1st Time shooting softball

rdenichilo

Found it to be a little harder than soccer, not as much action, at least at this level. What do you think. How can I improve? Are these any good? Average?

johng

Yes, action is going to be lacking in many softball games.

A few suggestions for you - try to shoot from the open side of the batter - not the closed side. The only type of shot that works from the closed side is on the follow-thru of a swing. But at this level that follow-thru is going to be pretty ugly.

#4 has great potential - it needs a tighter crop and straitened out (it's crooked)

For the shot of the catcher - try to get a better angle so you can see her face better.

The next 3 shots or so are underexposed - the faces are in too much shadow. The face is the most important thing in the picture - don't worry about uniform or sky highlights - get the face exposed properly and people don't notice anything else.

Last shot is the best of the bunch - great expression - still about 2/3 stops underexposed but good. That's really the key at this level - getting faces. Shoot the baserunners - while most will run akwardly (heck only about 1 out of 20 HS softball players I've seen actually runs with a good stride) pay attention to the faces.

winger

Sports with more dwell time (softball, baseball, football) are more difficult to shoot because you dont have the constant action to engage you, but it is a good opportunity for you to practice the idea of never putting your camera down.

In between plays, players will make jestures to each other, to the bench and at the very least you can make a collection of what photo journalists will call their "safe" shots, players in position ready to go.

Honestly softball is one of my favorite sports to shoot after hockey and tie for 2nd with lacrosse. Its a sport you can shoot very well without having to get a huge lens ( the longest lens I have is a 70-200 and I have a 1.4 TC)

But as you learn the game there is a lot of very predictable action in softball as opposed to soccer. Shots of the pitcher and catcher in action, you can get shots of players in action during warmups (tight and isolated no one can tell the difference and warmups is usually when i get my "safe shots)

Tips I offer about sports photograhpy:
1) dont chimp during the game. Checking to see that your settings are good is ok, and checking settings if its a day the sun is going in and out (because it would suck to shoot for 2 hours and have some setting terribly off) but if you are chimping you are missing action.

2) faces, faces, faces. Faces show the action and excitment of sports. Think of the difference of the photos that you have showing players faces and those that do not. You can get some great photos of the pitcher from behind the plate. I stand right up close to the fence and shoot through, you can also get some great shots of the the infield in action.

3) What the backgrounds. Yours are good, but I just wanted to make sure you are aware of this. Nothing ruins a good action photo more than some kid with a bright orange jacket in the background. Alot of times fixing your backgrounds means taking a knee, or getting on a little stool (more for soccer) or as simply as taking a step to the left or right. Along the same lines think outside of the box, a snap shot will be snapped from a photograhper standing up, so if you take a pitcher photo from behind the plate while kneeling you have suddenly offered a new and differnet perspective. Of course keep safety in mind but I am always looking for cool new, different places to shoot from, tops of dugouts, the cat walks in arenas.

Those are my 3 tips, tips, I would also add a 4th which is keep it tight. The action is in the people not in the dirt field. But sometimes that is challenged by equipment.

Keep those 3 (or 4) things in mind and you will be turning out some great photos in no time!

The girls look like they are having alot of fun and will give you some great opportunity for some captures.

I also didnt know they played fast pitch that young!!!!

Keep on shooting!

If you want to look at a mind numbing amount of softball photos you can go here:
http://winger.smugmug.com/gallery/815945#71324956
http://www.winger.smugmug.com/gallery/1983950#102726529

I dont claim to be an expert. I just am doing the same school of hard knocks as alot of other people on the board, I just happen to be 3 years ahead of you.

rdenichilo

Thanks for the tips. I shot a second game with your suggestions in mind. I'll post some in a seperate thread.

I played with the exposure on that last shot. What do you think of it now: