Shooting Timmy: I can see his eyes!

Posted on May 26, 2011

Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the game at AT&T Park on Saturday, May 21, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

 

Like most sports photographers I am always trying to get the best pictures of the best players doing the best things in the best light. Last Saturday afternoon in San Francisco was one of those dream days where everything came together. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum would be taking the mound for the Giants against the cross-bay rival Oakland A’s in a 4:10pm start, and I was on assignment for Sports Illustrated. Thanks FOX!

Every year we luck into a few 4pm or 5pm starts at AT&T Park, but I always hold my breath in case the fog rolls in, or two lousy pitchers throw. You see, these games are so rare, played in the late afternoon golden sunshine, that I want to take advantage of these games and make some memorable pictures that will stand the test of time. When I was a kid I always wanted to see John Montefusco pitch for the Giants when my dad took my sister Paula and myself to Candlestick Park. Never happened. We always got Jim Barr. When it comes to these late afternoon starts we never seem to get the star of stars on the mound: Big Time Timmy Jim. It finally happened on Saturday, thanks to a rain out at Wrigley Field that altered the Giants rotation a week earlier.

When I found out Lincecum would be pitching on Saturday in the pretty light I emailed my editor at the magazine and told him we needed to shoot this game. He agreed, and as an added bonus I would get to shoot with the great staffer Robert Beck, who was in town to shoot some hockey. The only other time I shot Lincecum in light like this was when he made his big league debut against the Phillies on May 6, 2007. Excitement and wind was in the air when I arrived at the park a little after 1pm. There was no fog! We would have sunshine. I would actually be able to get some sunlight underneath Lincecum’s hat. I would finally be able to see his eyes.

Lincecum wears his hat so low that the only way you can see his eyes during a normal day game is to shoot him completely back lit. This works out just fine, but I always want more. Being able to see the eyes of a player gives a photograph more impact. It gives the reader a better insight into the athlete. I want the sun to be so low in the sky that it can squeak under the brim of his New Era cap and light up his eyes. This would be the day, and I was ready to shoot him real tight with the Canon 800mm 5.6 lens from inside first base and behind the plate. Beck would be shooting from third base and many other places, so we would have good stuff of him from every angle.

Lincecum lived up to his billing by tossing a nifty 3-0 complete-game shutout against the A’s, giving us many opportunities to photograph him since he threw 133 pitches. When the game ended I was exhilarated from the electricity in the ballpark, and I was excited about the pictures I had made of Timmy The Kid. Next time we need some good pictures of him to run in the magazine we should have many good frames for the editors to choose from. It could be years before we have an opportunity like this again.