In the Downpour
After two games in the blazing heat, Saturday was a change of pace: pouring rain. The rain started on Wednesday and continued straight through the weekend and was the foundation of the Atlanta flood. The rain continued through the day with only short breaks.
The games went on as planned – and the kids still brought their best game out, so I made sure I was ready for the action.
Go Tight….or Go Home
My philosophy for photographing youth Football? Go Tight…or Go Home.
A hole opens in the line for the tailback in a goal line play.
A defensive back attempts to beat the ball carrier to the corner.
A ball carrier advances upfield.
Play at Second
Usually around the third inning and beyond in the seven year old and older games I would work first behind first base and later behind third base. In addition to a good vantage point for the batter, I could get a great view of plays at second base.
I didn’t see any 4-6-3 or 6-4-3 double plays this season – but did see some close calls, especially with the seven year old Reds.
Light and Shadow
One of the best tools in a good photographer’s toolbox is the use of light and shadow to help accentuate the subject, or create interest in the viewer.
I love the opportunity to take advantage of the light, or the shadow and create dimension to the photo. The three photos in this post all have their own lighting situation.
With the sun moving from third base, across to first base in the late evening, a left-hand pitcher gets lighting on the face as he opens up to deliver to the plate. With the sun being directional, the outfield and backdrop are in the shadow and much darker than the pitcher, and essentially fade to black.
A Different Spin on Sports Portraits
I’ve been working on the side, outside of my action photography, to develop a strong portrait offering. Several Sundays ago, I had the opportunity to photograph eight-year old Softball pitcher Jessica on the field to create a set of images for a poster.
My goal in portraits is always to evoke the athlete’s natural personality, show their competitive side, and create some unique, powerful images that take advantage of what can be done in portraits versus what is available during a game.
The Gamer
The athlete who puts the team ahead of their own physical comfort is legendary. From Curt Schilling’s bloody sock performance in the World Series, to football player Ronnie Lott having his finger amputated – legends are built on players choosing to continue playing despite injury.
I had never seen this behavior manifest on the youth playing field – until now – in 8 Year Old Softball of all places.
Introducing the surgical boot:
How cool is that?
Pitchers II
Softball pitchers also make great subjects. There is a lot of opportunity to play with framing with the down-low delivery – by varying point of view between high and low, behind the plate, or outside the hitter.
…and Catchers
Catchers are part of that special breed in sports – not unlike goalkeepers in Lacrosse and Hockey, as well as the Offensive Line in Football. All are athletes who put their body in the way of a ball (or opponent) traveling at a high rate of speed.
Pitchers…..
I’ve enjoyed photographing pitchers since I started photographing Baseball. Even from a young age, there’s a lot to pitching a Baseball game – it’s a mental and physical challenge for the player on the mound.
At the youth level, the position also offers a lot of opportunities for capturing different “looks” at the position. Beyond the straight-on shot as shown above, moving to either side of the plate gives a different appearance. Having the reach that a long telephoto lens gives a great isolation on the Pitcher as he delivers.
Depending on the orientation of the field, and the hand with which the pitcher throws, the moving sun can create a great isolation of the pitcher on the mound as well.
With a steady hand on the part of the photographer, and a smooth delivery on the part of the pitcher, a slow shutter speed creates a great effect.
Coachable Moments
One of the great aspects of watching so much Baseball and Softball being played at a young age is seeing all of the instruction from the coaches to their young athletes.
Game Faces II (Midway Park Edition)
In the spirit of last spring’s post on the Game Faces of Norcross Soccer, I present the Game Faces of Midway Baseball and Softball (5 and 6 year olds).
Anticipation
The time at the plate is the most important in the mind of every five and six year old Baseball or Softball player. And when at the plate, all of the time is spent waiting for the pitch.
On the way…
Swing!
Looking for Light in All the Right Places
After working the high school football circuit for three seasons, I’ve come to acknowledge the fact that the light in your average high school stadium on Friday night will be of poor quality and quantity, with few exceptions.
When I get the odd opportunity to photograph a game during the late afternoon or early evening, I take full advantage.
North Forsyth High School’s Stadium’s west end zone sits in the shadow’s of the school’s Gymnasium and video scoreboard, allowing a small window of light to pass through and light one strip of field. The lit area is substantially brighter than the shadows and it creates a natural spotlight for the players to shine in.
A Full Slate of Youth Football
There’s nothing quite like football in the South.
I was introduced to Southern Football 13 years ago as a Freshman at Georgia Tech, when I watched Tech take down a favored Maryland team 31-3 on Thursday night. Several years ago I started photographing High School football in metro Atlanta and found the same fervor that happens on Saturday afternoon also happened on Friday night.
On the Other Side of the Camera
I had my own experience as a parent in youth sports this fall. My older son, Aidan, played his first season of T-ball/Coach pitch baseball. Our team was newly formed this fall and many of the kids were in their first season of baseball.
During the season, I picked up the camera on a couple of occasions but the nights without the camera were the best of the season. Those were the nights that I had the opportunity to interact with eleven enthusiastic, fun kids.
Kids Soccer
Late June has proved to be quiet after the busy Spring season. I had a chance to take in my own son, Aidan’s, Summer Soccer clinic last week.
The program is about one per week and is offered through Forsyth County’s Parks and Recreation department.
Off Week Portraits
It’s been an off week for me in terms of shooting assignments. Greater Atlanta Christian is on spring break so no work with Martin Photography. Norcross Soccer Academy is also taking a week off as Gwinnett, and many schools in the Atlanta metro area are on spring break.
So, I find myself looking to expand my abilities with some experimentation at home.
I’m a big fan of environmental (versus studio) portraits. If you look at the way most photojournalists work, they use the subjects environment to give context to them as a person and help bring a story with the photo.
I tried the same approach with Aidan and Evan Monday night.
Lighting is courtesy of a Alien Bee B800 strobe placed camera right, shot through a white umbrella. It was evening, under the twilight providing some of the light and the strobe just helping out some. The swings are in the shade and I also wanted to keep color in the evening sky.
In the case of kids, not confining them to a studio also gave them more freedom to be themselves!
Kids’ Soccer – Basic Techique
My shooting philosophy can be summed up fairly easily: shoot low, shoot tight, and follow through the end of play.
All of this really comes in handy when shooting kids soccer. My featured model here is my son Aidan in his recent mini-Kickers game.
Getting low with kids, in sports or any other situation, changes the perspective. Most people take pictures (or videos) from a standing up position – which enables a great view of their children’s heads. Shooting from a kneeling or sitting position gives more of the facial emotion than standing up.
Shooting tight helps eliminate distractions in the picture and focus the viewer’s eye on the subject. Working on the very small field, I’ve used a 70-200mm zoom lens to work as tight as possible with my subject. I’ve also included the ball in the foreground to help illustrate what is happening.
Finally, shooting through the play brings you naturally to the celebration shot following a goal!
