It just goes to show that you never know when or where your photos will show up..Who's hot, who's not - Medicine Hat's Tyler Pitlick big talk on Sportnet.ca - Photo Courtesy by Joe Versikaitis

Medicine Hat Tigers forward Tyler Pitlick could be on the verge of claiming his spot on the American squad in the world junior tournament. Pitlick is lighting the lamp and helping buoy the surge from the Tigers in the home stretch before the holiday break.

 By Patrick King at Sportsnet.ca

Tyler Pitlick - Medicine Hat Tigers

 I usually go to the Arena with a couple ideas of what stance and which player I would like to photo shoot.  Some nights I will follow the goalies. Others nights I will follow the defense and then other nights I follow the forwards.  Heck, there is nights when all I shoot is the back side of the referees as they so kindly skate in front of me while I'm taking my million dollar shot......lol.

The W.H.L. likes to see action shots which shows a player from each team in it. Shots like checking into the boards, taking face offs, the action in front of the net and of course goal shots. To me the action shots is what excite me the most. I understand the game well enough to anticipate of what's coming next. So I can start shooting when I see fit. One thing for sure, sometimes I get the shot and sometimes I don't.

 I will say, that towards the end of the game after I've taken my share of photos. I always seem to have a little bit more inspiration to follow 1 more players. I will follow this players for 3 to 4 shifts and see what comes out of that. 

In this picture of Tyler Pitlick I only followed him for 1 shift...That's it...It just goes to show that you never know when or where your photos will show up.  Although, to have my Art work show cased in such a great media would have been an awesome experience. Having my photo displayed to the world by Sportnet.ca is a very great honor.

Thank you to the Medicine Hat Tigers, Patrick King and Sportnet.ca for giving me this opportunity to show case my work. 

Along with an awesome write up about Tyler Pitlick, this shot is being feature on Sportnet.ca by Patrick King

To view the article please click here http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/2010/11/22/king_chl_hot_not/

Tigers Vs Pats

It seems that I'm always looking to take an ideal shot or pose during the hockey game. The time that it takes for me to drive to the Arena to take photos at a game is very important to me. As an artist, I'm visualizing different stances that players do. I am also thinking if I was going to do a painting of a player what pose or stance would inspire me?  

These ideal shots is where the player is in a routine stance, certain pose or little habits that they show on the ice. Habits like tucking their jersey into one side of their pants. Others like to chew on their mouth guards while they skate. The goalies, well they are a different bunch all together. I seen guys come up to the net and treat it like a shrine. They stand in front of it and say a prayer, tap the two post and then the cross bar before turning around and backing up into it.  They don't light candles but pretty close... I believe that most if not all goalies slap the catching glove and then the butt end of their stick to the goal post in rhythm. 

Then there is the player or the goal scorer that seems to communicate with his stick by staring at it,  rubbing the taped part and almost talking to it.

That's why I believe that sports photography is not only capturing the players face and emotion but also capturing them in their routine superstitious habit. What ever ritual they do, I want to capture it

Hope you enjoy!

 Most of these photos were taken on November 13th, 2010. Between the Medicine Hat Tigers and  Regina Pats..

Starting goalies always go to the center ice area and do their stretching out while their counterpart go to the side boards for their stretching exercise. Here #33 Deven Dubyk at center ice going through his routine.

 This would be a cool pose to paint....

Capturing the player during a break in the game makes for some interesting poses. During game if I get a chance to talk to players I always tell them that when I'm looking at you with my camera, Smile at me..lol

This would be a cool pose to paint....

 Hunter Shinkaruk has a habit of chewing on his mouth guard while he skates. 

This would be a very cool pose to paint....

Here Linden Vey turned just in time to see the puck coming out of the net after team mate Emerson Etem scored.

This would be a cool pose to paint....

Just like Frank Lennon, the photographer that took the pictures of Paul Henderson of Team Canada, scoring on Russian goaltender Vladislav Tretiak. 

