Batting Action

Hi All -

This batting shot was taken with a 1D MK II, ISO 400, F6.3, 1/1000 sec. I used a 300mm F4.0 L IS. The lens is razor sharp; however, it can be slow to focus. I generally shoot with the IS turned off, that is if I can get sufficient shutter speed.

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its always nice to see the ball in the pic..golf balls don't like to be in the picture either
-Felix

This is an excellent capture. I find it very difficult to get this much detail in the batter's face due to the shadow cast by his helmet. I'm curious as to how much if any that you cropped it -- do you mind telling us? I suspect that you were not able to frame his entire body in the original. If so, I suggest that you hold the camera in a vertical position the next time that you take a photo like this so that you can capture all of the subject. This shot would make a nice basball card. Very, very well done and welcome to the forum.

Hi Fslshooter -

You are looking at the full frame. The image was not cropped. I shoot batters both veritical and horizontal. When I took this capture I was specifically trying to get the ball in the shot and I wanted to capture the action associated with the swing.

When I shoot baseball there are three primary types of composition I use for batting shots 1) as you see above; 2) vertical; 3) horizontal from the opposite of the batter as they complete the swing (this seems to capture some intense shots).

Cropping the image slightly for a finished print would improve the composition. Since I used a 300mm lens I was getting in a little too close hence the feet getting cut off. A 200 mm lens would have been better; however, the 300mm for vertical shots is really nice.

Shooting baseball on a slightly overcast day is best. This gets rid of the shadow problem created by the helment and caps; however, if you use a light meter and measure the difference between shadows and highlites before shooting you can usually come up with a good comprise that is manageable in photoshop.

rich59 - I figured you'd shot some baseball. I too prefer to shoot on overcast days but bright, intense sunshine is more the norm around here. I'm still struggling to cope with it -- especially when the subject's in an all white home uniform. I've never tried using a light meter and I'd much prefer shooting without the hastle of using one. I figure I'll try different exposure meter modes until I find one that works best. If that fails I'll go the light meter route. Last season I shot with a 10D but I got myself a 1DMkII for Christmas so I have a bit of a learning curve to go through. I think it'll be fun.

Do you shoot youth sports exclusively or other levels of baseball too?

I shoot primarily youth sports and I do modeling and portrait work.

The bright light and deep shadows can be problematic. I live in the south and encounter these conditions alot.