Baseball Shooting Tips and Example Pics

[fslshooter]

With baseball season starting I expect a lot of moms and pops will be anxious to capture images of their kids in action on the diamond. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject but I've taken quite a few photos at baseball games and learned a few things about the subject so perhaps some tips and example pics might be of interest to some.

If you can get field access, by all means do so -- you'll get consistently better results shooting closer to the action and you'll not have to shoot through the backstop which can get tricky. If you're not sure who grants field access ask the coach or school's sports information director. If you're granted field access, it's a good idea to talk with the head umpire prior to the game and ask what rules apply to you. BTW, don't assume that rules for photogs are the same at all venues and if you're issued written credentials be sure to read them before you go onto the field.

Prior to start of the game you might want to try and get a couple of posed shots of your favorite subject. The classic posed pitcher shot is with them holding their glove hand up to their chest and the other arm down by their side. The classic posed position player shot is with the player down on one knee, their glove lying in the foreground and them leaning on their bat. Both shots look best with either the scoreboard or grandstand in the background.

If you're comfortable shooting in manual mode you'll probably get the best results doing so. If not or if light conditions are changing rapidly AV might work better -- just remember that white or very dark uniforms will mislead your camera's light meter and you'll need to compensate. Check your histogram frequently to insure correct exposure. Maintain a bare minimum shutter speed of 1/350 with 1/500 or faster best along with the widest aperture you can use and still nail the focus. Adjust ISO as necessary to stay within these parameters. Shoot with single focus point and as tight as you can while still capturing the action that you want. Try and get picture with faces as this will make your images more interesting.

The best shooting positions for infield action are from along the first and third base lines somewhere between home plate and first or third base. From these positions you should be able to cover infield action with a 70-200mm zoom. At high school, college and professional levels, with 90 feet between bases, you'll need the reach of 300mm glass for best results. If you want to shoot outfield action your best bet is to go outside the fence and shoot from near the player. Unless you've master the technique of shooting into the sun, you'll probably get better results shooting with the sun at your back.

Pitchers are best shot from their throwing side -- lefties from the first base line and righties from the third base line. Many pitchers have their own unique style of delivery and if you watch them carefully you'll see these quirks -- an unusual windup, stretch, arm angle, facial expression, follow through, etc. If you can capture these split second moments you'll get more interesting stuff and with a starting pitcher you should have 50 or more chances to do it during most games. You'll probably get the best results shooting pitchers in single shot mode and timing your shots carefully. If you have field access and the ump allows it, stand near the catcher when the pitcher is warming up between innings and get a few head on shots from there. If you don't have field access and the backstop is narrow, get these pitcher shots from just beyond the edge of the backstop.

You'll probably get your most interesting batter shots if you shoot in AI Servo continuous mode then keep on shooting after the batter puts the ball in play. Some of my favorite shots are of batters coming out of the box. Baseball is one of those sports where you can anticipate many of the action shots and it's best to prefocus on the spot where you anticipate action -- second base and home plate primarily. Manual focus continuous shooting mode works best for these shots and you might want to stop down a bit to insure that everything stays in focus.

We won't talk about post processing except for a few tips on what to keep and what to cull. The obvious apply -- out of focus and those that are over/under exposed beyond rescue are culls. Unless you need them for lessons learned, delete them and save storage space and processing time. As for the remainder, very few images without at least part of a player's face are of interest. Also (unless you're a fan of the opposing team) photos of position players who make errors and batters who swing and miss or foul tip the ball with the ball still in the frame are usually of no interest.

As I said in the beginning, I don't consider myself to be an expert on the subject of baseball photography so please don't take anything I've said here as written in stone. These are just a few things I've learned in my pursuit of marketable baseball photography that others might find of use.

Here are links to some example pics I shot last season:

pitchers|batters|action & miscellaneous

[QUASIPHOTO]

Thanks Jerry very informative!!! I'm sure these hints and helps will also apply to girls fast pitch softball. The season is upon us!!!!!
Your site/images are awesome....crisp and clean. Dang great work there.

Jeff

[Croasdail]

Great timing on the post - 2 hours and 22 minutes until first pitch. I've made notes and am ready... thanks!

[gmen]

Very informative Jerry. If anyone asks about baseball over in the Q&A thread, I'll point them in this direction pronto

Now, where do I find some baseball?

---- Gavin

[cking2]

Jerry,
Thanks for the tips.....This will be my first year Shooting my son's Baseball games. Your tips are greatly appreciated. The people on this board are GREAT...

Thanks,

[cking2]

Originally Posted by gmen

Very informative Jerry. If anyone asks about baseball over in the Q&A thread, I'll point them in this direction pronto

Now, where do I find some baseball?

