A Baseball Byline.

I just wanted to make a quick post to document a new byline I’m adding to my portfolio. This time, it’s from Baltimore Magazine, which I’d never been published in before.

This is a photo gallery to accompany an article about the 20th anniversary of Camden Yards. The link to the gallery is here.

I shot photo numbers 20 and 24, and I scanned and edited the old, classic photos of Camden Yards from the Orioles archives season.

I must admit, it’s been a bit strange not working in Baltimore for the start of the season, as I had shot the past three Opening Days there. That being said, I’m so ready for the Red Sox to come to down for Opening Day at Fenway Parks this Friday.

From the archives.

_H3H8172 — "Baltimore Orioles teammates congratulate left fielder Nolan Reimold as he runs toward home plate after hitting a two run walk off home run in the bottom of the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox Wednesday, August 10, 2011. The Orioles won 6-4."

Here’s one of my all-time favorites! I just came across this one as I was searching through my archives.

A nice, exciting, colorful jolt of energy to contrast the dreary weather we’ve had all week.

Magazine Cover Photo: Nick Markakis

Here’s my first formal magazine cover!

While I was working as a photographer for the Baltimore Orioles this summer, editors of the “Echoes” alumni magazine at Young Harris College in northern Georgia contacted me requesting photos of Orioles right fielder, Nick Markakis, for a cover story they planned to run about him. If you weren’t aware, Markakis played his college ball at Young Harris.

Click here to see the rest of the magazine, as well as the article itself, which includes more photos.

This is a low resolution version of the cover, so I’ll be sure to post a better image once I get a hard copy of the magazine. Regardless, this is a great addition to my portfolio!

Hopefully this will be the first of many covers to come.

Dino.

In 2009, on my last day as an intern with the Baltimore Orioles, Nolan Reimold hit an eleventh inning walk-off home run to give the Orioles a 5-4 win on the final game of the season. I remember that day perfectly. What better way to end a fantastic internship than a feel-good win to send me off?

Last Wednesday, nearly two years to the date of that last game in 2009, the Orioles again ended their season in dramatic, walk-off fashion, as Robert Andino hit a ninth inning walk-off RBI single to knock the Boston Red Sox out of the playoffs.

I don’t want to sound old, but in all my years of playing, watching, and shooting baseball games, this is among the most memorable. The circumstances couldn’t have been scripted any better. The first shot here is Andino’s winning hit. The second is of him alone in the dugout after all the other players had cleared into the locker room. But for how much I’ll always remember that night as a whole, what happened in between these two moments is a complete blur to me. I always try to shoot without emotion, but in this case, that was just impossible.

My celebration shots are garbage, to put it bluntly, but I was happy to capture this quieter moment in the midst of chaos. Dino has always been one of my favorites since I’ve been here. He’s not the biggest guy out there, but I’ve always loved his hustle.

This last game’s “Thing I Learned:” It’s nights like this that make taking photos so enjoyable.

Baltimore Orioles Photography: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 vs. Boston Red Sox

mark_reynolds — "Baltimore Orioles first baseman Mark Reynolds is tagged out at home by Boston Red Sox catcher Ryan Lavarnway in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Baltimore."

Here’s two that I liked from Wednesday night’s dramatic final game of the season. These were taken, of course, before the ridiculous 9th inning walk off win, which I’ll show in a separate post.

A broken bat shot.

matt_wieters — "Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters breaks his bat in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox Tuesday, September 27, 2011 in Baltimore."

I’ve been waiting all season for one of these to happen. Go figure it took me until game 161 to get it. I wish the bat had broken more, because I was all over this at-bat. This doesn’t look like much as far as broken-bat shots go, but I’m still happy I got one.

Photo: American League Wild Card chase – Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles.

jonathan_papelbon — "Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon celebrates after recording the final out of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday, September 27, 2011 in Baltimore. With the 8-7 victory, the Boston remained even with the Tampa Bay Rays atop the American League Wild Card Standings with one regular season game remaining."

I’m still trying to accept the fact that the most important games in baseball, or perhaps in all of sports right now, are being played in Baltimore. Last night, the American League Wild Card race continued at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, where the Boston Red Sox held on to an early lead to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 and remain tied with the Tampa Bay Rays atop the Wild Card standings.

This race is so close that it’s literally going to come down to tonight’s game, the 162nd and last of the season. It could even require an extra one-game playoff to decide the winner.

I shot lots of good action from the game last night, but decided to only post this photo of Papelbon celebrating a Red Sox victory, as that’s the main story line right now. I don’t want to post too much until this series is over and we’re able to see where everything stands. Regardless, this is the closest thing to playoff baseball Baltimore has seen in awhile (even though it’s not for the home team), and I loved the energy out there last night.

Tonight should be more of the same. ESPN is in town to broadcast the game, the phones are ringing off the hook here, and the photo pits will be packed. So, here’s to my last game of the season (maybe)!

Baltimore Orioles Photography: Monday, September 26, 2011 vs. Boston Red Sox

vladimir_guerrero — "Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero tips his helmet to the crowd after hitting a single in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox Monday, September 26, 2011 in Baltimore. This was his 2,587th career hit, moving him past Julio Franco as the all-time leader in hits by a Dominican-born player."

chest_pump — "Baltimore Orioles outfielders (L-R) Matt Angle, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis, celebrate a victory over the Boston Red Sox Monday, September 26, 2011 in Baltimore."

robert_andino — "Baltimore Orioles second baseman Robert Andino reacts after receiving a shaving cream pie to the face after defeating the Boston Red Sox Monday, September 26, 2011 in Baltimore."

We’ve reached the last three games of the 2011 regular season at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. This is always a busy week around the stadium, but there’s a particular buzz in the air this time around. The American League Wild Card chase is on, and the Boston Red Sox, in the midst of an historic end-of-season collapse, play their final three games in Baltimore. This year’s playoff scenarios are coming down to the wire, and I’m pumped at the possibility of them being decided in Baltimore.

The Sox were unable to beat the O’s last night, moving them into a tie with the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL Wild Card spot. I’ve got lots of good photos from last night, but I want to be careful about what I post, as there’s still lots of baseball left to be played.

Last night’s game had a bit of everything: Playoff implications, a Dominican baseball record broken, a drunken fan running across the field, an inside the park home run, and a pie in the face, to mention a few.

This game’s “Thing I Learned:” Last night’s lesson will carry over for the entire week. Big time games call for big time photos! I shoot better pictures when there’s something at stake. I like the added pressure.

Time for game two!