Baseball USA Memorial Day Tournament

[linque]

My 7-year old had a three day tournament last weekend. It was really hot, and really bright. These were uploaded to PicasaWeb which seems to strip the EXIF data, but here are the basics:

Canon 40D : Canon 70-200 F4 L (non-IS) : Aperture Priority mode @ F4 : +1 EV

Shot in RAW and PP'ed in LR3 Beta 2. CC welcome.

1.


2. The ball was thrown low, and a glove full of sand cascaded out as he scooped it up.


3.


4.


5.


6. I didn't get her name, but we talked a little. Huge lens envy! I was embarrassed to whip my little 70-200 out. It was so puny compared to her 400 F2.8.

[prncfarquad]

Very nice set. One of our tyler teams was there this weekend. The only thing I would say is to crop them tighter and watch your horizons with those darn yellow fence covers. Exposure and Sharpness are excellent!!

and I shot next to a guy with a 300 2.8 this weekend and had some serious lens envy as well.

[linque]

Thanks, Patrick. It was a pretty big tournament with people from all over Texas.

I know what you mean about the crop, but I'm afraid to crop too much in fear of poor image quality. There's not a lot of reach with the 70-200. I think it's time to buy the 300 F2.8. :)

The wrap around fences always throw me off, so I started aligning the image using the vertical poles, or the space between the wood in the fence. If I adjust one, the other seems to be off. I'll try the horizontal lines next time and see how they come out.

[prncfarquad]

Funny you mention the 300 2.8 I am on BH Photo right now looking at them DROOLING I would have to sell my mustang to buy one though

I just adjust my images in post and try not to pay too much attention to the yellow lines except to keep them from going through a kids head in my composition.

[garykohs]

Scott, those are priceless. Well done.

Do you suppose a cooling towel reduces noise levels?

Scott, I'm really enjoying the 300/4 I bought here on TPF. [And I wouldn't sell my 2007 Mustang GT Convertible to get a 2.8 either. :)] Do you really think it's worth four times the price - and the extra weight - for the 2.8? [I mean that as a legitimate question because I don't know.] I do know that shooting with a 7D and a 1D4 I don't really need the extra low light ability. How much better is the subject isolation, bokeh, and IS capability of the 2.8?

I shot my last baseball game next to a professional shooting a 7D with a Sigma 120-300/2.8 and she loves that lens. But I'm guessing that it wouldn't offer the focus speed of my 300/4. I could be wrong. Any thoughts?

[Sonny]

Scott,

Those are some excellent images. I wouldn't worry about IQ. With your 40d and the 70-200, tighter crops won't be a problem. I shoot little league baseball a lot with a 1D Mark III and 70-200. Personally I like to shoot a little loose and crop tight.

The one down side to shooting little league baseball is background distractions. That's just part of the game. There are only so many angle we can shoot from with our gear limitations. When I first started posting baseball photos here, that's ALL I heard about. After a couple of year I came to the conclusion that I can't do anything about them. Once I realized that I was able to concentrate more on their facial expressions, the action and the ball.

You've done a great job. Keep shooting, keep practicing, and you'll be fine.

You can check out some recent sessions HERE

[Jim Boyd]

Number 4 is perfect. That's the kind of photos my clients love.

[linque]

Originally Posted by garykohs

Scott, those are priceless. Well done.

Do you suppose a cooling towel reduces noise levels?

Scott, I'm really enjoying the 300/4 I bought here on TPF. [And I wouldn't sell my 2007 Mustang GT Convertible to get a 2.8 either. :)] Do you really think it's worth four times the price - and the extra weight - for the 2.8? [I mean that as a legitimate question because I don't know.] I do know that shooting with a 7D and a 1D4 I don't really need the extra low light ability. How much better is the subject isolation, bokeh, and IS capability of the 2.8?

I shot my last baseball game next to a professional shooting a 7D with a Sigma 120-300/2.8 and she loves that lens. But I'm guessing that it wouldn't offer the focus speed of my 300/4. I could be wrong. Any thoughts?