---- Gavin

Oh that's right....you have that strange game they play with a flat board

Go to the Airport get on a jet and head to any large town in the southern US....Spring training starts around the first of March. You will get a lot of sun and might just decide to stay here.

For Baseball fans.....would it not be great to take the whole month of march and travel around to all the Spring training camps...winding up with a visit to Cooperstown, NY. This would be a dream for my son and I to do.

One thing is for certain....you are not going to see baseball in the Olympics anymore. The dropped it yesterday

[Croasdail]

Jerry - just got back from first game of the year.... quick question for you - shoot portrait or landscape. I generally shoot most sports portrait... but found myself switching a lot today... any general advice here. Didn't like landscape for pitching, and didn't like portrait for catching base running. Cheers.

[fslshooter]

Originally Posted by Croasdail

Jerry - just got back from first game of the year.... quick question for you - shoot portrait or landscape. I generally shoot most sports portrait... but found myself switching a lot today... any general advice here. Didn't like landscape for pitching, and didn't like portrait for catching base running. Cheers.

Mark -

Unfortunately there's not a one size fits all answer to that question. Perhaps it's safe to say that I use the mode that fills the frame best. Two situations that are almost universal are posed shots and head on pitcher shots which are usually portrait mode. Another situation is action shots at second and home which are usually landscape mode. The mode for picthers depends on their height, how much they stretch during delivery and the final composition I want. Generally speaking I shoot pitchers in portrait mode during their windup and landscape mode in their stretch. I probably shoot batters more in portrait mode unless I'm expecting them to bunt then landscape mode usually works best. Switching a lot as you did today is normal. In fact when I'm using a monopod I never bother to tighten the orientation lock knob because I switch back and forth so often.

[fslshooter]

Originally Posted by QUASIPHOTO

Thanks Jerry very informative!!! I'm sure these hints and helps will also apply to girls fast pitch softball. The season is upon us!!!!! Jeff

Jeff - the tips should apply for softball too. As a matter of fact I posted this thread just before I walked out the door today to shoot my first fastpitch game of the season. BTW I see you have a 70-200 and 1.4x TC -- I used this combo for every shot today. I've not processed the images yet but based on what I saw through the viewfinder and in chimps, I think that combo is excellent for daytime fastpitch.

[liza]

Thanks for the tips, Jerry! I shoot both girls' softball and boys' baseball, so these tips will soon be put into practice.

[cargo123]

Jerry, Thanks for the tips. I shot sball last year, and I am giving another try this year. Mike

[fslshooter]

Originally Posted by gmen

Very informative Jerry. If anyone asks about baseball over in the Q&A thread, I'll point them in this direction pronto

Now, where do I find some baseball?

---- Gavin

Cheers Gavin - You and your Q&A session are the impetus for this thread. I was rehashing things in my mind and making notes for the new season when it hit me that perhaps these notes might help others as you've helped me.

With the popularity of cricket there, I rather doubt that you'll find the game of baseball played anywhere in the UK. When we were living in Berkshire and Cambridgeshire we played softball at American military bases all over England and the two games are similar.

[fslshooter]

Originally Posted by cking2

Jerry,
Thanks for the tips.....This will be my first year Shooting my son's Baseball games. Your tips are greatly appreciated. The people on this board are GREAT...

Thanks,

Rick - You and your son are lucky. He will provide you with some great sports photo opportunities and you'll provide him with lifetime photographic memories. Good luck to both of you in your endeavors and have fun!

[DaveL]

Thanks for the great tips everyone...


I'm leaving for Florida in 16 days with my 10
year old and my brand new digital rebel XT (w/a
canon 75-300, a 2x tc and a 50mm 1.8). We'll
spend a few days following our Red Sox and then
head up to Dunedin for a couple days... BTW:
Jerry, we are really jealous of the FSL. I love the
fact that you can pay $3, sit in the front row and
end up with as many foul balls as you want

Our town (Manchester, NH) has an Eastern League
affiliate so I expect to shoot quite a bit this year.

[fslshooter]

Originally Posted by DaveL

I'm leaving for Florida in 16 days with my 10
year old and my brand new digital rebel XT (w/a
canon 75-300, a 2x tc and a 50mm 1.8). We'll
spend a few days following our Red Sox and then
head up to Dunedin for a couple days...

It sounds to me like you might be as passionate about the game of baseball as I am. I think you and your son are going to have a blast at Spring Training and that you're going to give your new gear a real workout. You might not be aware of it but 11 of the 12 teams in the Florida State League play at Spring Training facilities. Dunedin is one of my favorites too -- both the ballpark and the town.