reMarkable

My son's baseball team plays at a field that is completely surrounded by chain link fence - everywhere! I'm sure it's for modern safety & liability rules - but it makes it a real challenge to get decent shots. The only openings are at the two dugouts for players to get on/off field. It's technically an interference with the game to stand & shoot there - it's up to the coach's degression. Other fields they play on are similar. The coach often doesn't mind, but there is the practical aspect of players getting in the way.

Shooting up close through the fence generally causes vignetting - any other techniques I can use?

Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom!

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I'm interested in replies to this as well. I like to photograph baseball games but most are totally fenced in. I only have two fields where I can stand in an area where I can photograph. One is on a 3rd. base line and the other is beyond the 1st. base line.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

duplicate

banjonut Loc: Southern Michigan

Would a stepladder be allowed?

gwong1 Loc: Tampa, FL

remarkable, I used to photograph my granddaughter through the fences using wide open aperture, f2.8, or smallest f-stop you have. As you can see the fence is slightly visible, but not so bad considering the circumstances. Gary

Shot through fence

Bret Loc: Dayton Ohio

When I do these I take along a small step ladder...like a 2 or 4 footer to just get over the top of the fence.

reMarkable

Thanks everyone for the input thus far.

To Bret and banjonut - the fences at these high school and college fields are 20+ feet high! ( My stepladder is just too short ;) )

Moles Loc: South Carolina

Just go in the gate behind one of the dugouts like the news photographers do. and be quiet and polite but if asked to leave, do so without argument. I doubt that will happen, however.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Having done this stuff with my own son from tball to the big leagues, in every conceivable kind of field, I will say that the best advice I can give you is manual focus or auto focus with manual adjustment which let's you cut through wires and foul netting. Your settings(fast shutter, adequate ISO, also choosing seating, when possible, that maximizes light and minimizes obstruction. Long zoom that you can hand hold. Make friends with the coach and offer him free photos on disc, or offer to set up a team share site, that will get you in good graces.

reMarkable

Moles - Yes, you are right - and that's basically what I do. It works ok when that team is in the field - although it only offers one perspective for all shots. The biggest issue is when the team comes back in to bat - then batters are going in and out of the narrow gateway - and the coaches often lean in the doorway and chat. Often batters are in the "on deck circle" swinging a bat - between me and home plate too. Also - on our home field were the regular schedule has them playing early evening games - it leaves me shooting into the setting sun. So this is all part of the challenge!

fuzzypaddle Loc: Southern Illinois

On most fields if you go past the dugouts the height of the fence is lower. I go down the line and shoot over the fence with a longer lens. Attached is a link to some of the shots I made this way of my grandson's game.

http://HarryOrr.zenfolio.com/p1058595058

reMarkable

Thanks minniev - I should try manual focusing (I'm pretty good on the fast shutter, ISO etc)- will give that a try.

Mike8414

I've put about 9,000 images on my sons' (yeah, plural) college baseball web site. Here's what works most of the time: long focal lengths and small apertures. Zoom out and stop the lens down to some small aperature (say f16 or thereabouts). You can focus right through the fence.

Won't work in all cases, since the telephoto may be too much if you are close to the action. But this approach has saved me many a time. The ultimate workaround was the purchase of a two-step stepstool so I could shoot over the fence.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Autofocus gets you a good picture of the wire. Not so good of son. Experiment with your distance from the fence too. You can have control of that at this level.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Remarkable, I shoot baseball on occasion, but I don't shoot to get shots of anybody except the game. So I shoot tight shots just to get good sports shots. I usually use shallow depth of field with either long or fast lenses.
You have to be close to the fence/netting. If you are much closer than the minimum focus distance of the lens, it usually doesn't affect the focus. Of course, if you have a focus limit switch, set it to long.
I shoot at college games, simply because I've got a college nearby, and they are not so strict with access. Sometimes I can shoot from the field, but sometimes an ump will ask me to leave.
I can make the fence completely invisible. But I'm not trying to get the whole field as I've been seeing here, but only one tight play.
You could also go when there is no game, just to try and test what may, or may not work through the fencing.
My long lens is full manual, so I don't even have an AF option, it's all pre-focussed on where I think it's going to happen. But I'll admit, it's more about the lens, more so, than how or what you shoot.
The best solution where possible, is to get above the fence, or in front of it. ;-)
SS