Getting Ready for Baseball
Only a few more days until the High School Baseball season gets under way. Valley's first game is scheduled for the 19th ...
The players and coaches are not the only ones who have to prepare for the season though. Parents know that they have had to be at the ballfield for practice for several weeks already. There is much to learn, even for the returning players. While the Booster club is out shopping for hot dogs, I figured that I had better start getting my ducks in a row as well.
First off, I am checking my gear to make sure that it is all in operating order. Had to send a lens in for repair, and am now in the process of checking and adjusting the micro-adjust feature on my autofocus. It's important that your lens acually focusses properly if you want to get good photos during the game, and many of the higher end cameras these days allow you to fine tune the auto-focus.
Somewhat related to this, I am ordering a new clip to help me carry my camera. With the back problems I have been experiencing, I want to get as much of the weight as I can off of my shoulder. A friend recently showed me the spider camera holster which allows me to shift the weight of the camera and lens onto my waist rather than my back. I am excited about trying this for baseball, since I usually carry a second camera, and that should be so handy!
The next thing I am doing is to look back through my notes on baseball and softball. Yes, I keep notes on these things so I can learn how to get better shots. I also look at respected photographers to see what they are doing. Every now and then I get a cool picture idea from Sports Illustrated or ESPN. Sometimes they work out, sometimes not. But I really don't like to stay in a rut where everything is predictable. Who knows what I might experiment with this year!
My favorites from last year came from simply knowing where to be at a given moment and having the discipline to get there in time.
As you can see, its not always about fast action, but knowing where to be and when to press the button made this memory.
That being said, I do love the expressions you guys give me, and capturing both the action and the expression is what makes the best photos
I hope to get better this year!