Category Archives: Skating

New gallery: Exhibition of Champions – ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017

Evgenia Medvedeva / Link to Exhibition of Champions – ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017 gallery

ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017 were arranged in Helsinki on 29.3.-2.4.2017. I visited also Exhibition of Champions on Sunday. The show was superb 🙂 And also very popular with the photographers, I calculated 37 (!) accredited photographers on the other side of arena. You can see my photos in Exhibition of Champions – ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017 gallery.

The skaters of this gallery are listed here: Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot, Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte, Carolina Kostner, Cecilia Törn and Jussiville Partanen, Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev, Emmi Peltonen, Evgenia Medvedeva, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, Gabrielle Daleman, Jason Brown, Javier Fernandez, Kaetlyn Osmond, Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov, Ksenia Stolbova, Mai Mihara, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, Shoma Uno, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Valtter Virtanen, Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han, and Yuzuru Hanyu.

Also posted in Event, Figure Skating, Sport Tagged , , , , , |

New gallery: The opening show – ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017

Kiira Korpi and Laura Lepistö / Link to The opening show – ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017 gallery

ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017 are arranged in Helsinki on 29.3.-2.4.2017. I visited The opening show on Wednesday evening. I like to photograph skating shows more than the actual skating competitions, as lights are more dramatic, and backgrounds are dark or black 🙂 But unfortunately this dim and varying lightning means that photography is also much more difficult…. But I think that photos are still worth the effort! You can see my photos in The opening show – ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2017 gallery.

Also posted in Event, Figure Skating, Sport Tagged , , , , , , |

New gallery: Rockettes – Short and Free Programs 2014

Link to Rockettes – Short and Free Programs 2014 gallery

Synchronized skating team Rockettes performed their short and free programs in Helsinki on 29.3.2014 before leaving to World Synchronized Skating Championships in Italy. Rockettes won bronze medal with these programs 🙂 Congratulations to them!

Also posted in Event, Sport, Synchronized Skating Tagged , , , , , |

New gallery: Art on Ice – Helsinki 2014

Laura Lepistö / Link to Art on Ice – Helsinki 2014 gallery

Art on Ice show was arranged in Hartwall Arena on 11.3.2014. This gallery has 56 photos from this spectacular show 🙂 Performers of this show were e.g. Laura Lepistö, Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat, Loreen, Florent Amodio, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, Khatia Buniatishvili, Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov, Stéphane Lambiel, Team Unique, Kurt Browning and Zabato.

Also posted in Event, Figure Skating, Sport Tagged , , , , , , |

New gallery: Plan Ice Gala 2012

Kiira Korpi

Kiira Korpi / Link to Plan Ice Gala 2012 Gallery

Plan Ice Gala 2012 – Because I am a girl (Plan Jäägaala 2012 – Koska olen tyttö) was arranged on last Thursday. The target of the Because I am a girl campaign is to promote the rights of all children and especially support the girls’ education in developing countries. The best Finnish skaters and many top musicians performed in the gala. The gala was arranged by Plan Finland and Finnish Figure Skating Association.

The skaters were: Kiira Korpi, Laura Lepistö, Juulia Turkkila, Alisa Mikonsaari, Cecilia Törn, Viktor Zubik, Julian Lagus, Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari, Matthias Versluis, Valtter Virtanen, Olesia Karmi & Max Lindholm and Henna indholm & Ossi Kanervo. Also following synchronized skating teams performed in the gala: Marigold IceUnity, Rockettes, Team Unique and Team Mystique.

I photographed only the skaters, and you can see the best photos in Plan Ice Gala 2012 gallery.

Also posted in Event, Figure Skating, Sport, Synchronized Skating Tagged , , , , , , , , |

New galleries: ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2011

Team Croatia - Zagreb Snowflakes

Team Croatia / Link to Gallery

Like I wrote on last Sunday, I photographed the free program in ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2011 on last Saturday.

I have photographed synchronized skating earlier, but previous time was three years ago. So, at the beginning I was feeling little rusty… I was also photographing from the first row. I liked the low perspective from the first row, but there were also challenges: It was quite difficult to compose and focus on skaters when they were passing me with the high speed at the distance of few meters. It would have been also easier to get white ice as background from the higher location. If I would have photographed the also short program on Friday, I would have used different, i.e. higher location, at that time.

The atmosphere in the arena was terrific, the (mostly Finnish) audience was supporting all teams! And when the Finnish teams where performing, the supporting and cheering was incredible 🙂

Supporters of Marigold IceUnity waving flags

Supporters of Marigold IceUnity (MIU) waving flags

Also posted in Event, People, Synchronized Skating Tagged , , , , , |

Synchronized Skating: Double Victory for Finland!

I visited yesterday ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2011, and photographed the free program. Finnish teams won double victory 🙂

World champions: Rockettes

World champions: Rockettes

Congratulations to Rockettes and Marigold IceUnity!

Silver: Marigold IceUnity

Silver: Marigold IceUnity

I will post later a gallery, but here are some of my favourites (click to see a larger image).

Team USA 2 - Miami University Senior Team

Team USA 2 - Miami University Senior Team

Team Sweden 1 - Team Surprise

Team Sweden 1 - Team Surprise


Continue reading »

Also posted in Event, People, Sport, Synchronized Skating Tagged , , , |

Finlandia Trophy 2010: Ladies, Free Skating

Kiira Korpi

Here are my favorites (16 photos) from Finlandia Trophy 2010 Ladies – Free Skating competition from today. Akiko Suzuki won the Finlandia Trophy’s ladies competition, Kiira Korpi was second and Elena Leonova was third.

From the camera setting points of view, skating is quite simple to photograph: use fast lens and full aperture (in these photos F2.8 or F2) and fast shutter speed to stop the movement (1/500 – 1/800 seconds). But the act of skating photography is not simple: Ice skaters move fast, they are typically too close or too far away (for your lens), eyes are closed, hand is in front of face,… And even the AF has misses the focus occasionally. So the success rate is quite low, and you need to prepared to shoot a lot.
Continue reading »

Also posted in Event, People, Sport Tagged , , , , , |

Finlandia Trophy 2010: Ice Dance, Short Dance

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat

Here are 18 photos from Finlandia Trophy 2010 Ice Dance competition from yesterday.
Continue reading »

Also posted in Event, Sport Tagged , , , , |

New galleries: Plan Ice Gala – Because I am a Girl

Kiira Korpi

Kiira Korpi / Link to Gallery I

Henna Lindholm and Ossi Kanervo

Henna and Ossi / Link to Gallery II

Plan arranged a charity ice gala, Plan Jäägaala – Because I am a Girl, on 11.3.2010. This event collected money to educate, provide health services and improve security of girls in developing countries.

Kiira Korpi, Laura Lepistö, Susanna Pöykiö, Jenni Vähämaa, Henna Lindholm & Ossi Kanervo, Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari, Valtter Virtanen and Mikko Minkkinen performed in the gala. Also synchronized skating teams Marigold IceUnity, Rockettes and Team Unique had their own performances.

Photographing skating show is quite different compared to the photographing of skating competition. During the skating competition the whole hall is illuminated, but in the skating show the skaters are illuminated typically only with spot lights. This has several benefits: you can photograph interesting shadows, background is clean (=very dark, advertisements do not disturb), and you can photograph the flying ice 🙂 The only drawback is that there can be less light than in the competition. The individual skaters in these galleries where typically photographed with ISO 1600 and F2.8. But when the teams were on ice, the spot beams were wider, and there was less light, so typically ISO 3200 and F2 was used…

Also posted in Event, People, Sport Tagged , , , |