Plays at the plate...

Girls fast pitch softball, 12u style.
Pic #1 - Out!
Pic #2 - Safe!

Canon 40D, Sigma 120-300 f/2.8, AV Mode @ f/3.2
Mike

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You've got some incredible shots here! Hats off!

Good shots. One thing to keep in mind is that if you could get the call by the ump in the shot. Would add a little more to the picture. I know it's tough to do this. I shoot hs baseball and have missed several call shots.

Again, good action shots.

I agree about the Umpire call, but just want to add this. I am an ASA umpire and to be honest with you in levels like 12U, middle school, freshman and JV you are usually get the least experienced umpires so their calls (not questioning accuracy) come slower than a Varsity or 16U and higher umpires. A trick I have had some success with is to shoot a burst get the call a couple of frames later do some creative photoshopping. Dust flying is your friend here. Parents love them.

These are OK shots, but I'd like to see the ball and the entire runner in the first one, and the ball in the second. Also the on-deck batter and the pitcher should be cropped out. In fact, I'd crop tight on the catcher and runner; you can crop out the umpire and have him fade into the background, like in the version below.

When shooting a play at the plate (or any other base) you want there to be some tension. These shots are frankly a little dull.

I personally don't care for the "cloud of dust", as I think it obscures the action. Try doing what is called "shooting through the play" - in other words, keep firing and look to catch the ump's call, the runner's or the catcher's expression. Then, if you catch the ump doing something interesting, include it. Otherwise, as in your second shot, he's just a spectator.

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Thanks for the feedback.

The ball is in her mit for sure (yellow). I was shooting tight. That is almost full frame except for a little of the top and bottom.

I do have a shot with the umpire signalling safe on the bottom pic, but in my mind, the play was over. He was the only action, so I didn't include it. I couldn't figure out how to crop the pic either without getting an orphan arm, leg or glove in the picture. It was definitely a dry, dusty weekend. Lots of dust flying at the bases.

Thanks
Mike

Mike,

Yeah, sometimes, as much as we really want a shot to be great, we are still at the mercy of the action to be great first and for the timing to work out right. The classic shot of a ball JUST arriving at a base is what you want, or of a tag JUST being applied to a runner sliding into the base, but often the runner won't yet be in the frame. And when the runner IS in the frame, the ball is frequently hidden...or you don't get any faces in the shot...or a cloud of dust will obscure what's going on...

Sometimes you can get a shot that creates tension - like this one where you wonder "was the runner safe, or out?"

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dmwierz- you have 2 excellent shots here! you definitely caught the action