2010 Forsyth County Youth Football
Dennis Murray Photography is again photographing the athletes of the Forsyth County Youth Football Association via a relationship with Midway Park.
All Photography this year will be via a “Request” basis only. Please see the full details of our 2010 Action Photography program.
All galleries are on sale for the first 10 days after posted. Sales will renew each time a team is photographed.
The best value in receiving your photographs is are our Digital Image Collections. Starting at $70 for twenty digital images, you can receive high resolution image files that can be reprinted or used for personal use.
For assistance in selecting your photographs, or placing your order, please contact Dennis Murray.
The Catch II
Following up on yesterday’s post, how great is the look of surprise on this young athlete’s face?
The Catch
The difference between making the catch and not making the catch doesn’t matter – it all goes down the same in the box score.
The Moment Before Impact
What do you think goes through a six year-old hitter’s mind right before the ball hits the bat? Is he worried about whether he will make contact, where the ball will go, or what to do next? Is he running to first in his head?
Or are the team parents more worried, and it’s just a simple reaction to him?
Baseball Portraits
How do you make your 6 Year Old look like a star for his Baseball Portrait? Move beyond basic poses and spend more time in the portrait session than what a photo shoot with hundreds of kids allows.
During Spring break, my Son Aidan and I did some portraits in the setting sun at Midway Park.
2010 Midway Park Baseball and Softball Photographs
Dennis Murray Photography is proud to present photographs from the 2010 Midway Park and Forsyth County Youth Baseball Season, featuring teams from Midway Park, Sharon Springs Park, and Sawnee Mountain Park.
All full range of products is available for our customers. We offer prints in sizes from 5×7 to 16×20 as well as mounted prints ready for display. Photo Books, exhibiting the story of the Athlete’s full season are available on a select basis.
We are happy to offer Digital Image Collections, featuring all of your athlete’s photographs from one game, are available for purchase. Digital image collections give you the full size digital image files, on CD, with license to reprint or use online as you wish. If the athlete’s parent is a coach and is included in any photographs, these photos are included in your collection.
Season Photo Books are a new offering this spring. Contact Dennis Murray for details.
For the first 10 days a team is posted, a 15% discount is made on all prints and digital image collections. The discount is applied at time of checkout.
All galleries will expire on June 30, 2010. Please place orders before the expiration date.
5 Year Old Baseball (New 5/15 featuring MP Dodgers, MP Braves; 4/17 featuring MP Yankees, MP Rockies)
6 Year Old Baseball (5/8/2010 Added second MP Yankees gallery; 4/20/2010 MP Rockies, MP Panthers, MP Wolverines; SM Knights, MP Pirates, MP Wildcats, MP Yankees, MP Mud Cats, MP Braves)
7 Year Old Baseball (Updated 5/1/2010 with MP Yankees. Also featuring MP Bearcats, MP Bulldogs, MP Braves, MP Mountaineers, MP Rays, MP Warriors)
9 Year Old Baseball (New 5/19 MP Braves, MP White Sox, MP Blackhawks, MP Red Sox New 5/17/2010 with MP Yankees, MP Rockies)
9U Midway Rush Baseball (New 5/20/2010)
10 Year Old Baseball (Added 4/20/2010 featuring MP Longhorns, MP Marlins. Coverage on 4/20/2010 limited due to darkness. For additional coverage, please contact Dennis Murray.)
5-6 Year Old Softball (New 5/22/2010 featuring the Midway Park Storm; Added 5/19 featuring Midway Park Force and Pink Panthers)
9-10 Year Old Softball (Added 5/1/2010 featuring MP Strikers, MP Stingers, MP Miss Fits)
12U Midway Park Xtreme Softball (Added 5/8/2010)
Nathan’s Portrait Session
I had these under embargo as it was for a Christmas surprise – but never brought them to the blog! Nathan was a first grade football player for the Lanier Bowl winning Midway Park Wolverines team. Nathan played both ways during the season and some of his action photos also appeared in the blog.
With the weather we had in early December, we scheduled studio time instead of a location session. The portraits were part of a photo book that I put together for Nathan’s Dad as a Christmas surprise.
You Make the Call
There’s no replay in Youth Football obviously – but if this was a play in the College or Pro ranks it surely would have come under review.
The ball carrier (white jersey) is apparently stripped of the ball near the goal line.
Detail of the hands and ball:
Another detail from the above frame – looks like the ball has changed hands:
Undampened Spirit
While I’ve often seen the football players slug it out in the wet and other weather, it’s always impressive to see the Cheerleaders stay in high spirit even through the rain and perform the “Wolverine Growl.”
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.
Like a Heat Wave
With Forsyth County installing artificial turf (the Sprint Turf type) type last winter on the main playing field at Midway Park, I’ve been introduced to the joys of artificial turf on a regular basis. It has been an increasing presence at the High School level over the past several years in metro Atlanta, with my first exposure to it at St. Pius X and Dekalb County’s Halliford Stadium.
The park’s fields have heavy usage during the fall – Football practice five days a week and football games Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM everyday. With Atlanta’s water usage restrictions and a county parks budget, they stand little chance of surviving deep into the season.
The Sprint Turf variety of artificial turf is more like regular grass than the old Astroturf. It has a longer, grass like fiber and is filled in with rubber “dirt” that helps make for a more cushioned, bouncy surface. The downside to the surface is the magnification of the heat level at the field surface level, which for Georgia in August and early September is significant.
For a photographer, it means several things:
- Extreme dehydration from sitting in the sun, on the turf’s surface. The actual surface of the field measured in excess of one-hundred degrees in the sun.
- Heat waves in the photos.
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.
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.
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).
