USA Softball

[MsUmpire]

Comments & Critiques are appreciated! :)

Here are a couple of pictures from World Cup II in Oklahoma City, the finals are Monday night...so far the USA women are dominating everyone! Cat Osterman is the one that is pitching and the other is Jennie Finch, she was coming up the stairs after their warm ups.

[IndyJeff]

The shot of Finch is ok, nice expression on her face. She looks relaxed for such a big game coming up.

The other shot however, well.....if you could have gotten it from the other side it would have been better. Nobody wants to see backsides. That shot is way to soft, even a little OOF. Submitting shots like this for publication, especially if they are near the front of a slideshow, will probably make an editor click right off and move on to the next persons submission.
I like the action in that shot, it is great. Just remember when your shooting pitchers, especially, get to their face side. It makes the shot when you can see the strain and emotion on the face. If possible shoot her from behind home plate. I'll bet you can get some great expressions from her with the ball in midair on the way to the plate.

edit: After looking again at the Osterman image, there is nothing in that shot that is in focus. Is this the original file or is it over cropped?

[MsUmpire]

first, thank you for the critique, i truly appreciate it! :) i did crop the picture of cat pitching in an effort to make the background less busy and help meet the size requirements for posting pictures. the lack of focus could be because i forgot my monopod and shot by hand, this is one picture in a series of 6 so i could have been moving some...or it could be just a plain bad shot! :oops: i see what you mean about looking at the face vs the backsides. thank you for your time!

robbin

[IndyJeff]

In selling images to parents I have found that if mom can't see her babies face it generally won't sell. I have had shots which you could see a face but was nothing spectacular about the shot and the parents bought it.
On the other hand I have had shots which were great action but a face wasn't in the view and it didn't sell at all.

When shooting baseball/softball one of the hardest things is getting faces of all batters. Since most batters are right handed, they are not a problem. When I know a lefty is coming up I hurry to the other side to get a face shot at bat of them. If you don't you won't sell one.
Pitchers are the same. Try to always be on the side where you can get a face in the shot. Shooting pitchers head on is the best bet. You can get the ball coming at you and that makes for a great shot too. The background is busy as can be but, you can get an idea from this shot of how to shoot from behind the plate. baseball (http://ftonews.com/images/IMG_1839.jpg)

A better example would be one like this tho.softball (http://ftonews.com/images/IMG_2090.jpg)

[MsUmpire]

I see what you mean...big difference! Thanks for the samples!!! Are you shooting through the fence on these or were you on the field? I was an ASA Umpire for 8 years, so I'm still allowed the field when I want to shoot pictures locally. I've shot a few pictures through the fence and they seemed fuzzy to me...could be that I just need to mess with the settings more. I'm scheduled to start a class in August on how do to do manual settings, right now it's just hit and miss or auto focus stuff. Thanks again for taking the time to help me!

[MsUmpire]

Here's a couple of pics of my niece, I was on the field for these, used the 100-300mm lens.

[IndyJeff]

I shoot thru the fence. If you get the lens right on the fence, I mean actually touching it, it will focus past the fence and you shouldn't even know it is there looking at the images.

I would not suggest getting on the field anytime to shoot, no matter what the age level. I have seen coaches standing 50 feet from the batter get beaned by a foul ball. Now imagine if your looking thru a camera. You will have no chance of saving yourself. I dont care if it is 10 year old girls hitting a softball, a line drive to the gut is gonna hurt. One to the head could be fatal.

When shooting from a media photo pit, such as is present at Victory Field in downtown Indy you are exposed to a line drive. I usually find some player who is willing to sit beside me and be my protection against the errant line drive foul ball.

On the two shots you posted, both seem a bit over exposed and soft. Are you using a center focusing point?
If you will send me a PM I have an idea.

[MsUmpire]

:oops: ok...i'm showing my ignorance...if you'll tell me what a PM is, I'll send it to you. :)

[cecilc]

Here's a couple of pics of my niece, I was on the field for these, used the 100-300mm lens.

Yes, both of those shots appear to be soft .... and it appears not to be from mis-focusing (at least, to me).

