Stayin' Alive

Batters hitting baseballs are often difficult photos to get, but with persistence and a little luck, you will get your picture.

Colby's Brady O'Brien fouls off tough pitch to keep his at-bat alive vs. Thomas College.

The Photo
It's far from easy to photograph a batter hitting a baseball. A pitched ball is traveling 70-100 miles per hour, and then much faster after making contact with a bat, so you have to time the photo perfectly.  Hitters are wearing helmets and often crouch down in their stances, so you need to stay low, perpendicular to the hitter, and slightly forward, in order to see the batters' faces. And to avoid being hit by baseballs, you have to stand back, using a long lens to get a clear enough photo of the action.

Colby College was playing its 2024 home opener against crosstown rival Thomas College, with Thomas taking a 5-4 lead in the 3rd inning, but Colby rallying with the next 7 runs to win the game 11-5.  While I photographed fielding plays and outs at the bases, I concentrated on taking as many photos as I could of batters making contact.  Using a 300MM lens and 1/1000 shutter speed to freeze the fast action, I stood directly perpendicular to the hitter, crouched down low so I had the best view of batters' faces, and shot repeatedly. Some pictures had the bat making contact with the ball but the player's face wasn't clearly visible, while others had great views of the player's face but the timing of contact between ball and bat wasn't quite right.  In this at-bat, the Colby hitter was making contact, handling difficult pitches, and when he lunged to foul the pitch off, I had an unusual photo of his face, swing, body language, and the ball ricocheting off the dirt.

Please remember to also try photographing softball, where the ball is bigger, the speed is a bit slower, and you are closer to the action.

3 Tips

1. Frame the photo as either the batter's full body or waist up, perpendicular from the side and slightly forward, crouching down low to see as much of the batter's face as possible, and using a long lens with a fast shutter speed of around 1/100.

2. Start shooting your photos as the batter begins to swing, and take lots of shots of many hitters, because you'll miss on the majority of your picture attempts.

3. Try to capture the batter's face with the bat making contact with the ball, but because the action happens so fast, you'll also get many unexpected variations of unusual batting stances, swings, bat and ball locations, facial expressions, and body language, any of which might make for a great picture.

"I Disagree"

A coach's argument with game officials often shows memorable facial expressions.

Colby coach Damian Strahorn shares his opinion with the referee.

Nowhere to Go

Great defense can make powerful basketball photos.

Colby's Liam O'Connor (0) leaps high to block a shot by Bowdoin's Alex Halpern (3).

The Photo

Basketball season provides many wonderful opportunities to capture both great sports action and sports feature photos, with numerous scoring plays and reactions to each, especially in a close game or battle between rivals.  I usually prioritize the action early in the game, and after getting my action shots, switch my focus (no pun intended) to player actions and facial expressions.

In this New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Men's Basketball contest between Maine cross-state rivals Bowdoin and Colby, Bowdoin was ahead until Colby rallied with under 5 minutes to go in the game, using a tough defense and bulls eye shooting to eventually win the contest 72-62. Throughout Colby's rally, I sat under the basket, capturing game action of Colby players driving to the hoop and frequent rebounding collisions, but also kept an eye on Colby's tight defense at the other end of the court with a long lens. On this play, the Bowdoin player leaped high to shoot, but the taller Colby defender also jumped high to smother the shot.

3 Tips

1. Basketball defensive plays can happen anywhere on the the court -- under the basket, near the sideline, at center court, at the far end of the court, etc., so stay vigilant.
2. Photo opportunities include leaping to block a shot, diving for a loose ball, colliding on a drive to the basket, fighting for a rebound, or something completely different, and you can choose different vantage points that makes each photo more powerful and dramatic.
3. Spectacular feats or action are the best photos, but intense facial expressions can transform a good action photo into a truly great shot.

I Got This

It's unusual to have a clear shot of a volleyball player diving to make a great play, but you always want to stay ready.

Bowdoin College volleyballer Anna Yeh dives to tip the ball to a teammate, helping her #10 ranked team upset #2 seed and cross state rival Colby College in the NESCAC playoffs.

The Photo
Volleyball is a wonderful sport to photograph, with impressive athleticism and fast action, but the most common photo opportunities are the terrific emotional reactions and expressions from players celebrating practically every good play.  Great volleyball action photos are tougher to get because the playing area is small, you often have to guess who will hit the ball because there's not enough time to react, and players frequently block the clearest view of great plays.

In this NESCAC Conference quarterfinal playoff match, the #10 ranked Bowdoin Polar Bears were the underdog playing at the #2 Colby Mules. After Colby won the first game, it looked like the home team favorite would win the match easily, but Bowdoin quickly rallied to win 2 games and take a big lead in the next game, putting them on the verge of a tremendous upset match victory.  When Polar Bear defensive specialist Anna Yeh dove to tip the ball to a teammate, the other players miraculously moved out of the way to give me a clear view and a great photo, and Bowdoin went on to score the match-winning point and advance to the conference semifinals.

