Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Baseball Pictures

[masdog]

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, based in Appleton, WI, are an A level Minor League team associated with the Seattle Mariners.

On Friday night, they faced off against a team from South Bend. In the first few innings, the Timber Rattler offense was on fire, scoring seven runs while the pitching held the opposing team to two runs. In the third (or fourth) everything fell apart. Blown calls by the umpire brought the manager out and quickly got him ejected. The pitching unravelled and five runs were scored.

This was a blow that the Rattlers couldn't recover from. The offense completely fizzled after this inning, and although the pitching was passable, they allowed a few runs to score.

[Old Timer]

Don't know why you haven't gotten a comment on these, that first one is great really tells the story and is well exposed and sharp as a tack. Really love the umpire confrontation shot, a real in your face shot. some color issues on the fourth and the second just doesn't tell the story that I think you wanted. Overall some very fine baseball photos.

[masdog]

Don't know why you haven't gotten a comment on these, that first one is great really tells the story and is well exposed and sharp as a tack. Really love the umpire confrontation shot, a real in your face shot. some color issues on the fourth and the second just doesn't tell the story that I think you wanted. Overall some very fine baseball photos.

Thank you, Old Timer. I know the second photo of the guy celebrating his home run didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I think I had oversharpened the image, and I have redone it. I also tried redoing the fourth photo, and this time I have cleaned up the color issues (I think) and reposted it.

Along with the repost, I am uploading two additional images. The first is of the pitcher finishing his delivery. The second is from after a close play at third base. The runner was trying to stretch a two-run double into a triple. A throw from the outfield barely reached third in time, and the runner was tagged out. This photo shows the player's reaction to being tagged out.

[Old Timer]

Thank you, Old Timer. I know the second photo of the guy celebrating his home run didn't come out the way I wanted it to. I think I had oversharpened the image, and I have redone it. I also tried redoing the fourth photo, and this time I have cleaned up the color issues (I think) and reposted it.

Along with the repost, I am uploading two additional images. The first is of the pitcher finishing his delivery. The second is from after a close play at third base. The runner was trying to stretch a two-run double into a triple. A throw from the outfield barely reached third in time, and the runner was tagged out. This photo shows the player's reaction to being tagged out.

Another couple of nice images. Good catch on the play at third it has all the elements in it, the ball, the player reaction and the umpires signal. I hope you don't mind but I messed a little with your batter picture. I'm the worlds worst at PS but I think I've improved it a bit. Please let me know if you would prefere me not doing something like this. Keep posting, youve got a good eye.

[masdog]

Another couple of nice images. Good catch on the play at third it has all the elements in it, the ball, the player reaction and the umpires signal. I hope you don't mind but I messed a little with your batter picture. I'm the worlds worst at PS but I think I've improved it a bit. Please let me know if you would prefere me not doing something like this. Keep posting, youve got a good eye.

I don't mind if you work on any of my photos in Photoshop. I'm not perfect by any means, and I could make a mistake or like the way you present one of my images. Feel free to adjust any image of mine at any time.

I plan to keep on posting. High school and college sports start soon. I have a friend who works at a local high school, and I will see if he can hook me up with a sideline pass for football and basketball, and I can pretty much go anywhere at my college because it is so small.

[Old Timer]

I plan to keep on posting. High school and college sports start soon. I have a friend who works at a local high school, and I will see if he can hook me up with a sideline pass for football and basketball, and I can pretty much go anywhere at my college because it is so small.

Great, I have enjoyed your images. I started out as a photographer for my college yearbook and had a great opportunity to photograph a lot of sports on the schools dime. Make the most of it while you can.

[masdog]

Great, I have enjoyed your images. I started out as a photographer for my college yearbook and had a great opportunity to photograph a lot of sports on the schools dime. Make the most of it while you can.

I started out as a photographer for my high school yearbook. I didn't have the opportunity to do many sports since that was contracted out, but I did get a press pass to the Illinois state basketball finals when our team went there my junior year.

Up until last year, I was hoping to do some type of journalistic photography along the lines of national geographic. But for some reason, I fell in love with shooting sports, and I took a position on my college's newspaper doing that. I got some really good hockey and soccer pictures doing that.

[JSPhoto]

Many schools around here contract out their sports photography, some have both contract and yearbook photographers shooting sports, others have teachers shooting sports. I think it's an insurance issue.
To me it isn't helping the student journalist at all! But as a sports photog I'm biased, even more so because I run a website that is dedicated to high school sports that has stories and photos written by students. What better way to learn and support your school and athletes?
I am hoping to get some sponsors to be able to give some awards to the students and schools. I just started it in January so it's going slow...but growing!

