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| Photo by George Ponder |
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Plays around the bases were always fun to catch. Whenever a batter made it to first, I'd start getting ready to turn my camera to catch a play at second. You learn the base running habits of teams, the more you cover them. By midseason, I had a good understanding of which teams would steal second and which ones played it safe. There will also be clues from the crowds and coaches when a player tries to steal second. Invariably, someone will yell, "HE'S RUNNING!" or "THROW HIM OUT!" This is what you would call a sign to turn your camera quickly to second base.
To photograph the pitcher, I would position myself behind the plate, shooting through the fence, using a slight angle (left or right, depending on the pitchers throwing arm) to capture more of a profile. I would also shoot from this position at a wider angle to capture the batter's swing along with the pitch.
I found that a standard hurricane fence will let you shoot around 50mm. Anything wider. and the fence wire sneaks into your frame. Look for the sections of the fence that have been widened a little by foul tips or wild pitches.
Every now and again, I'd wander to the third base line and catch runners making the turn at second. The expressions of excitement on making it to third base or the desperation of turning a double into a triple are always fun to catch.
My favorite player position to cover had to be the catcher. For many of the pitchers, this was only their second season to pitch. There were many pitching their first season. Needless to say, the catcher took a beating and had to chase a lot of wild pitches. On dry, dusty days, he would also get caught up in a dust storm.
Don't forget about action away from the bases and batter's box. You can capture some nice pictures of players in between plays. There's something about a Little League outfielder who sits down and plays in the dirt during a game. Outfielders seem to get bored quickly and there's no telling what you can capture with a camera.
Not to leave the girls out--I did get the opportunity to shoot a softball game. I honestly didn't know what to expect covering girls' softball. It took a little while to adjust to the pink batting helmets and bats (not to mention the singing from the dugouts), but the girls played with intensity similar to the boys'. They don't slide as much, but they swing the bat with the same colorful expressions. They also smile more, while in the field where the boys try to look tough. Catching the pitcher in the right moment was a challenge--they step forward quickly during their delivery. It's best to try to shoot softball pitchers at a slight angle to highlight this movement.
As for equipment, I shot with a Canon 20D, using either a Sigma 50-500mm or Canon 70-200mm f2.8L with an EF 2.0X teleconverter. I like the 20D for two main reasons: the frames-per-second rate, and its ability to keep noise levels down even when shooting ISO 3200 (a big advantage for night games).
The Sigma gives me added reach, and it's one of the sharpest "big" lenses out there. The Canon lens is a little bit faster for late afternoon games, and I drop the teleconverter to cover the night games.
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