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| Photo by George Ponder |
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Previously, I used an Olympus C-2100, then moved to a Minolta DiMAGE 7 and a Canon EOS Digital Rebel before getting the 20D.
I think the key is having a good telephoto lens. Whether it is a fixed lens camera or a DSLR, I think you need at least a 10X optical zoom or a 70-200mm SLR lens. This is not to say that a 35-105mm fixed lens point-and-shoot camera won't produce good pictures of your little leaguer. These cameras have the ability to produce really nice pictures. But to get close up to the action and get sharp, crisp images, you need a little more reach than the smaller cameras offer.
While I prefer the 5 fps of the Canon 20D, you can manage with slower rates. If you shoot with a slower-fps-rated camera, you just have to learn the timing of the game better. I also prefer being able to use the manual or shutter-priority mode: This allows you to use faster shutter speeds to stop the action. The fully automatic point-and-shoot cameras seldom have this feature.
I received several requests from parents to get copies of my pictures. To make my pictures easier to access, I created a gallery on my website for family and players to use. My work during this season was done to contribute to the season, and parents were able to enjoy and share pictures of their sons freely.
I can't say all was done without rewards. A rewarding compliment came from one of the players, who said that he was using one of my pictures as his computer wallpaper. Players would email their pictures to out-of-state relatives to share and, in one case, show off to cousins who played in another league.
After covering such an enjoyable and intense subject, I now struggle with finding a photographic substitute. Is there life in the off-season? I've always had an interest in wildlife photography. I've chased backyard animals around. There are several memorials close to the house, for everything from veterans to Eagle Scouts. On top of all that, there are always weekends at the lake, chasing kids enjoying the sunny day, visiting ducks, lizards peeking out of the woodpile.
There's only nine more months until Opening Day 2007, when you'll find me setting up down the first base line. Until then, I'll see what else is out there to photograph. Hopefully with as much success as I had at the ball park.
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