The Week That Was In Sports

The high school season is quickly winding down. Travel season is picking up. This week I saw the last home game for the high school baseball team in my neighborhood and the end of two softball teams seasons that I really like. This is a weird time of year when things really start to slow down. I went from having too many sports to write about in a week to in a couple of weeks having to search out sports to make photos of.

Back At Bob Friend Field

I used to go to this field very often. It was the field in my neighborhood. I have been making photos here for 14 years now. I feel like I have found every angle that I can find at this field. That makes the photos kind of feel the same to me. The good news about that though is that when I think something is about to happen I can put myself in a spot to make photos of that thing. In the doubleheader that I saw on Saturday I saw a couple of things that I have not seen before at the field. That is the fun of going to a baseball game. You never know what you are going to see.

Trying Something New

I have never run out with the team for a home run celebration at this field. I had not planned on it or made any plans about it going into the game. Bob Friend is a big field and you have to mash the ball to hit it out. Of course as a ball was leaving the yard I grabbed my wide angle and started running out to the plate without thinking about it too much. On the run I came up with this photo idea. I like how this came out. I have a couple more photo ideas in case I do this again. I will also double check with the umps where I can and can’t be on the field. I tried to stay in foul ground here not knowing exactly what the rules are for me. Next time I will have checked that out.

Embracing The Dirt

To me baseball should be played on dirt. I loved the old Loeb Stadium and how the dirt on that field became part of the photo story. The new Loeb has a great turf which allows games to be played when they would have been cancelled in the past. It is also easier to maintain. What you lose though are the photos where the dust shows you the motion. Here it lets you see the impact of the handshake between these two players. I love a good dusty field.

Having More Fun With Pitching Form

When I see a pitcher for the first time I always watch them in my viewfinder for a couple of pitches. I try to see where they will photograph best from. Some can be many angles, while others you really need to work to find the best place to show off their pitching form. To me part of the fun of photographing a baseball game is finding the form of the players and where to be to show that off. I haven’t been able to do that much the last couple of years. I have photographed a ton of softball. This past week I have had three games with unique pitchers that have allowed me to have some fun doing something that I love to do.

Breaking The Stereotype

For years I was thought of as just a baseball photographer. I did other sports, but this is what people knew me for. I have worked really hard to make better photos at all sports. I think that I have become a pretty well rounded photographer at this point. It is nice to get out and make some baseball photos again though. This is the sport that my father taught me. It was our common language. He was not much of a talker on the phone, but if I brought up baseball he would always open up. He is always with me when I am on the baseball field, and I know that he would have loved this set of images. The high school season is winding down, but hopefully I have a few more games in me before it is done.

One Last Ride With Harrison Softball

On Monday I didn’t have any sports and Harrison was playing a softball game in Kokomo. It has been almost ten years since I photographed a sport in Kokomo so I decided to make the trip to see the team. I have a ton of fun photographing this team so I wanted to have one more game with them. I knew that my schedule wouldn’t let me see any more games this week so I tried to photograph this game like it would be my last.

A Crazy Stadium

I was not ready for this softball stadium in Kokomo. This stadium has been here for a couple of years now, but for some reason I found out just how cool it was as I was walking up to it. This is not your typical high school softball stadium. It was pretty cool making photos here. It had the feel of a minor league park. I had a ton of fun during the game coming up with new angles to show the stadium off.

One Last Ride With West Lafayette Softball

Thursday I was able to get to Logansport to see the final game of the year for West Lafayette. This team of course is one that I follow and see all year long. I have a personal stake in the season so I never want it to end. The season starts in the winter with conditioning and with me excited for the end of March and the start of the season. That quick two month ride is always hectic with other events, but I always miss it when it is over. I love watching this team play, and I always want to see more when it is over. When next year starts my oldest will be a senior so that season is going to be an interesting one. I don’t know that I am ready to think about that yet.

A Sense Of Place

Road games are always a good time to work in the signage of the park. When you cover a team for the entire season every photo starts to feel the same. A new park makes it so that I can put new elements into my photos.

Seeing Brooklyn Hagerty Pitch

One thing about watching Logansport win was that I was able to see Brooklyn Hagerty pitch. She was exactly as advertised as she made things very hard for West Side. She is only a junior, but soon I will be seeing her play on TV for Texas.