Boston Red Sox Photography: Saturday, September 22, 2012 vs Baltimore Orioles.
I’m way late on these, but here are some images from last Saturday’s game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. I got some good action and we had some really nice light and shadows to work with, particularly throughout the later innings.
It was also fun to shoot some Orioles photos as they come down the stretch of an incredible playoff run!
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: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Yesterday I hopped off the bus at Penn Station in Baltimore and headed straight to Oriole Park to shoot the game against the Tampa Bay Rays. I can’t remember beginning any other day shooting at the top of the Empire State Building and ending it shooting a professional baseball game in Baltimore.
After looking at so many pictures over the past two weeks, I was excited to be shooting again, and I got some frames I was really happy with. I was only gone for two weeks, but it felt like I hadn’t missed a day.
This game’s “Thing I Learned:” I left the photo pits and shot action from the concourse for the first time this season. We’re at the point where we’ve only got a handful of games left, so I want to mix things up and shoot from some different angles. I’ve shot from above before, but I was reminded last night that it’s important to get some different looks, especially when you shoot the same thing day in and day out. Shooting from above really accentuates a baseball field’s clean lines.
Baltimore Orioles Photography: Sunday, August 14, 2011 vs. Detroit Tigers
I’m happy with these four images. They make a good set to close out a long homestand that consumed my life for the past ten days.
I have to say, though, I was a bit distracted at yesterday’s game. It’s difficult to stay completely focused after spending many consecutive days at the stadium, particularly as the season progresses and the games for a team not in contention begin to mean less and less.
But even so, I managed to get some shots that I’m pleased with.
This game’s “Thing I Learned:” Don’t let your brain go to mush at the end of a long home stand.
Baltimore Orioles Photography: Monday, August 8, 2011 vs. Chicago White Sox
Although it was close throughout, the Orioles dropped the first of a four game series against the Chicago White Sox.
Some games, it’s easier to know what to focus on than others. For example, everyone was making contact on Monday night, so the infielders were busy making plays all game. I only came away with a handful of shots of batters.
I also fooled around with the wide angle a bit.
This game’s “Thing I Learned:” The more action there is, the better I am at shooting. I really enjoy when it seems like there’s a play almost every pitch. It’s during those times when I find myself shooting with a nice rhythm.
Baltimore Orioles Photography: Saturday, August 6, 2011 vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Let’s face it: Wins feel much better than losses. After being on the wrong end of a perfect game through five innings, Adam Jones was able to lift the Orioles to a come from behind win. I had a lot of fun shooting this game, not just because of the win, but because of the weather.
Saturday was the first game I’ve been at this season to be delayed by rain, and as you can see, it was quite a storm. As the rain came down, I sat in the Orioles’ dugout, ate sunflower seeds, watched Bugs Bunny cartoons on the scoreboard, and took pictures of the rain – not a bad job I have.
The rain continued off an on throughout the game, so I played around with some different shutter speeds as I sat there in the pit, completely soaked.
This game’s “Thing I Learned:” I should have brought the rain gear out for the cameras.
Orioles’ infielder Andino visits York to sign autographs.
I shot this autograph signing in York last Friday. It was a quick and easy job, and everything went surprisingly smoothly.
It’s difficult to get too creative with these types of events. Most of the shots end up always looking like this.
Baltimore Orioles Photography: Monday, July 18, 2011 vs. Boston Red Sox
Despite playing until 2 a.m. the night before and arriving to Baltimore four hours later, the Red Sox outslugged the Orioles to begin this three game series. I don’t have much to say about this game except that it was quite frustrating to watch.
These two shots compliment each other nicely, I think.
This game’s “Thing I Learned:” The Boston Red Sox are really, really good.
Baltimore Orioles Photography: Monday, July 18, 2011 vs. Boston Red Sox
Despite playing until 2 a.m. the night before and arriving to Baltimore four hours later, the Red Sox outslugged the Orioles to begin this three game series. I don’t have much to say about this game except that it was quite frustrating to watch.
These two shots compliment each other nicely, I think.
This game’s “Thing I Learned:” The Boston Red Sox are really, really good.
Baltimore Orioles Photography: Sunday, July 17, 2011 vs. Cleveland Indians
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.