fall baseball - little guys

[Elaine]

My 8 yo son is in a fall ball league for the first time, and it's a step up from the spring league we participated in. Umpires, keeping score, stealing bases...fun stuff. Sunday was our first game and my son pitched the first two innings. I was more nervous than he was!

1
http://elaine.heasley.net/photos/648991526_S2La2-L.jpg

2
http://elaine.heasley.net/photos/648994363_NnvwM-L.jpg

3
http://elaine.heasley.net/photos/648991165_HTN2p-L.jpg

4 - sliding into second
http://elaine.heasley.net/photos/648992639_ywLRW-L.jpg

I'm shooting with a Canon 40D and the 70-200 f/4 L IS. These shots have already been cropped, some more than others.
With this style of baseball (not the kind where every kid gets a turn to hit every time, and the coach is pitching) the kids don't swing the bat nearly as often, so I found myself not really knowing what I should be aiming at. Should I try to get more action, such as outfielders catching balls and players running/sliding to base? Should I just be more patient and get batters hitting the ball? Where do you park yourself to get the best stuff? I was shooting through the fence for #1-3 and was able to crouch at the dugout opening for some like #4. Not sure if I'll always be able to do that. Anyway, would love to have some advice/feedback! Thanks!

[bandgeekndb]

Wonderful shots!

Before I started shooting for my school paper (where I now have a press pass), I shot over the fence, right next to the dugout. As for WHAT to shoot, I'm gonna come back here looking for answers, because it stumped me too. I wasn't attached to any one player like you are, so I had no frame of reference, except that I was focusing on Rutgers players, not Cincinatti players. So, 4 bases on offense, and a lot of field on defense...doesn't help me put the lens in the right spot!

Hope the little guy is having fun, it sure looks it in the pics!

~Nick

[BGtom]

shooting with a Canon 40D and the 70-200 f/4 L IS. These shots have already been cropped, some more than others.
With this style of baseball (not the kind where every kid gets a turn to hit every time, and the coach is pitching) the kids don't swing the bat nearly as often, so I found myself not really knowing what I should be aiming at. Should I try to get more action, such as outfielders catching balls and players running/sliding to base? Should I just be more patient and get batters hitting the ball? Where do you park yourself to get the best stuff? I was shooting through the fence for #1-3 and was able to crouch at the dugout opening for some like #4. Not sure if I'll always be able to do that. Anyway, would love to have some advice/feedback! Thanks!
I use the 2.8 70-200 IS. I'm able to park myself in front of the dugout between home and first/third...but NEVER behind the base because this is where you will be nailed. I stay low to keep from loosing my head to a ball (I've had a few close calls--stay sharp, especially when you shoot older kids--the ball moves FAST!). There is no real rhyme or reason to shooting BB, but it really helps to know the game. For instance, if the ball lands in the infield w/ no one on base, the ball's going to 1st (1st base is dull, unless you're shooting the baseman; there's no sliding into first, and the runner always runs through the base). If it's in the outfield, look at second (or if there is a runner at second already, you can also look at third.) Being on the 3rd base side is a good place to grab slides into second. In the older divisions, slides into third are more rare because it's less likely for them to get there. If there is a runner on first and the batter hits a grounder to left field or the short stop, look for a double play (SS steps on second/throws to second baseman to tag the first runner, then throws to first). Knowing things like this helps you know where to swing the camera. If you want to get a ball in the frame with the batter, learn how to time it. If you're geeky, you might happen to know that little kids pitch about 25 to 40mph. Big kids can pitch over 50mph. HS kids can pitch 70 or more. Up to 12 or 13 years old, the distance from the mound to home plate is 46ft. Later it's something like 60. Even 10fps won't save you here unless you can feel when the ball will cross the plate. At 40mph, the ball covers 9 feet for every frame, @6.5fps (40D).

As far as ingratiating myself for shooting pix...coaches usually don't care, even the opposing team coach, just introduce yourself and ask if you can take pictures. And...snagging pix of the coaches kid never hurts! The only problem comes with league management/umpires. Leagues have to carry insurance and might not like that you're on the field and might get hurt. Umpires may also object, but the worst I've ever had happen is I was told to back up. Just introduce yourself the umpire ahead of time and they are usually quite cool.

Finally, Baseball pictures (heck, any sport) are boring. Players are interesting, and it's the eyes that tell the story.

[Mitchell]

Nice job. Crop these tighter, Elaine!

[Howitzer]

Hey Elaine, I live just over the hill from you in Hillsboro, My best friend has a couple of kids into sports so I spend alot of time shooting soccer and baseball.
I might even have some pics of the same kids you do... :_)

what I try to do is shoot from either down the 3rd or 1st base line right at the edge of the fence or if the fence is all around i bring a ladder.. a small one. But mix it up and shoot from multiple angles.

since I dont have any direct family members playing I try to take pictures of each kid, just a few, then I give both coaches a business card with the website. I dont sell pics though, just let them download the pics as much as they want. But at that age they love to see themselves on the internet.