Thanks, Gary. We live baseball, so I have lots of practice time. I think the towel was mostly for the camera body. Mine was hot to the touch. I looked up the price of the 300 F2.8 on B&H ($4500.00 on 06/04/2010), and quickly realized it was way out of my price range. If I made money off of my photos, I could see making the investment, but I only do it for fun. I absolutely love the fact that Canon makes the F4 L lineup. It's awesome glass, and reasonably affordable. The 300 F4 IS is currently $1270.00 -- much more affordable. I can see where the F2.8 would come in handy for indoor sports, or night games, but most of the games I shoot are day games. If money were no object I would definitely get the F2.8, but for what I do I would love to have the F4.

I have seen great images from non-Canon glass, but I have heard that they don't focus as quickly as Canon glass. They're definitely more affordable, but I think I'm stuck on the Canon L glass.

Originally Posted by Sonny

Those are some excellent images. I wouldn't worry about IQ. With your 40d and the 70-200, tighter crops won't be a problem. I shoot little league baseball a lot with a 1D Mark III and 70-200. Personally I like to shoot a little loose and crop tight.

The one down side to shooting little league baseball is background distractions. That's just part of the game. There are only so many angle we can shoot from with our gear limitations. When I first started posting baseball photos here, that's ALL I heard about. After a couple of year I came to the conclusion that I can't do anything about them. Once I realized that I was able to concentrate more on their facial expressions, the action and the ball.

You've done a great job. Keep shooting, keep practicing, and you'll be fine.

You can check out some recent sessions HERE

Thanks for the kind words, Sonny. I think I'll definitely crop tighter on the next set of images. I looked at yours, and can definitely see what a difference it makes. I don't worry about the backgrounds too much since, like you said, there's really nothing you can do about it.

Originally Posted by Jim Boyd

Number 4 is perfect. That's the kind of photos my clients love.

I actually like the non-action shots more than the in-play shots. I love capturing moments like #4, or when they're in the dugout, or the post game talk (see pics below). That's my boy making the war cry face. He had two double plays that game!

7. Post game talk


8. If you don't already have one of the Frogg Toggs for your kid, get one! All it is is a chamois, but dip that thing in icey water for a few seconds, stick it on your neck, and all is right with the world. You can get them at Academy for $10.


9. Love these moments.

[LSCSN.com]

Very nice shots! And yes if you shoot during the day the 300 f4 would be a perfect option. The f4 is not an option for night games though even with the better bodies, at least in the venues I'm shooting in :-(.

It's always fun to shoot little league stuff, especially when your son is involved. Now take those images and make a cool poster that he can hang on his wall :-).

My son loved the one that I did after his little league season last year.

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by LSCSN.com

Very nice shots! And yes if you shoot during the day the 300 f4 would be a perfect option. The f4 is not an option for night games though even with the better bodies, at least in the venues I'm shooting in :-(.

It's always fun to shoot little league stuff, especially when your son is involved. Now take those images and make a cool poster that he can hang on his wall :-).

My son loved the one that I did after his little league season last year.

You know FatHead.com now allows you to upload your photos to create removable wall graphics! In about a week I'll have some pics of my nephew ready to upload. I can't wait!!!

[linque]

Thanks, Jason. I've tried night games with my F4, and it was a no go. I keep telling myself to make a poster. I see the event photographer's designs at the big tournaments, and tell myself to do something like that. They look great. Did you do it all in PS, or did you do the main design in Illustrator?

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by linque

Thanks, Jason. I've tried night games with my F4, and it was a no go. I keep telling myself to make a poster. I see the event photographer's designs at the big tournaments, and tell myself to do something like that. They look great. Did you do it all in PS, or did you do the main design in Illustrator?

Making posters is a blast. My clients love them and I think their kids love them more.

[linque]

I just looked at both of your sites, and love the posters! I've made playing cards using PS before, and that took a long time. Are you guys using a custom software package to do these, or are you just really efficient at cranking them out by hand?

[morthncds]

I love the intensity of #4. Great shots all around.

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by linque

I just looked at both of your sites, and love the posters! I've made playing cards using PS before, and that took a long time. Are you guys using a custom software package to do these, or are you just really efficient at cranking them out by hand?

Thank you Scott. All my poster are made from scratch using Photoshop. I got really tired and bored with all the drag and drop template on the market. It inspired me to start designing my own.