800mm lens + Buster Posey = fun afternoon

Posted on September 20, 2010

Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the Milwaukee Brewers during the game at AT&T Park on September 19, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

 

The San Francisco Giants are in a pennant race, I spent a fortune extending our season tickets into the post-season, and I am freaking out! Every game is such a roller coaster, and this past weekend was a nightmare. The visiting Milwaukee Brewers threw two great games at the Giants in winning the first two games of the series, knocking the lads out of first place in the National League West. Yesterday’s series finale was the only day game of the series, so I had a Sunday afternoon of baseball to look forward to. After watching the previous two excruciating losses on television I was hoping that Sunday would be easier to handle since I would be shooting and not having to sit and watch the entire game. What better way to distract myself from the game and have fun at the same time than to shoot the game with the Canon 800mm 5.6 lens?

With so few days games left on the home schedule I need to take advantage of the few opportunities I have left this season to shoot the Giants in the daylight. Each year I try to assemble a complete collection of images that will tell the story of the season, and the 2010 campaign might be a historical one for the orange and black, so I need to shoot as many different pictures of the ball club as possible. As I look back on the 2010 season I know the one guy I need to cover more than anyone else is Buster Posey. Posey is having a very special rookie season and is the most exciting home-grown position player since Will Clark in 1986.

In order to take advantage of the wonderful, soft, overcast afternoon at AT&T Park I broke out the 800mm lens and shot almost everything nice and tight from the first and third base photo wells. I already had so many nice pictures of Posey swinging the bat, etc. with the 400mm lens that included his entire body from head to toe from earlier in the season. I needed something different, and yesterday was the day to make that happen. If you haven’t shot with a long lens like the 800mm let me tell you- it is super cool!

The lens is so sharp and allows you to see stuff from far away that you usually miss while shooting with a 400mm lens. I spent much of the afternoon shooting Posey working behind the plate and batting and was thrilled with the results. Posey is so photogenic that his swing looks great from both sides of the field, and his expressive eyes shine through his hockey-style face mask allowing the camera to being out the details in his face as he catches pitches behind the plate.

What does it all mean? Next time you go out to shoot something bring a super long lens, longer than you have ever used before and try to see the same subject you have shot over and over in the past in a different light. You might be amazed at what you come back with, and you will have a blast editing your pictures.

As for the Giants? I have two day games left to shoot on their regular season schedule and I plan on bringing the 800 back for more action. This time I want the sun out so I can shoot in that awesome fall light we get at the ballpark this time of the year. I also want them to win. Every game. I can’t take the suspense much longer! I also want to have the chance to scalp my post-season tickets. Who needs two? I got two…