Evening at the Little League Park

[Old Timer]

I went to my nephew's Little League game yesterday afternoon and of course took a camera along. I did a lot more watching than I did shooting, but here are a few from this late afternoon game.

[WsW-WYATT-EARP]

nice series ... sometimes ya gotta sit back and just take it all in ...

i think #2 is your winner here ... too bad you cut off his foot some ( i am guessing it is the crop to get the catcher out of the pic)

[swmdrayfan]

Gotta keep in practice Larry. No matter where you find your sports.

[Old Timer]

For sure you don't really have to have your A game for these LL games. Things move a bit slower. Pitcher and batters are not moving at the speed they are when you step up a notch or two.

[Lava Lamp]

He must be good -- playing pitcher and making good contact on the ball, as you've shown us. Maybe the next Babe Ruth. I saw your track and field stuff last night. It's very well done. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[BMOORE]

Nice photo's, as an old pitcher # 3 is my favorite. You can see the concentration in the eyes.

[Old Timer]

Thanks Lava and B. He is playing as an 11 year old this season and is pretty good. When not pitching he is the short stop and has already turned in some impressive stops there this season. He is beginning to expect too much of him self and is showing some anger when everything doesn't go just right. He struck out the other night and came back to the dugout and threw his bat and helmet. The coach (his dad and my brother) immediately benched him even though he was the starting pitcher and had a shutout going. Got to learn those lesson sometime and the sooner the better.

[JETA]

Look at that leg kick!

These are great pics with some really good timing OT!

[Old Timer]

Hey JETA, thanks for the look and the comment. Little League baseball is a world all it's own. You have to love how these little guys get into the game.

[depack]

Love the pictures. You are really a talented photographer. Maybe someday I will have shots like yours. What lens did you use on those pictures?
Depack

[Beamer]

Old Timer,

The shots are great, the colors are exposed well, and they are crystal clear.

While I can't comment to much ever on photos due to the fact I am a total NOB, in life I work with athletes that perform at high levels (college athletes), and athletes that have a desire too (youth and high school). More and more I see young athletes getting VERY upset with on field performance issues, and showing anger issues. While it's natural for anyone to feel disappointed when things don't work out, these kids are starting to break down and cry, throw things, and swear on the field. They act as if the one bad play is the end of the world.

I always tell athletes that plays in a game are like minutes in a day. If something goes wrong 1 minute does that mean the rest of the minutes in a day will go wrong? Often they say "no, of couarse not." I tell them sports are the same way, one bad play isn't something to get upset about, because in a game there are many many plays that will happen, and one bad one here of their really dosen't matter. I tell them sports are full of good plays and bad plays, the trick is not get too excited during the good plays, or to mad during the bad plays. Good athletes are almost always "calm" and right now, thats how you need to be, or your anger will cause you to make more bad plays, and I know that's not what you want.

I use the example of "minutes" because it's a large number they can associate with, and at the same time, they don't think of a "minute" as being very important, which is exactly what I want them to think of there bad play.

I think the lesson you or your brother taught him is invaluable, and one that parents simply don't teach anymore. The fact you displined him when he was throwing a good game is even more important. What this should tell your newphew is that his attitude is more important then anything else. While I may not take many good pictures, I have coached kids to the college level, and if you really want the keys to doing it, here they are; Teach disipline, teach respect, teach work ethic and teach attitude, everything else will take care of itself.

Anyway, just thought I would through that in, you guys did a good thing for him.

Beamer

[rgusberti]

Hey OT -
Very nice shots. I can relate as my son plays for the Reds this season. About the same age range too. I liked the clarity, lack of noise and colors of all your shots. I'm sending a few for critique. Please let me know where I need to go.
Thanks
Bob G

[rgusberti]

Oops!
I haven't posted photos here in a long time...I've pretty much been a lurker, but have enjyed all the wisdom and experiences. So maybe, this time my photos will upload.
BobG

[JSPhoto]

I don't normally like shots such as the top one but for some reason, probably the timing it works. I would suggest though that you straighten the horizon a bit so it doesn't look like the fence is going down hill. The batting shots I'd crop out more and bring the batter closer to the viewer.
BTW, glad to see you back and posting! :thumbsup:
JS

[dhyravy]

Hey OT,
I can relate to the "had to take the camera" thing. I find myself going very few places anymore without mine. Of course the upside is I occasionally catch some interesting stuff on the spur of the moment. Really like the LL shots, I'm often out of town in the middle of the week and haven't gotten to any of those games this year. Funny, I was in Indy this week working and not only didn't have the camera, but had no time to use it if I had. Oh well, I guess one day I'll get to do what I want to do instead of what I need to do. lol!

[JSPhoto]

dhyravy,
Next time you are in Indy let me me know, I am 20-30 minutes away, 2 minutes on the east side of the city.

JS

[Old Timer]

Hey OT,
I can relate to the "had to take the camera" thing. I find myself going very few places anymore without mine. Of course the upside is I occasionally catch some interesting stuff on the spur of the moment. Really like the LL shots, I'm often out of town in the middle of the week and haven't gotten to any of those games this year. Funny, I was in Indy this week working and not only didn't have the camera, but had no time to use it if I had. Oh well, I guess one day I'll get to do what I want to do instead of what I need to do. lol!

It's gotten to the point that everyone I know and many I don't just expect me to be totting a camera. I seem to feel a little naked without one.

[Old Timer]

Oops!
I haven't posted photos here in a long time...I've pretty much been a lurker, but have enjyed all the wisdom and experiences. So maybe, this time my photos will upload.
BobG

Sorry I didn't get to this earlier but I've been out of town a few days. I think John hit it pretty much on the head. I would like to see those batters shots tightened up a bit and drop the aperture to minimize the backgrounds as much as possible. that is a real problem at most all LL parks the close backstops bring the activity behind the action into to clear a focus. You have to really work at minimizing the effect. Other than that these look great. I love that first one by the the way great timing on it.

[rgusberti]

Thanks OT and JS....great to feel welcome and better to receive experienced advice. Shots 2 & 3 were from center field using my 70-200 f2.8L IS and the 1.4 extender, so I'm dealing with minimum, er maximum f stop of 4. I'm guessing that alone should not result in the loss of bokeh. So I have more work ahead of me. I'm a full time federal employee, and, at this point, I only have time for my son's sports. Like everyone here, this has become a passion, and I am doing everything to learn. I am very blessed by a great job which, although doesn't allow me a lot of time, does allow me the opportunity to afford some pretty decent gear from time to time, some of which will be undergoing change here pretty soon (upgrade 20D to 1D Mark III

So I'll keep shooting...heeding the advice of forum members, but most importantly, keep posting. I took me some time to realize that's te only ay to really sta connected.
Thanks
Bob G

[Old Timer]

Thanks OT and JS....great to feel welcome and better to receive experienced advice. I am very blessed by a great job which, although doesn't allow me a lot of time, does allow me the opportunity to afford some pretty decent gear from time to time, some of which will be undergoing change here pretty soon (upgrade 20D to 1D Mark III

So I'll keep shooting...heeding the advice of forum members, but most importantly, keep posting. I took me some time to realize that's te only ay to really sta connected.
Thanks
Bob G

You are sure right about staying connected. The very best way is to keep posting and getting feed back. It will improve your images and keep you up to date on what's going on in the sports shooting community. Nice to have you aboard Bob.