24mm, and 70-200mm lenses)
As you can see, although these are all photos of the Shark Head, they each have a unique feel.
The first photo gives a unique fisheye look and makes you focus solely on the Shark Head.
The second photo is also a wide-angle lens, but this one gives a better perspective of the entire scene (you see the Shark Head, but you also can see the video board from ice level).
Finally, we have a much tighter image created with the zoom lens. While you still see the Shark Head, the focus is more on the player that is skating out.
I like being able to mix it up and try something new every now and then and to be completely honest, I have tried some lenses or new angles that didn't work out at all, butI tried them out and was able to discover what would work and what I needed to do differently.
NOTE:Starting off, you most likely won't have a huge collection of lenses and that is totally fine! If you only have one zoom lens, take the time to perfect using that lens and try shooting one subject at different focal length and see what results you get!
Expanding your skillset:
Most of my photography knowledge is focused on sports, portraits, and photojournalism. These are things that I enjoy shooting, however there are still so many different aspects of photography that I am learning myself.
Besides photographing Sharks games and SAP Center events, I also photograph food and beverage for the arena.
Food and product photography is not my specialty, but it was part of my role at the Sharks, so I took time to teach myself a bit about it.
Take a look at the images below of our Helmet Nachos and Chicken Sandwich:

Shot with 24-70mm lens. Shutter speed 1/250, f10, ISO 1600
The idea of photographing food may seem easier, but it can get messy and it takes a lot of trial and error (at least for me).
Photographing food was much more difficult than I expected.
I had to try and make sure everything was lit properly and that most importantly, the food looked appetizing.
This experience definitely pushed me outside my usual comfort zone of photographing athletes, but I was happy with how the images turned out. Now, I plan on spending this time at home to keep perfecting my product/food photography.
You can try photographing some food at your home as well!
If you don't have any lighting gear you can use window light for now (the same window light we talked about last week for portraits). If you are using window light, try and figure out what of day gives you the most optimal light.
Here is an example of some photos I took in our kitchen using only light coming from the window to our balcony:

Shot with 24-70mm lens. Shutter speed 1/40, f3.5, ISO 100
NOTE:With the first food images I was able to use a higher shutter speed since I was using some lighting gear that provided a ton of light. I had my aperture at f10 so most of the helmet nachos chicken sandwich would be in focus. As you can see, the photos from the kitchen were shot at shutter speed 1/40. If you are going to shoot this low you need to have a very steady hand otherwise the image will be blurry. I decided to go with this low shutter speed so I could put my ISO down to 100 and provide the least amount of grain to make sure the image was sharp. I also went with a wider aperture so there would be a greater depth of field and separate the bacon from the veggies in the background. Feel free to play with your settings to find the look you like best.
Hope these photography tips were helpful! Now it's time to answer some questions from our fans that reached out last week:
From @daisiaskata: how did you get to be a photographer for the team? if you went to college what did you major in? What steps can I take to maybe be in your position one day?
The job popped up on my LinkedIn while I was watching TV on my couch, so I applied for it and got the job about three months later. Prior to that, I was working for the UFC as a staff photographer and before that was a freelancer covering sporting events.
I actually majored in Environmental Sciences with a minor in Business and planned to go to law school to pursue Environmental Law. As my final year of college approached, I realized it wasn't what I wanted to do.
I always loved photography and had been practicing since high school, so decided to try my luck at it.
I got connected with a sports photographer in San Diego and a week after I graduated, I packed up all my stuff and moved down there to be his assistant.
My parents were not too thrilled about the idea initially since that wasn't what I went to school for, but I was passionate about it and worked my butt off.
I spent my days assisting and working photoshoots/games while bartending at night so I could make some extra money for camera gear. It was stressful at times not knowing if I made the right choice, but I loved every moment of it, and it paid off.
My biggest piece of advice would be to shoot as much as you can and build your portfolio. Reach out to any and every photographer you can and ask to assist them or just ask them questions on how they created a photo you like. Most people in the industry are pretty nice and are willing to respond.
From @b3cktastic: What kind of lens do you like to mainly use for Sharks games? Do you find that there is enough light for low ISO and high shutter speeds?
For Sharks games I usually use my 70-200mm and 14-24mm lenses. From time to time I'll also use the 80-400mm so I can get closer when the action is on the other end of the ice. SAP Center installed new LED lights a few years ago which provide great light inside the arena. I usually have my ISO around 1600-2500 and my shutter speed no lower than 1/1250 so I can freeze all the action.
From @liddokiwimiggy: What projects do you take on during the offseason? do you have a different style of work?
Besides shooting Sharks games, I also photograph other events that come to SAP Center like concerts, WWE, motivational speakers, etc. So even when hockey season is over there are still things to shoot, which can be nice to mix things up.
On top of that, this is the time where I can focus on big projects to prepare me for next season such as budget, archiving and keywording all the photos for internal use, and making plans for what we will photograph for our media day.
Media day is pretty big since this is one of our only opportunities to take portraits of all our players that will be used for that season's campaign.
I try to pick up some freelance work as well if my schedule allows and there are no conflicts. This way I can stay sharp and continue to shoot and learn. So, while it is technically "offseason", there is still a lot of work to be done.