corndog wrote:
Paul, do not read too much into this question...are you happy with this set?
I felt it was a challenge finding shots this year. Stuff just didn't happen for me. I didn't shoot as much as in years past and wound up doing more relaxing with friends than shooting. I probably wound up shooting about 2-3 innings per game and only about 75% of the games total, that's about it. Unlike regionals, where I have the pressure of getting every kid in every play, LLWS is much more laid back and I probably laid back more than usual.
Overall it was a tough summer for me both personally and professionally. The daily grind of regionals took a toll with no time off. 3-4 hour sleep nights, the heartache of a D4 with 200-400 blowing off a table in the middle of regionals, destroying both and having to overnight a new 200-400 costing near 7 grand, a D3x going down, a D700 going down. The D4 came back from service as being "unrepairable". It took a toll. I wasn't in the best frame of mind coming into the LLWS. Nonetheless though, I had a good time with old friends and aquaintances. I just elected to get away from shooting a litttle.
Getting back to your question....I am happy with some, but not all. I have done better in the past. It's hard because I expect each year to be better than the last and I may be setting myself up to fail in that regard. I tend to dwell on the shots I didn't get this year and their were a lot on ESPN that I missed because of either short lenses, blocked fielders, or simply not being at that game.
Man that is some real gear issues. Sorry, I would be sick if that happened to me. God forbid that happens again. I liked that you posted shots of the mantis, the tiltshift and the kid going down the hill. Kind of tells the story of the experience.
Good to see your images from another year. Always a pleasure. No jube by Japan is just plain weird though. ?? Were they just THAT confident they would win that it was no big deal?
I think the action shots are excellent. I really like this set and two pictures really stand out for me. The praying mantis, and the kid sliding down the hill. The praying mantis sets a mood, I love that picture, really puts me in a relaxed mood just looking at it. The kid sliding down the hill tells a story. Williamsport isnt just a baseball tournament with the worlds best. Its a place for kids to go and have fun, let loose, and I think the picture captured that for me. One thing I noticed about shooting the districts in my town this year, when the kids lost, they had a dejected look for maybe five minutes tops. After that they were back to smiling and having fun, running around the bases, just goofing off, kids being kids and it was great to see. I know everyone wants to be technically perfect on this site with the crops, sharpness, exposure and such, but those two pics set a mood and tell a story and to me thats what photography is about. Great captures, great job, thanks for sharing. About your equipment, I know that must suck, but life goes on, just have to move forward and not let it weigh you down for too long.
I really enjoy the LLWS so this set is very interesting to me. #5 is really terrific. After all the bad luck with your equipment, you were probably "looking over your shoulder" on every shot waiting for something else to happen.
Love the action shots Paul and very sorry to hear about your gear.
I'm curious about the following. Given how hard it must be to track/anticipate/follow the unpredictable action in the infield or outfield (which make your shots even more incredible), are the lobster and overhead cams a comparative piece of cake?
Oh, and even though we all expect you to be more amazing each year, spending time with friends vs. work is rarely a mistake.
Thank you for taking that at face value and thank you very much for such a candid reply. For us mere mortals, it's nice to know that even the pro's struggle occasionally and I'm really....REALLY....sorry to hear about the camera damage. It must have been a nice change to hang out and enjoy a little more of the event. I hear you about the expectations and I've noticed that it tends to work like a slowly moving upward trending stock market, with higher highs and higher lows.
zSCOTTz wrote:
I think the action shots are excellent. I really like this set and two pictures really stand out for me. The praying mantis, and the kid sliding down the hill. The praying mantis sets a mood, I love that picture, really puts me in a relaxed mood just looking at it. The kid sliding down the hill tells a story. Williamsport isnt just a baseball tournament with the worlds best. Its a place for kids to go and have fun, let loose, and I think the picture captured that for me. One thing I noticed about shooting the districts in my town this year, when the kids lost, they had a dejected look for maybe five minutes tops. After that they were back to smiling and having fun, running around the bases, just goofing off, kids being kids and it was great to see. I know everyone wants to be technically perfect on this site with the crops, sharpness, exposure and such, but those two pics set a mood and tell a story and to me thats what photography is about. Great captures, great job, thanks for sharing. About your equipment, I know that must suck, but life goes on, just have to move forward and not let it weigh you down for too long.
lhryshko wrote:
Love the action shots Paul and very sorry to hear about your gear.
I'm curious about the following. Given how hard it must be to track/anticipate/follow the unpredictable action in the infield or outfield (which make your shots even more incredible), are the lobster and overhead cams a comparative piece of cake?
Oh, and even though we all expect you to be more amazing each year, spending time with friends vs. work is rarely a mistake.
Thanks Larry. For the record, there is no lobster trap at LLWS. The only unmanned cam is upstairs on the roof and that's preset. It's hit or miss, but really... no skill involved.
Downstairs... the plays at the plate are shot with the same lens as all other action. Sometimes though, when I have a TC on the 200-400, I have a third camera with a 70-200 on it for plays at the plate because 280mm can be a tad tight. For plays at the plate, umpire interference is the biggest obstacle.
