Trying my hand at baseball
Apr 26, 2018 21:31:49 #
For several years now I've been shooting the school basketball team. It took me a while to figure out what the best angles are; but I got pretty good at it. So now I'm branching out into baseball as well. The first thing that I realized was that shooting on a nice sunny day is much nicer than shooting in a poorly lit gymnasium. It is going to take a while to figure out all the angles and there is a lot going on as soon as the bat meets the ball. I shot using shutter priority set at 1/3200 of a second. The biggest challenge, besides knowing where the ball would go, was handling the shadows. The field was in blazing sunlight while the home plate area was shaded. For shots at the plate, where there were shadows, I used exposure compensation of +1 to get more detail in the face. This meant that other areas were overexposed. Here are some of my attempts:
Erich
Erich
no.1 diving back to first. Ball just coming into picture
(Download)
no. 2 Pop up to Short stop (one of my students)
(Download)
The Pitch shot through chain link fence with deep lens shade up against the fence.
(Download)
no. 4 This swing resulted in a home run.
(Download)
Apr 26, 2018 21:51:41 #
Erich, Those look pretty good. Very good, as a matter of fact.
--Bob
--Bob
ebrunner wrote:
For several years now I've been shooting the schoo... (show quote)
Apr 26, 2018 21:57:27 #
My two cents, ya done good.
I think the first shot might have worked in landscape orientation. On the fly ball, getting the ball in the shot would be an addition.
I like the energy in the homerun pic.
Just a FWiw, between each play, watch where the umps move to and where they are facing, they will be in the best position to call the next action and this will likely be what you’re after.
I do like the pics.
I think the first shot might have worked in landscape orientation. On the fly ball, getting the ball in the shot would be an addition.
I like the energy in the homerun pic.
Just a FWiw, between each play, watch where the umps move to and where they are facing, they will be in the best position to call the next action and this will likely be what you’re after.
I do like the pics.
Apr 27, 2018 05:41:28 #
ebrunner wrote:
For several years now I've been shooting the schoo... (show quote)
I'm pleased. I think there are some angles that I can use to get a different perspective on the various players. It was a fun few hours with my camera on a nice sunny day. Hard to beat that.
Erich
Apr 27, 2018 05:43:18 #
BassmanBruce wrote:
My two cents, ya done good.
I think the first shot might have worked in landscape orientation. On the fly ball, getting the ball in the shot would be an addition.
I like the energy in the homerun pic.
Just a FWiw, between each play, watch where the umps move to and where they are facing, they will be in the best position to call the next action and this will likely be what you’re after.
I do like the pics.
I think the first shot might have worked in landscape orientation. On the fly ball, getting the ball in the shot would be an addition.
I like the energy in the homerun pic.
Just a FWiw, between each play, watch where the umps move to and where they are facing, they will be in the best position to call the next action and this will likely be what you’re after.
I do like the pics.
Good point about the umpires. I had not thought of that. Next game I'll be sure to be aware of that point. On the fly ball, I was trying to get that ball; but had my viewfinder on the player. The shot right after the one I posted had the ball in his glove. I guess that is the difference between 6 per second and 12 per second burst rates. You can really see where that would make all the difference if you were a pro who "had to get the shot". Thanks for the pointer and thanks for taking a look.
Erich
Apr 27, 2018 08:08:58 #
Great that you had some darker and/or less busy backgrounds for the last two. High school baseball fields don't seem constructed with photography in mind 
Great timing on the batter and how nice to know you can get around the chain link fence issue so nicely.
I find #1 less engaging because of the awkward vertical angle with runner cut off.
I hope you have a lot more sunny days and lots of baseball action! I came to the sport (as spectator) only 14 years ago and have come to love it so much I subscribe to the MLB online package so I can pick and choose which games to watch every single day!
Great timing on the batter and how nice to know you can get around the chain link fence issue so nicely.I find #1 less engaging because of the awkward vertical angle with runner cut off.
I hope you have a lot more sunny days and lots of baseball action! I came to the sport (as spectator) only 14 years ago and have come to love it so much I subscribe to the MLB online package so I can pick and choose which games to watch every single day!
Apr 27, 2018 08:14:28 #
I'll be out snapping Cricket on the Village Green this weekend. I have my favourite location, looking across the playing field into a shaded backdrop which brings more emphasis to the participants. Shots with players off the ground look a little more 'professional' and if you can the players eye on the ball so much the better. I like what you've done so far, but no.1 would look better leveled off.
Apr 27, 2018 08:33:51 #
Nice work on these, Erich. I, too, have been trying some outdoor sports shots, and it’s harder than it looks like it should be.
Apr 27, 2018 08:44:48 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
Great that you had some darker and/or less busy ba... (show quote)
When I shoot the next game, I think I will definitely go for landscape orientation for runners going back to base, or sliding into a base. I'm also going to have to look for ways to control the background. If I get a shot that I like enough to mess with, I might try to isolate the background in PS with a blur, or darkening. Thanks for taking a look and commenting. It's always good to get input.
Erich
Apr 27, 2018 08:46:41 #
John N wrote:
I'll be out snapping Cricket on the Village Green this weekend. I have my favourite location, looking across the playing field into a shaded backdrop which brings more emphasis to the participants. Shots with players off the ground look a little more 'professional' and if you can the players eye on the ball so much the better. I like what you've done so far, but no.1 would look better leveled off.
Good luck with your venture this weekend. I think I have learned a few things about what not to do. Now I need to concentrate on what to do. I'll get some more chances before the season is over. Thanks for the input.
Erich
Apr 27, 2018 08:47:56 #
jaymatt wrote:
Nice work on these, Erich. I, too, have been trying some outdoor sports shots, and it’s harder than it looks like it should be.
You are right about that. Seems like it should be a breeze; but, if it were, I suppose everyone would shoot for Sports Illustrated. Thanks for taking a look.
Erich
Apr 27, 2018 11:28:21 #
I am probably the last guy to give my critique since I haven't photographed sporting events. But to my eye i think you captured the essence of the game. For me that is what the end game is all about getting the "money" shot. Nice going
Apr 27, 2018 12:49:28 #
The sense of timing that you developed shooting basketball is serving you well here. Since you're a beginner where shooting baseball is concerned you could probably make things easy for yourself by shooting wide and cropping in post.
Apr 27, 2018 12:50:28 #
Apr 27, 2018 15:25:08 #
NJFrank wrote:
I am probably the last guy to give my critique since I haven't photographed sporting events. But to my eye i think you captured the essence of the game. For me that is what the end game is all about getting the "money" shot. Nice going
Thanks, Frank. I still think I have a lot to learn; but that is the fun part.
Erich
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