If you'll notice, nowhere in either shot is there an area of sharp focus ... not the player, nowhere in front of the player, and nowhere in back of the player. That tells me that, even though your shutter speed was apparently fast enough to freeze the ball in flight, that you actually moved the camera slightly through the exposure.

In my opinion, that's what's caused that softness in those shots. If you can't hold that camera still enough by handholding it, you may need to try a monopod and see if that helps.

I would not suggest getting on the field anytime to shoot, no matter what the age level.

With all due respect to Indy, I never shoot anywhere but from the field .... no matter what the age level. Have I been hit with a ball ? Sure .... Now, having said that, there are some shots that you can't shoot from the field - for instance, shooting the pitcher from behind the plate during a game. That shot has to be taken from behind the fence (or netting, or whatever). But I've never "worried" about being on the field (well, actually in foul territory down either base lines) and shooting a game. I'm just very watchful ...... and you have to be that no matter what sport you shoot.

By the way, PM means "Private Message" ....

[MsUmpire]

thanks for the info cecil...i appreciate all of the help i can get!! i played ball for 24 years and umpired for 8, so i can usually tell which direction the ball is headed when they swing. i've taken my shots behind the plate...it only hurts for a little while. :o) i probably did move when I shot the pictures of my niece. i have a neuro-muscular disease that causes my hands to not work so well some days. i just shoot and hope for the best on those days! thanks for telling me what PM means!

[cecilc]

i have a neuro-muscular disease...

My wife says that I have that, too ... it causes my mouth to move when she doesn't want it to ....

:lol:

I would say that your condition would make a monopod a necessity ..... really, there's no need to "shoot and hope" when a monopod would probably cancel out any motion you might involuntarily make when shooting.

Best of luck ...

[superdiver]

Getting on the field is great, IF they let you. I doubt they would let you at a game of this level, would they?

the pictures posted seem soft. What lens have you been using and what settings? Looking at your list I dont see one that I would think is really good for shooting fast action, maybe the 75-300 if you shoot it wide open?

Dont get me wrong, I am not the best action photographer out here by a HUGE ways, but I do shoot a bunch of spots and "In My Humble Opinion" (IMHO) you would bet better served with a 70-200 2.8 or similar. On sunny days I have found my 170-500 to work well too, but I shoot it wide open at speeds of 1/400 at least. I dont like tripods mostly cuz I like to shoot all over the field and here with the city leagues they let me go where ever. But with a trip pod its a pain in the ARSE to move from place to place, BUT you will NOT get a better picture then with a pod IMHO....

[IndyJeff]

Another reason not to be on the field....

If a foul ball flys up and is headed your way, you could become an interference with the player trying to catch that ball. I have seen this happen with a "dad" on the side of the field. He didn't stand still, instead he tried to get out of the way of the player and ultimately GOT in his way. Of course his kid was on the other team and it caused a big stink. I immediately went from shooting youth sports to PJ getting ready to catch a dad vs dad or dad vs coach or coach vs coach fight.
Cooler heads prevailed, the plate ump and second base up had a conference and determined that the player would have caught the ball if the dad hadn't got in his way, so the batter was out. Of course that started up a stink on the other side and the ump just plain and simple told that coach that with 1 inning left, a 7 run lead and they were still at bat, the opposing team only had 1 at bat left. So in the interest of fairness he called the player out. Another word from the coach about it and he would be ejected from the game. The ump said all of that with a firm yet authoritive tone. He then suggested that the dad leave the field of play and in no uncertain terms said another interference call and he would declare the game a forfeit.

celcilc I think you may be right about the camera movement. I am wondering if she did backfocus some and was shooting too slow a shutter compunding the problem.

[MsUmpire]

I hope to one day be in the photographers box when USA is playing, but for now...no they won't let me out there. :) I'm always allowed on the fields locally, because they all know I played & was an umpire...they realize I know my way around the field & when to get out of the way. I do have a monopod & tripod. I used the monopod for my nieces pictures...I haven't tried changing the focal point yet...I guess I really need to take advantages of the things my camera can do. I'm enrolled in a class that starts in August to learn more about the things it can do. I really appreciate the time you guys have taken to point out the things I need to work on!

Robbin