Major League Baseball Game

[eyerkish]

I had an opportunity to go to an Angels-Yankees game over the weekend and took my 55-200mm lens with me. We didn't have the greatest seats in the world, meaning that I would have loved to have been closer to get some better detailed shots, but it gave me an opportunity to work the camera on manual settings in a constantly changing environment. I wasn't sure if we were allowed to post photos from professional sporting events, but I sent a private message to admin beforehand to make sure I wasn't breaking any rules. After being given the green light because it was a public event where picture taking was allowed, I thought I'd post a few here. Comments and CC welcome. Thanks for taking a look.

[Kaye]

These are really great shots Eddie, also considering you were not that close.

[ladyups]

Wonderful shots, Eddie...guess this would mean a longer lens for the Christmas list, right? ;)

[verikos]

Great series of action shots Eddie. Well done for using manual mode too. I usually panic and go for the 'sports' mode in these situations - just in case I mess it up!!! :-)

[eyerkish]

These are really great shots Eddie, also considering you were not that close.
Thanks, Kaye. I have tickets to a few Dodgers games later this year that look to be closer, so I'll have to take the camera with me to see if I can improve on the shots.


Wonderful shots, Eddie...guess this would mean a longer lens for the Christmas list, right? ;)
Thanks, Mary. Already put the lens down on the list for good old Saint Nick. Now I have to find a way to sneak the lens in as the stadium only allows a maximum lens length of 4", unless I can get a press pass. Good thing I'll have some time to think it through.


Great series of action shots Eddie. Well done for using manual mode too. I usually panic and go for the 'sports' mode in these situations - just in case I mess it up!!! :-)
Thanks, Denise. There were plenty of bad ones, believe me, but we got there early so I could play around with the camera during batting practice. That enabled me to make the adjustments before the game started and I tweaked them as the game went along. Don't think I'll be able to use some of the shutter speed settings (in some cases, 1/4000) from those same seats during a night game.

[DoctorJazz]

These are impressive! Great work.....love the vertical one in particular but they're all wonderful.

[sandrac]

good job great practice

[jonrayner]

Great action shots. Nicely done.
Jon

[MasterPpv]

Very nice! I know how it is with seats, I've only ever gotten a press pass once, and that was when my school's girls basketball team made it to the state finals. That day produced easily the best basketball shots I've taken to this day, and quite a large percentage of my best crowd shots so far. I've also photographed baseball once and I can tell that you definitely did a great job here! The saturation of the colors is beautiful! They are extremely crisp and vivid! Aside from not being afraid to crop more, I can't think of much advice! Again, I'm sure that anyone better and more experienced than me could think of stuff, but from a high school junior's perspective, these are great! :)

And I love #4, the vertical action shot. Crop it a bit and you've got quite a picture for your professional portfolio! ;)

[trashytrucker]

Eddie,

No. 3 rocks! I have been trying for that shot for years! You nailed it guy! Congradulations.
How long a lense were you using?

Matt

[eyerkish]

These are impressive! Great work.....love the vertical one in particular but they're all wonderful.
Thanks, Sandy. I brought a friend of mine who dabbles in photography as well. We had a great time taking shots, comparing notes, and helping each other optimize our settings.

good job great practice
Thanks, Sandra. It certainly built some confidence in the manual settings.

Great action shots. Nicely done.
Jon
Thanks, Jon. Much appreciated.

Eddie,

No. 3 rocks! I have been trying for that shot for years! You nailed it guy! Congradulations.
How long a lense were you using?

Matt
Matt, I used my 55-200mm, which was the largest lens I could take in to the stadium. I have been trying for that shot for years as well and now that I got it, I wish I was a whole lot closer to appreciate it. Looks like my quest will continue. Thanks for the nice comment.

[JohnM]

Great Stuff Eddie

[trashytrucker]

...Matt, I used my 55-200mm, which was the largest lens I could take in to the stadium...



Eddie,
just being nosey... MLB prohibits use of large lense with us to games? I mean, Is that a rule? Or did I missunderstand? Do you have to be licensed?

Cause you can take a TC' with you right? (to bump up focal)
Im just unaware and you can explain to me if that is true?



Matt

[MasterPpv]

Eddie,
just being nosey... MLB prohibits use of large lense with us to games? I mean, Is that a rule? Or did I missunderstand? Do you have to be licensed?