JS

[masdog]

Many schools around here contract out their sports photography, some have both contract and yearbook photographers shooting sports, others have teachers shooting sports. I think it's an insurance issue.
To me it isn't helping the student journalist at all! But as a sports photog I'm biased, even more so because I run a website that is dedicated to high school sports that has stories and photos written by students. What better way to learn and support your school and athletes?
I am hoping to get some sponsors to be able to give some awards to the students and schools. I just started it in January so it's going slow...but growing!

JS

Congratulations on starting your own high school sports site. I wish you the best of luck with that.

I think the main reason why many schools contract sports photography out is because they don't have the equipment to shoot sports. The equipment, from what I have seen, can be pretty expensive, and the yearbook I worked on would rather spend the money on producing a better book instead of buying expensive equipment that only one or two people would use.

For example, my school's yearbook only had one EOS 7 with a power zoom lense. At some point, they bought an Olympus point and shoot digital camera that they never used. I eventually purchased my own camera because I didn't want to have to fight with others to use the school equipment.

I agree that it doesn't help students learn photojournalism.

[swmdrayfan]

Some nice work...I do Southwest Michigan Devil Rays games. What are you using?

It doesn't surprise me that you aren't getting much in the way of comments..I put up a couple of my pictures and got nary a nibble. If it ain't nature, architecture, landscapes, people, etc.....you can forget about getting any looks. That doesn't just go for this site, either. Baseball photography has a very limited audience. Sports photography to a lot of folks is racing, fishing, soccer, football, track & field. I think baseball ranks pretty much at the bottom of the pile as far as interest. JMHO. I hope you keep shooting.

[masdog]

Swmdrayfan,

Thank you. I was a little surprised that I didn't get too many comments on the Trek sites. I thought that since they were about photography. I even tried doing a little of the landscape, people, architecture stuff but I still couldn't get any looks. It was frustrating because I couldn't see what was so good about some of the shots on those sites.

I can understand why there isn't a lot of enthusiasm for baseball photography on this site or any others. Unlike most sports, photographing baseball can be very expensive unless you're shooting children's games. To get good shots of the outfield, you need to have a very long lens, and access is limited. That doesn't mean you can't get thrilling shots, though.

Ok, maybe I'm being a little TOO optimistic.

For my shots, I was using a Digital Rebel XT, which is essentially brand new and leaps and bounds better than my DReb with a Canon 70-300mm IS lens.

[JSPhoto]

One of the things I'd like to do one my high school sports website is to have a camera shop give a camera to a school who's student photographer gets the best shot of the school year as a way to get the schools some newer gear. The one school I shot at is still using film for their yearbook staff and website.
JS

[swmdrayfan]

Swmdrayfan,

Thank you. I was a little surprised that I didn't get too many comments on the Trek sites. I thought that since they were about photography. I even tried doing a little of the landscape, people, architecture stuff but I still couldn't get any looks. It was frustrating because I couldn't see what was so good about some of the shots on those sites.

I can understand why there isn't a lot of enthusiasm for baseball photography on this site or any others. Unlike most sports, photographing baseball can be very expensive unless you're shooting children's games. To get good shots of the outfield, you need to have a very long lens, and access is limited. That doesn't mean you can't get thrilling shots, though.

Ok, maybe I'm being a little TOO optimistic.

For my shots, I was using a Digital Rebel XT, which is essentially brand new and leaps and bounds better than my DReb with a Canon 70-300mm IS lens.

I hear ya buddy, I'm using a D70, Nikkor 70-300mm.....awful tough to get those outfield shots unless you're in the bleachers. I agree with you on the various photo sites. I've seen pictures that people raved about, but left me wondering what the heck I was missing. I realize too, that I need a LOT of practice, but I've had a couple of my pictures used on baseball cards, and next month will have a couple of pictures used in a magazine called At The Yard. So, I'm managing to get some decent stuff. I really would like to get a larger and faster lens. That Nikkor's widest aperture is 4, and it just doesn't let in enough light for a lot of shots.

[masdog]

How did you get the minor league pass? Are you affiliated with a newspaper, or did you just ask the media relations office? I'm tempted to ask the Timber Rattlers if they have something like that.

Congratulations on getting some of your photos posted.

[swmdrayfan]

How did you get the minor league pass? Are you affiliated with a newspaper, or did you just ask the media relations office? I'm tempted to ask the Timber Rattlers if they have something like that.

Congratulations on getting some of your photos posted.

I have a connection in Minor League Baseball. It's good for every Minor League ballpark in the country (affiliated with Major League teams). Can't use it on Opening Day, All-Star games, or playoffs though.

[masdog]

Damn. That's one sweet pass you have there. I have the email address of the Timber Rattler's Media relations person, and I plan on contacting her to see if I can get a couple of one-day media passes. The only thing that is holding me up is what I should say in the email. I'm never very good about writing things the first time.