SJ Giants win the Cal League, 2007
My friend Dan Mitchell pointed to an exhaustive article on shooting baseball games. I responded in a comment, but thought that I would expand here.
I am going to start out by saying that the reason you go to a baseball game is to have fun. So, don’t worry about anything that I say or any one else says about shooting a game. You are there to have fun. Don’t forget that.
Now, I think that the best way to learn is by experience. So treat what I say as suggestions, thoughts that I have picked up through seasons of shooting ballgames, nothing hard and fast.
Start at College or Minor League Games, these will give you great baseball with better access than you will find higher up. It is also easier to get press/media passes. Like everyone else, you need to move up through the ranks.
Tim Lincecum, 2006
If you want to shoot the players, find where they are captive, the dugout, the bullpen, pitchers mound, the batters box. Learn their names and numbers and faces. Tim Lincecum was number 49 as a San Jose Giant.
Get to know the players so they are comfortable with you around. Reading this sounds a lot like shooting birds, but it is easier than shooting birds, because you can talk to the players.
Always be aware of those around you and be courteous. If you are getting in front of a fan to take a shoot ask if it is ok. No one has ever said no. But don’t abuse the privilege, take a few shots and move on.
For your safety, always use both eyes. Pay attention to the game and know what is happening out side the view finder. You will also get better pictures.
Adam Gardner, 2006
Most of the action happens at first base. The ball almost always goes there. I like being down the 1st base line to see a baserunner as he strives to make it. You can almost be guaranteed a good shot if you camp out there.
The toughest plays to catch are pitchers fielding the ball. The plays are not common and the reaction time for you and the pitcher is so small that you have to be lucky. If you get a shot, feel blessed.
If you want to shoot outfielders, you need a big lens, 400-500 mm at least. You can get by shooting the right or left fielder from the out field bleachers with a 300 mm lens, but you are never going to get a good shot of the center fielder.
In most cases, you will be wanting to shoot with a fast shutter speed. If you want to freeze the ball in flight, shoot at around 1/2000th. The available light will be a limiting factor. At some night games you will be lucky to get 1/100th.
I also always shoot in burst mode, it leads to a few more images to look through, but I am more likely to catch the instant I want shooting at 5 frames a second.
Guillermo Rodriguez and son, 2005
There are lots of situational shots that you can get if you are paying attention. Stolen bases, pick offs, home run trots, and double play take outs fall into this category.
The key is paying attention to what is going on in the game and not focusing on what is going on in the stands. Of course this is a big mistake. Because there are lots of great shots waiting there.
There are also great shots before the game as the players are warming up. One of my favorite shots of Tim Lincecum was of him playing hackey sack before a game. It was a subtle reminder that the players are still kids.
Jake Wald, 2005
I think that may be why I enjoy shooting baseball games so much. It is always a game. And while you can worry about the outcome, or whether enough people come through the turnstiles, or whether you capture the perfect image, it is still a game.
So, go out to the ballpark and do everything to perfection. Be in the right spot, have your focus and shutter speed nailed. And if you screw up, remember its only a game.
There is always tomorrow.