3 Tips

1. Great volleyball action photos are challenging to get because the playing area is small and players often block out a photographer's view of the best action.
2. Expect powerful emotional reaction photos, since volleyball players react intensely to practically every positive play.
3. Always stay ready to react quickly and capture great volleyball action shots, because they can be spectacular.

We've Got It !

Photographing a softball or baseball catch requires almost perfect timing, but is a terrific sports action shot. 

Colby 3rd base(wo)man Emma Burnham (17, left) and shortstop Brenna Forbes (1, right) pursue foul popup as Burnham makes the catch in 2-0 win vs. University of Southern Maine.

The Photo

Because fielders making catches in softball and baseball provide some of the best action pictures of these sports (along with plays at the bases), I spend the bulk of my time watching and photographing the fielders.  Softball’s bigger ball and smaller field often give you more close-up photo opportunities than baseball, making it one of my favorite sports to shoot. 

 

Colby College was outplaying the University of Southern Maine (USM) in this intrastate softball match, making a number of strong defensive plays and holding USM to only two hits, so I had multiple chances for great fielding shots.  On this play, the USM batter hit a foul popup deep to the 3^rd base side.  The nearest Colby fielders at 3^rd base and shortstop hustled in tandem as fast as they could to make the catch, although initially it didn’t seem like they’d get to the ball in time.  I was ready to photograph a diving catch attempt by one of the Colby fielders, but they both got to the ball quickly, and the 3^rd base(wo)man was able to make a great over-the-shoulder catch on the run, although the shortstop probably could have reached it in time, too. I photographed the ball in the air just before the catch, with the two of them stretching for the ball and the shortstop’s intense concentration showing on her face.

 

3 Tips

1.    The best photos of softball or baseball catches have the ball in the air just after the catch the ball is not as visible.

2.    Capture the player faces as well as the ball in the air just before it hits the glove because it shows the peak moment of action.

3.    Softball often provides stronger pictures than baseball because the ball is larger and much more visible in the photos, plus the field is shorter so you get more close-up shots.

Drive Time

Photographing basketball from the sideline perpendicular to the basket, can provide some of the best close-up basketball action pictures.

Colby's Max Poulton (1) drives through the lane for a layup past Wesleyan's Shane Regan (30).

The Photo
Many basketball pictures are photographed from under the basket, and some from the center court sideline, but I've found that some of the very best can be captured from the sideline perpendicular to the basket with a long lens. This is often a difficult shot to get because you need close-ups of a couple of players in the photo, without anyone blocking your view, with their faces turned toward you, and both the ball and basket clearly visible, too.

At this Men's Basketball game between Colby and Wesleyan, I was initially shooting from under the basket, and getting some decent pictures. However, after a constant series of layups and rebounds, I was certain I could get stronger photos from the sideline, even though those images are tougher to get. So I moved to the sideline directly perpendicular to the basket, set my Zoom lens to around a 105MM focal length, and looked for a close-up of player action with their faces, the ball, and basket all in the photo. I stayed patient, despite many photos not working out because of players blocking my view, referees getting in the way, and player faces covered by their arms. I kept at it and finally got lucky with this very tight shot of a Colby player driving through a crowd and laying the ball in for 2 points.

3 Tips
1. Position yourself on the sideline perpendicular to the basket using around a 105MM lens or so, instead of only photographing from under the basket from where too many basketball pictures are shot.
2. Try to capture drives for layups, rebounds, or put-backs, but be patient because you'll miss many shots as players block your or you can't see their faces.
3. When it works out, you'll capture a close-up of one or several players in action with both the ball and basket visible.

A Heroes' Welcome

Including happy sports fans can often transform a routine player celebration into a far more powerful photo.

Colby College fans pound the glass to celebrate with Men's Hockey players after a game-tying goal vs. rival Bowdoin College.

The Photo
Colby College's Men's Hockey team was trailing cross-state rival Bowdoin 2-1 late in the 3rd period on their home ice, when Colby forward James Tepper scored to tie the game. As ecstatic Colby players rushed to hug and and celebrate against the boards, the near-capacity crowd cheered loudly, and fans nearest the players banged on the glass to share their joy with the players.

Late in a close hockey game, I often shoot with a long lens, typically a 300MM, from the stand near center ice, so I can capture a winning goal scored by either team, along with any subsequent celebration. After this goal, I initially shot a few players hugging, but when all the Colby players on the ice celebrated near the boards and fans joined in by cheering loudly and banging on the glass, it captured the joy of the moment and of the game's final result, as Colby scored two more goals to win the game 4-2.

3 Tips

1. Many sports provide an opportunity to combine happy players and fans, which can turn an ordinary player celebration into a much more powerful photo.

2. Look for players celebrating near the edge of the playing area, where fans are seated and often trying to share their joy with the happy players.

3. For indoor sports, you may need to adjust your camera settings to compensate for fans having less light shining on them than players do.