Hope that helps and maybe Ill see you at a game.

p.s.
just looked at your gallery, mostly the baseball pics.. they look good, very good. Only difference I see in what your doing is shooting at 1/1250 or 1/1000 which is pretty fast for your subjects. I shoot sports around 1/640 which is more than enough to freeze action. But I liked the baseball pics..

[Elaine]

Wonderful shots!

Before I started shooting for my school paper (where I now have a press pass), I shot over the fence, right next to the dugout. As for WHAT to shoot, I'm gonna come back here looking for answers, because it stumped me too. I wasn't attached to any one player like you are, so I had no frame of reference, except that I was focusing on Rutgers players, not Cincinatti players. So, 4 bases on offense, and a lot of field on defense...doesn't help me put the lens in the right spot!

Hope the little guy is having fun, it sure looks it in the pics!

~Nick

Thanks, Nick! Yes, he is having tons of fun, which is the best thing. Thanks for commenting!

[Elaine]

I use the 2.8 70-200 IS. I'm able to park myself in front of the dugout between home and first/third...but NEVER behind the base because this is where you will be nailed. I stay low to keep from loosing my head to a ball (I've had a few close calls--stay sharp, especially when you shoot older kids--the ball moves FAST!). There is no real rhyme or reason to shooting BB, but it really helps to know the game. For instance, if the ball lands in the infield w/ no one on base, the ball's going to 1st (1st base is dull, unless you're shooting the baseman; there's no sliding into first, and the runner always runs through the base). If it's in the outfield, look at second (or if there is a runner at second already, you can also look at third.) Being on the 3rd base side is a good place to grab slides into second. In the older divisions, slides into third are more rare because it's less likely for them to get there. If there is a runner on first and the batter hits a grounder to left field or the short stop, look for a double play (SS steps on second/throws to second baseman to tag the first runner, then throws to first). Knowing things like this helps you know where to swing the camera. If you want to get a ball in the frame with the batter, learn how to time it. If you're geeky, you might happen to know that little kids pitch about 25 to 40mph. Big kids can pitch over 50mph. HS kids can pitch 70 or more. Up to 12 or 13 years old, the distance from the mound to home plate is 46ft. Later it's something like 60. Even 10fps won't save you here unless you can feel when the ball will cross the plate. At 40mph, the ball covers 9 feet for every frame, @6.5fps (40D).

As far as ingratiating myself for shooting pix...coaches usually don't care, even the opposing team coach, just introduce yourself and ask if you can take pictures. And...snagging pix of the coaches kid never hurts! The only problem comes with league management/umpires. Leagues have to carry insurance and might not like that you're on the field and might get hurt. Umpires may also object, but the worst I've ever had happen is I was told to back up. Just introduce yourself the umpire ahead of time and they are usually quite cool.

Finally, Baseball pictures (heck, any sport) are boring. Players are interesting, and it's the eyes that tell the story.

Great tips! Thank you for writing this all out. It's very helpful and I'll see what I can do this Sunday.

[Elaine]

Nice job. Crop these tighter, Elaine!

Thanks, Mitch! Yes, some could be cropped more, but I've already cropped some, and it makes me a bit nervous to crop too much or with an odd ratio. I'll just try and get a bit closer next time. Thanks for stopping by!

[Elaine]

Hey Elaine, I live just over the hill from you in Hillsboro, My best friend has a couple of kids into sports so I spend alot of time shooting soccer and baseball.
I might even have some pics of the same kids you do... :_)

what I try to do is shoot from either down the 3rd or 1st base line right at the edge of the fence or if the fence is all around i bring a ladder.. a small one. But mix it up and shoot from multiple angles.

since I dont have any direct family members playing I try to take pictures of each kid, just a few, then I give both coaches a business card with the website. I dont sell pics though, just let them download the pics as much as they want. But at that age they love to see themselves on the internet.

Hope that helps and maybe Ill see you at a game.

p.s.
just looked at your gallery, mostly the baseball pics.. they look good, very good. Only difference I see in what your doing is shooting at 1/1250 or 1/1000 which is pretty fast for your subjects. I shoot sports around 1/640 which is more than enough to freeze action. But I liked the baseball pics..

Thanks, Howitzer! Nice to "see" another Oregonian! The ladder idea is a good one. The fields for this game had a lot of fencing and tall ones at that. Shooting through them worked fine for the pitching shots. They were very nice fields in Sherwood. Our other games will be more local, and I'll remember to move around a bit more. This season is a fairly short one, but hopefully I'll get better as it goes on. Thanks for commenting and dropping by my galleries!

[Erbeman]

I like em. Good color.