HS Baseball

This is my second baseball game, shot in RAW. I'm taking baby steps.
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These make good portraits, but I think they are cropped a bit tight for sports shots.

I don't... I think they're just right. ;-)

"Shoot tight, crop tighter."

Nill

p.s. But I don't like the tilted field in #1.

Jeff Mims said:

This is my second baseball game, shot in RAW. I'm taking baby steps.

Click to expand...

Jeff,

I really like the action here. This is one rare image that I might see things differently than Nill's urging, "shoot tight and crop tighter". Here, the guy plowing into the safety of the base is defeating the efforts on the defense and so that other players posture, reactions and grimace might be great features to include in this particular image.

This is still so good that the picture can be successful anyway.

Asher

I think these spot on for most sports work. Sometimes it helps to have more context, but every American already knows how a baseball game looks (so I'm told...) so here the focus is on the indovidual players and there effort and emotion. I'm not quite sure what's going on in the one Asher picker out, but I like the action in any case.

Mike

Guys, your points are well taken on the first image. Cutting the fielder off at the waist is a bit disconcerting. If he was in the frame as shot it would almost certainly be better to leave him intact. But I'm betting he was not.

The more traditional (or at least more often-seen) version of this image has the fielder coming down and putting the tag on the runner as he slides in. In a perfect world, you have both players' faces and the glove and the base all in the frame — and you can crop even tighter than what we see here.

Aside from being slightly off-kilter, I think Jeff's done most of what he can with this particular frame — other than, just maybe, cropping even tighter still on the sliding runner so as to de-emphasize the fielder.

Jeff the easier (i.e., higher percentage) way to get this shot is on the pitcher's pickoff move to first base. You can sit just outside the fence (or inside if you're brave as you're really in danger in this position), or better yet lie prone so you're right down on the same level with the baserunner.

Nill

Thanks Nill...
I was outside the fence (3rd base)...and I could have lain prone, but it had been raining the last three days...so I really didn't feel like a mud bath.
I could not get the baseman all in frame, shooting with a 300, I was too close. Had I used a 70-200, maybe I could have gotten that.
Thanks for your valuable advice.
Very much appreciated, as always.

Thanks Asher and Mike....

I'm really rusty. Not being humble, just factual. We've had many home games cancelled, or postponed due to unusually heavy rain this season. I just haven't gotten into the flow.
I very much appreciate the advice I get here.

Thank all of you, very much.