Baltimore Orioles Photography: Sunday, July 17, 2011 vs. Cleveland Indians

"Baltimore Orioles second baseman Robert Andino dives for a ball in the third inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians Sunday, July 17, 2011 in Baltimore."
"Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones flies out in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians Sunday, July 17, 2011 in Baltimore."

We’ve officially reached the dog days of summer. This day game against the Indians was hot – so hot that I somehow managed to leave the game with a tan line around my left eye from my camera eyepiece. 

95 degree plus heat can be pretty draining, but I always feel a larger sense of accomplishment after those days, particularly when I come out with good pictures. So as I sat there sweating profusely and periodically leaning into the dugout to catch a hint of air conditioning, I managed to get some nice shots.

I’m still kicking myself over this Andino frame. I had the feeling that the ball would be hit his way, so I sat on him throughout the whole at bat. Sure enough, when it did go his way, I was ready to shoot it. It turns out I was a bit off with my focus, though, so although this photograph is sharp, I know it could have been even sharper. I was happy with this compressed bat-on-ball shot of Adam Jones, so I posted that as well. 

This game’s “Thing I Learned:” Take an extra second to be absolutely sure that your shot will be in focus. I tend to set my focus too quickly and assume that the auto-focus will take care of the rest.