Light It Up

Sports Photo of the Day

I took this photo last August just after my only White Sox game of the year. It is really odd for me to only attend one Sox game, but last year was a busy one. Maybe I can squeeze a couple of more in this year. The White Sox have had an exploding scoreboard since 1960 when Bill Veeck paid $300,000 for the first one. That was a lot of money back then. Owner’s were not putting that kind of money into stadiums then. This was not the times of a Jerry Jones who tries to outdo everyone. Veeck was a showman though. The year after the Sox made it to the World Series he was still looking for ways to draw the fans in. The scoreboard and the pinwheels have been updated over the years, but it is still part of what makes the park feel like home. I was going to take a total scoreboard shot, but I really liked this closeup view.

Technical Data

I really wanted an older feel for this photo. I used a Trey Ratcliff preset for Lightroom called “Big Wheel Race” to get started here. From there all that was done was a temperature adjustment to give the photo a slight yellow look. This is what I had in mind when I was making the picture, and I was glad that I could make it a reality.

Another interesting technical aspect of this picture is that it was taken with the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens from Canon. I now shoot with version II, but this was the predecessor to that lens. I was renting it at the time from Berry’s Camera Shop here in Lafayette. It was a great deal where you rent the lens weekly, but in the end the rental price came off of the price of a new lens. If not for that deal I am not sure that I would have the lens that I currently own. Berry’s is no longer in business as nobody wants to buy local anymore. Sure you can get things cheaper on Amazon, but you can’t get the service and help there. It is too bad. I still have not found a camera shop in the wake of the Berry’s closing.