Taking A Breather

[swmdrayfan]

Caught this shot with my Nikkor 70-300mm zoom. He was sitting on the bench and I was sitting on the top step of the dugout. I had to use minimun f/l, and didn't know if I could get the shot, but it seems to have worked out. Of course, the top of his head wasn't in the frame, but all things considered, I don't think it turned out too bad. How about you?
John

[echoback]

It's a little too close a crop for me. I'd have liked to see the rest of his hair. But the expression on his face is priceless.

[yogestee]

I like it swmdrayfan...Good expression,skin tones and compostion..I would have also liked to see his entire head..Tell me,,,was he on the losing side??

Jurgen
Australia

[Old Timer]

Great portriat John. Nice exposure and the expression is priceless. I know you were limited with the lens and your position on the steps of the dugout, but I think the overall image suffers because of the top of the head being cliped.

[swmdrayfan]

Thanks one and all. I've gone from cutting off feet to cutting off the tops of heads... .

yoge--this was taken prior to the game...........and he was on the winning side.

Larry and echo--thanks for your comments. Next time I'll put the shorter lens on. I really didn't intend on taking any dugout shots with the 70-300, but he just had this look on his face, and I couldn't restrain myself. That...plus he happened to be sitting directly in front of me.

[2kids2shoot]

Going against the grain here, losing the top of the head doesn't bother me a bit. I tend to like very close crops. The look of concentration is great.

[poker]

I like the exposure and the expression. It's a nice picture. I think getting more uniform is important to put him into context. Some people into sports may know what he is playing. Other people NOT into sports will have no clue what is going on. IMHO.

[swmdrayfan]

I like the exposure and the expression. It's a nice picture. I think getting more uniform is important to put him into context. Some people into sports may know what he is playing. Other people NOT into sports will have no clue what is going on. IMHO.

yeah, the expression is everything in this one. I'd been using my long lens for other ballpark shots, and since it was so dusty in the dugout area I didn't bother changing lenses. This just happened on the spur of the moment. I think next time I'll go with the kit lens while hanging around the dugout, and switch to the 70-300 after I get back in the stands.
John