{"id":145702,"date":"2024-06-26T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/?p=145702"},"modified":"2024-06-28T04:08:46","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T18:08:46","slug":"tips-editing-hockey-photos-lightroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digital-photography-school.com\/tips-editing-hockey-photos-lightroom\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Edit Hockey Photos in Lightroom Like a Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/span>\"Enhance<\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Have you ever tried to photograph lightning? That\u2019s what it often feels like when taking pictures at a hockey game. Every play is a blur. You can feel the game\u2019s speed and intensity right up until the final whistle. Emotion and sweat mix on the faces of players who battle and fight for every inch, and the arena shakes with a thunderous ovation from the spectators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, it\u2019s a whole lot of fun to capture hockey with a camera. But after the crowds are gone and your ears have stopped ringing, it\u2019s time to head home, load your images up on the computer, and do some editing<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/span>\"Two<\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Regardless of what camera you use, all hockey images will benefit from some attention in Adobe Lightroom before you share them on social media or in a local publication. And despite the thrills of the sport, the arena is a tough place for a photographer. You have to deal with low or inconsistent light, high ISO settings and low shutter speeds, scuffed-up glass, and more. Learning the technique to get decent shots in the first place is half the battle – but that\u2019s a story for another time. Today, it\u2019s time to head into the editing room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, I share my best tips for editing hockey photos using Lightroom. If you’re a hockey parent or a budding sports photographer<\/a>, read on to discover how to make your photos of players on the ice stand out! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Note: Even though this guide specifically addresses features in Adobe Lightroom<\/a>, the same concepts can be used in any photo editing program with similar controls!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Shoot in RAW<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First off, if you\u2019re serious about getting the best hockey pictures possible, then it\u2019s a good idea to shoot in RAW<\/a>. Sure, the files are a lot larger, but this is because more data is preserved for each shot. When you\u2019re editing, you\u2019ll be thankful for all the extra leeway you can get with a RAW file over a JPEG.<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/span>\"A<\/span><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

That\u2019s not to say that you\u2019re doomed <\/em>if you shoot in JPEG. It just means you\u2019ll need to be extra careful to get the settings right in the camera, since you won’t have nearly as much flexibility when editing later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice is yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Cull aggressively<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Culling<\/a> is the process of reviewing your files from a photoshoot, then removing (and maybe also deleting) the photos that don\u2019t make the cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not every image is a keeper. This is especially true in sports photography, where you’ll frequently end up with images that are out of focus, poorly composed, or simply not very interesting. If your goal is to edit every single hockey photo you take, you’ll never make it past your first photoshoot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose the best <\/em>of the best <\/em>to focus your time and energy on. Edit those, and put the rest aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Crop and straighten your shots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s rare to nail the best possible composition in-camera. Sure, it happens from time to time, but given the speed of the action and the unpredictability, it\u2019s more likely that your pictures will benefit from a bit of cropping<\/a> and straightening in Lightroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider what\u2019s important in the frame. You want to have a nice balanced composition that fills the image. Think in terms of simplicity: if you crop out a stick or skate that appears in the corner of the image, it will help your final picture feel more clean and professional.<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/span>\"The<\/span>
Here’s one of my hockey photos as it looked straight out of the camera. It’s already a fairly tight shot, but it would be even better with a crop.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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<\/span>\"A<\/span>
That’s more like it! Now the action feels close and intense.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

It might not be possible to do a tight crop of a shot and maintain the image quality, depending on how your camera handles high ISO settings<\/a>. If you find that your images are always just a little too zoomed out, keep that in mind the next time you photograph a game, and make a significant effort to either use a longer focal length or get closer to the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Straightening out your images is a big help as well. As you track the play through the viewfinder, it\u2019s easy to start tilting the camera. Now, I’ll admit: there are times when a crazy tilt gives a sense of action and energy to a picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More often than not, however, a crooked shot just looks like the players are about to tumble out of one side of the image.<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/span>\"An<\/span>
The players by the bench look like they’re ready to slide down to the bottom left side of the shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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<\/span>\"A<\/span>
This straightened version feels a little more stable.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Take the time to straighten your pictures<\/a>. They\u2019ll look much more professional and balanced as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Apply white balance corrections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cameras process color differently than our eyes do. Under tricky lighting conditions, cameras can render unpleasant color casts, resulting in photos that are unnaturally warm (yellow) or unnaturally cool (blue). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since it’s hard to appreciate an image that looks too blue or too yellow, correcting the white balance is an important part of your final edit. If you shoot in RAW, you can adjust the white balance<\/a> without difficulty. If you shoot in JPEG, you can still make minor adjustments, but don’t count on being able to apply radical white balance corrections.<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/span>\"An<\/span>
The white balance sliders in Lightroom.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

If you have a shot that needs to be fixed, Lightroom’s eyedropper tool can be useful for getting you fairly close to the mark. Select the dropper, then click on something in the shot that should be a neutral white or gray, such as the boards or the ice. From there, go ahead and make tweaks with the Temp slider. Pay close attention to skin tones and always remember that the ice should be white.<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/span>\"A<\/span>
The Auto White Balance setting missed badly on the original shot, resulting in a very warm photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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<\/span>\"Hockey<\/span>
After some white balancing, the image displays the colors more accurately.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Finding the right white balance can be tricky, especially since different display screens can have subtle differences. But with a bit of practice, correcting the white balance in your shots will become a piece of cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Apply contrast adjustments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your approach to editing is going to be very different depending on whether or not you have to shoot through the glass. In the NHL, photographers either shot through a small hole in the corners or from higher angles where they can see above the glass. But you may not have that luxury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shooting through thick glass usually robs a picture of a lot of its contrast. But contrast plays an important role in giving an image depth and making it “pop.” So you’ll need to add that back in the final edit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lightroom offers a couple of sliders that can manage this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n