One Last Game at the Old Softball Complex

Wednesday before I went over to the volleyball match I watched the first nine innings of the Purdue softball game against Indiana State. I figured that I could shoot one last game at the softball field before the team moved to the new stadium next to Alexander Field. The new stadium looks fantastic. I am sure that it will be leaps and bounds better just as Alexander Field was. The one thing that I miss most about Alexander Field was the way that you could craft a photo. You really had a lot of room to move around and create the shot that you want. That really is not the case with the softball field. There are two low angles that I like, and I barely fit into one of them. I have to squeeze my way into an opening to make an interesting photo. When it works though like in the photo above you really are glad that you did it. I am sure that I will have a blast this spring in the new stadium.

Getting a Different View

One thing that I will probably lose in the new stadium is the centerfield view. I like how I can just walk around the outside of the stadium and stand on the platform that the Big Ten Network uses when they are televising a game. The view that you see above is just something different. I love how a shot that I would not have been able to get from the side you can get here. The faces during this bunt make the trek out to the platform worth while. This spring in the new stadium all of the views will be new.

Getting the Ball Compressed

Another goal on the day for me was to get back into the swing of baseball and softball. This sounds weird at this point of the season, but I shoot baseball and softball in the spring usually. At this point I have already shifted my focus to other sports. I wanted to see if I could still get the timing down. This is not a motor drive exercise. This is all about timing. I like to shoot from the first base side because I use my left eye in the camera. When I stand on the first base side I can then watch the pitcher with my right eye, and that makes getting the ball near the bat much easier. Getting the ball on the bat compressed is not easy though. It happens for such a brief moment in time that you really have to have the same timing as the batter. I was very pleased to get this on my first day back shooting. That being said I think that it is a little more boring than the moment just after contact. That is usually where I focus my attention.

Yet Another Multi-Exposure

Even I am starting to think that I am beating this multi-exposure thing into the ground. I do have fun with it though, and I wanted to see how it would work on the pitcher. I knew that her movement looked very good for it, but the arms were all around. It did work nicely, and I hope that I can try this again at the new stadium at night. What really worked for me here due to the fact that I really couldn’t move around was the fact that the third baseman moved up to play the bunt. That was a distraction in the background, and I was glad to have a free and clear background. I may try one of these at soccer this weekend, but then retire the idea for a while.

Bonus Photos

The light was amazing during the game so I made many photos that I really liked. Here are a few extras after the jump.