How To Shoot Professional-Looking Baseball Photos
Do you have an expensive digital camera and aren’t sure how to use it? Do your photos turn out blurry or too dark? Are you missing out on quality photos of your Little Leaguer? We have your solution. These do-it-yourself tips on how to use your camera to take professional-looking baseball photos will help you produce the pictures you see in sports magazines or on the Internet and turn them into priceless keepsakes for years to come.
Beginners start off with a simple point-and-shoot digital camera – which, quite frankly, is the most popular type of camera on the market. Simply point at a subject and shoot. Voilà! The image is captured.
The more complex action shots, such as sports, however can often prove to be a bit more challenging, especially when it comes to photographing high speed action.
Here, we will discuss how to photograph America’s past time – baseball, and just in time for the summer. Topics include:
- Become the Athlete
- The Viewfinder is Your Friend
- Crop in the Lens
- Continuous Shooting
- Keep Your Eye on the Ball
- Let There Be Light
- The Need for Speed
- Angle is Everything
- Bigger is Always Better
BECOME THE ATHLETE
The most important subjects in baseball are the ball, the bat, the player, and the fans. As journalism professor at Cypress College and an avid photographer Robert Mercer explained, “We become the batter or the runner or the pitcher. No matter the position or the player, we become one with him. So, just as he times the play, the jump for a stolen base or the pitch, you do the same.” The cliché, “Timing is of the essence,” rings true in baseball photography.
If the batter is standing in the batter’s box waiting for a good pitch down the middle, you, the photographer should do the same. Study the subject and watch for his idiosyncrasies, such as: does he tap his foot two or three times; lift his back leg or twitch his head to the left or right before he loads up and swings at the ball? These nuances could be the difference in capturing a good swing just as he connects with the ball, or a swinging strike with his eyes closed. Which would you rather have?
THE VIEWFINDER IS YOUR FRIEND
Get into the habit of taking photos while looking through the camera’s viewfinder, and not by using the panel display on the back of the device, as you would in a point-and-shoot unit. The panel display is handy only when reviewing your captured images. You can quickly view the thumbnail and delete unwanted images or save those you do wish to keep.
“CROP” IN THE LENS
If you have a digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, such as a Nikon D series or similar, choose your longest lens when shooting action shots. This will allow you to zoom or “crop” in the lens and focus in on the intricacies of the player’s expression or the missed tag of a crucial game winning play made at home plate.
“Cropping in the lens will also save time rather than fiddling with the crop tool in the photo software,” Mercer said. “Oftentimes, we spend too much time trying to crop in closer to see a subject’s face, when if you cropped in the lens to begin with, more of your time and effort is used to enhance, sharpen or mask the image instead.”
CONTINUOUS SHOOTING
If your camera is equipped with continuous shooting, select this mode to shoot rapid frames per second. A Nikon D50, for example, shoots 2.5 frames per second, which averages up to 12 consecutive shots in JPEG format, according to www.dpreview.com. Continuous shooting mode is used widely by sports photographers when capturing, for instance, a pitcher’s start to finish motion, that is to say from wind up, release and follow through.
Continuous shooting mode is great when shooting runners touching all bases; batters timing their swing to make contact with the ball, or to capture the catcher’s bullet down second base to throw the runner out.
By its very name, continuous shooting captures frame by frame, thus producing some of the most exciting images of baseball. It captures each motion of the player(s) – in essence you become the “eyes” for many people who were not there to witness it. They live and experience the very moment through your images.
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL
Jim Bryant, professional photographer from Port Orchard, Washington, in the online article “How to Photograph Baseball” said, “Pay close attention to the entire game, otherwise you may miss the shot or you wake up in the hospital covered in blood.”
Be knowledgeable of the game and what is to be expected during, for example, a pick off attempt at first base, a squeeze bunt to score the runner from third or a hard liner hit toward you in the third base foul territory. Keep your eye on the ball – because wherever the ball is, so is the photo opportunity.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
Lighting, or lack thereof, plays a significant role in the way in which photographers shoot images, and can often dictate the outcome of their photographs. This is known as aperture, expressed in what is known as an F-stop, such as f2.8 or f3.2, according to the online article “What Is…Aperture?” The smaller the f-stop is, the larger the lens opening. This allows light to reach the film or image sensor. (Aperture, 2009).
Some terms you may hear people say are International Standard Organization (ISO) or American Standards Association (ASA), which are truly one in the same, and is the matrix used to determine how fast it takes for film to capture an image based on lighting. In all honesty, the rule of the thumb is this: The brighter it is outdoors, the lower the ISO should be (100 to 400 is ideal). The darker it is outdoors, bump up your ISO as high as your camera will allow (1600 in a Nikon D50, for example), and all should be peachy.
THE NEED FOR SPEED
You will also hear experts refer to how fast their lens is and at what speed they are shooting. This is known as shutter speed. Different digital SLR cameras have different speed capacities. The one thing to remember is once you set your aperture, so should you set your speed.
If your f-stop is set to a low number (wider lens opening that allows more light in), set your shutter speed to a fast speed such as 1/2000 sec or 1 /2250 sec. The highest speed for a Nikon D50 is 1/4000 sec. This simply means, the higher the shutter speed the less light it takes to create the image – and for indoor shooting or low light outdoor shooting, this is ideal.
ANGLE IS EVERYTHING
As a baseball photographer, the most photographed positions are the pitcher, shortstop, second baseman (middle infielders) and first baseman. According to sports photographer Darren Rowe, in his article “How to Photograph Baseball,” be sure to position yourself appropriately along the sidelines or in the photographer’s well in order to capture the images you want. Position yourself along the first base sidelines in order to get the short stop dishing to second base for a 6-4-3 (short stop to second baseman to the first basemen) double-play, or the throw from short to first base. (Rowe, 2009).
To get the second baseman, position yourself along the third base sideline. The same applies to the first baseman. The best position for a pitcher is directly behind home plate. Concentrate on his wind up, release point and follow through.
BIGGER IS ALWAYS BETTER
Another tip is to set your film size to the largest setting (denoted by L = large,
M = medium, S = small). As you crop, trim or enlarge your images to the desired size, you will not lose clarity, thus preventing a photo from becoming “pixelated.”
Whether you are a novice or an avid sports photographer this do-it-yourself guide will help you capture vivid action shots for your scrapbook – a timeless masterpiece.
CITED SOURCES
(2009, June). In-Depth Review: Nikon D50 Specifications. [Online]. Available at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD50/page2.asp
(2009, June). Photoxels. [Online]. What is…Aperture? http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_aperture_print.html
Rowse, Darren. (2009). Digital Photography School. [Online]. How to Photograph Baseball. http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-baseball
Willis, Keith. (2009). School Curriculum in Photography. [Online]. Film Speed Basics. http://scphoto.com/html/speed.html
