Sometimes two innings is enough for me

Posted on July 3, 2012

Ryan Kalish #55 of the Boston Red Sox leaves the dugout for batting practice before the game against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum on Monday, July 2, 2012 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Brad Mangin)

 

I have been really organized lately dealing with all my assignments at the ballpark. I am on top of my editing and captioning, and my archive is up to date. This means I have some free time to head out to an occasional night game just to shoot a little pre-game and the first few innings before the light goes to Hell. Last night was one of those nights as I drove over to the Coliseum in Oakland for a 7:05 first pitch between the Red Sox and A’s. The light is so pretty during batting practice I always try to come up with something fun and different. I also get excited when a team like the Red Sox come into town for the first time all season. Last night was a no-brainer for me, and boy am I glad I went!

I didn’t shoot any batting practice head shots, instead I concentrated on trying to get something fun with my wide angle lens. The time between 5 and 7pm at the ballpark is my favorite as the sun slowly sinks behind the stadium walls casting longer and longer shadows to play with. Once BP ends there is the nice quiet time to hang out in the first base dugout and wait for the visiting team to start straggling out of the clubhouse around 6:30 om. The Red Sox dugout never disappoints, especially with great characters like Dustin Pedroia (see above, shot with my iPhone) and David Ortiz. Last night was no exception.

By the time the game started I was already happy with what I had shot, so the game would be just gravy. My plan was to shoot till about 8pm. That is when the bad lights in Oakland start to take effect and all the pictures turn yellow and red and awful. The first two innings took almost an hour, so after two I was done. I left my third base spot, chatted with some friends behind the plate and hit the road. It is always a great feeling pulling out of a full parking lot as the sun sets knowing I got what I came for. I need to do this more often!