Cause you can take a TC' with you right? (to bump up focal)
Im just unaware and you can explain to me if that is true?



Matt

I think some stadiums might have an issue with it in case you have a super-long lens and hit someone in the back of the head if they're sitting in front of you... I imagine that people with such lenses would need press passes to take them inside... I'm not sure though. :confused:

[eyerkish]

Eddie,
just being nosey... MLB prohibits use of large lense with us to games? I mean, Is that a rule? Or did I missunderstand? Do you have to be licensed?

Cause you can take a TC' with you right? (to bump up focal)
Im just unaware and you can explain to me if that is true?



Matt
Matt,

I don't know if that rule is a MLB rule or a team specific rule, but I also encountered it at a Lakers game back in January. In that instance, I saw arena security escort those folks who had bigger lenses (I believe one was a 70-300mm) to their customer service area so the patron could check their lens in and retrieve it after the game. In my experiences, each team's website only said that lenses larger than 4" were not allowed. It did not say anything about a TC. I would imagine they would argue that the length exceeded the 4" limit because it is an extension of the lens, but it might be worth it to try. If I was going to attempt to bring in a larger lens, I would scout out the security guys ahead of time to see who may not be as thorough as others or who seems more talkative than others so I could engage them in conversation and hope for the best. Or I might just contact the stadium and see what steps need to be taken to obtain a permit or permission to bring in the larger lens.

[trashytrucker]

Thanks Eddie,

The largest lense I have is the 70-200mm , but I do own the 1.4 TC. So I guess I do not exceed the 4" rule?
Most of all I do applaude your post of the batter and ball. that was an impressive capture. You are an exceptional photographer in your skills...Great job.



Matt

[eyerkish]

Thanks Eddie,

The largest lense I have is the 70-200mm , but I do own the 1.4 TC. So I guess I do not exceed the 4" rule?
Most of all I do applaude your post of the batter and ball. that was an impressive capture. You are an exceptional photographer in your skills...Great job.



Matt
Matt,

You are too kind, I just got lucky. I have been chasing that shot for years, but I really wanted to be up close when I captured it. To see the stitches of the baseball in clear focus as it meets the bat and beads of sweat coming from the batter's head would be my ideal shot. So my journey for that shot will continue. As for the TC, I say take it in but keep it somewhere in the bag so it's not visible. I am looking to get a TC myself as I have tickets to some other games this season. I will join you in the quest to push the envelope. Looking forward to seeing those shots!

[FalvinP]

Very nice shots, Eddie. How do you like your D90? That's what I use and so far it's been great.

I especially like #4 and #5.

Question: How did you get your name in the lower right corner of your pics? Is it a watermark? What program do you use and do you have it set up to print on every picture? I'd like to do something like that because you never know when you'll upload a real keeper that someone will want to exploit without paying you. As far as I know the D90 can't put the same comment on every pic.

Keep up the good work!

Fred

[eyerkish]

Very nice shots, Eddie. How do you like your D90? That's what I use and so far it's been great.

I especially like #4 and #5.

Question: How did you get your name in the lower right corner of your pics? Is it a watermark? What program do you use and do you have it set up to print on every picture? I'd like to do something like that because you never know when you'll upload a real keeper that someone will want to exploit without paying you. As far as I know the D90 can't put the same comment on every pic.

Keep up the good work!

Fred
Thanks for the nice comment, Fred. I love the D90! The only problem is I am still overwhelmed with all it can do, but every time I go out and shoot something, I learn something new. As for the name in the right hand corner, I use either Lightroom or Photoshop. With Lightroom, the watermark can be set up to automatically appear every time the photo is "exported". The problem I ran into was with photos that needed to be rotated to level the horizon - the name would be cut off after the subsequent crop. With Photoshop, I have to do it every time as I am not aware if the name can be added automatically. However, once I enter it on one photo, I just copy and paste the text into the next photo.

With regards to Lightroom, if you have not had much exposure to it, you can download the Beta 2 version of Lightroom 3 for free from Adobe's website or just do a Google search. The version will remain active until the full version is released. I am still learning about Lightroom, but the more I play around with it, the more I like it. Good luck!

[mrdoug]

Eddie... you work part-time for SI or what? Great shots!

[eyerkish]

Eddie... you work part-time for SI or what? Great shots!
I wish, Doug. We had a great time! I took one of my friends, who has also picked up photography, and we only talked to each other between innings so we could compare shots and settings.