Each one of us photographer dreams of taking that one or two photos that will for ever live on in the life of a sport. Eugene Erik is the main photographer for the Medicine Tigers. One of the question we always seem to ask each other is "Did you get that Goal?" Which of course means did you get the photo of the goal going in the net... 

More then enough times I always seem to get a picture of the referee's butt. Just as a goal is about to be scored. This game was between the Tigers and the Kootenay ICE.

This would NOT be a cool pose to paint....

From where I sit during the games, like I've said in previous blogs, is the best seat in the house. I get to see a lot of face offs and the great Jr. hockey thats packed with non stop action.  
I always try to capture the moment the puck leaves the hand of the referee. I like to see what the player eyes are doing during that particular second. Like in this shot of Wacey Hamilton #36 and the Rebels #9 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins during a game against the Rebels. Their eyes are focused on the puck in the referees hand...
But with any sport photography,

sometimes you get the shot and sometimes you don't...

This would be a cool pose to paint....

Here Linden Vey takes the puck away from his opponent..

By the way Linden is going to be playing in the 2010 Subway Series against the Russians on November 17 and 18. Read about it here at  Hockey Future.com

Good Luck Linden!

A stance of Linden playing against the Russians would a very cool portrait to paint....!

The photo of Paul Henderson was turned into a drawing which was donated to a local charity in Brooks Alberta. Go here to view " The Goal ".

 Also You can view Eugene Eriks web site Here 

You can can go to my photo web site at http://www.pbase.com/mcimages/tigers_vs_pats  to see more of these shots..

Fatty - The painting of my first goalie mask!!

This goalie mask is a project that has been going on for sometime. The mask belongs to a co-worker of mine by the name of Marlo.  Being that Marlo is a huge Philadelphia Flyers FAN the theme of this piece has to do with the Flyers.  Marlo and I decided that it would be great to acknowledge Bernie Parent and  Pelle Lindbergh. 
 To start I had to sand, prime, and add a layer of paint to the front  and back part of the mask. I then searched for reference photos to use and created a design that looks some what good. 
Painting this mask is going to be done with my old air brush. Now I haven't done air brush work for over 12 years so I'll be a little rusty.

The back of the mask once the priming and first coat of paint was put on it.

Here I have done painting on the back part of the mask. I used the air brush with the help of my smaller painting brushes. Those little air holes, I believe I painted those buggers about 5 times before I was satisfied with what I had. The piercing eyes looking at you. I wanted to make them seem like they are stuck back in a shadow....

Here I have put on the straps that to show what it's going to look like from the back of the mask...

Almost like some kind of Warrior!!!!

" FATTY " is a nick name that Marlo goes by in his hockey career...

Medicine Hat Tigers vs Saskatoon Blades.Photos for this week...Nov 7th,2010

This blog of photos was taken at the Medicine Tigers game on November 6th, 2010. I get the privilege, along with another gentleman by the name of Eugene Erik to take photos for the Tigers. I feel like I have the best seat in the house....Hope you enjoy these pics!

Nov 6th, 2010. Medicine Hat Tigers vs Saskatoon Blades

 

#9 Hunter Shinkaruk has himself a goal after receiving a great pass from fellow teammate #15 Linden Vey.

#34 Kale Kessy comes in spraying snow behind the net while goaltender Adam Morrison tries to clear the puck.

This shot of Emerson Etem is one that I always wanted to do with a player. That is having the player looking to the side while having their back to the camera. 

 This shot of Kale Kessy I caught my luck. I just happen to look over in front of the net  the puck was shot by Defensive Sebastian Owuya. Kale just held his stick between his leg and tried to redirect the puck to the net.  These kind of photos are the ones that I always want to get but have a hard time capturing. I either shake the camera a little so that the picture comes out blurred or like my mother used to take pictures and only get part of the body and miss the rest of the shot!

You can can go to my photo web site at http://www.pbase.com/mcimages/tigers_vs_saskatoon to see more of these shots..