Baseball is always in play somewhere in the world — every month of the year. I’ve been shooting sports for the last 20 years, but baseball photography and having a year-round shooting schedule brings me my greatest joy. My passion lies in covering the game and its players in the wide variety of environments around the globe — from the sandlots to the Major Leagues.
I flip the calendar to February to start my new baseball season. It begins with Spring Training in Florida or Arizona, moving methodically throughout the regular season from April through September. When October arrives so does the post season, culminating with the World Series when a new champion is crowned. From there, I head to Latin America to cover the winter leagues which has its own type of Fall Classic — the Caribbean Series — which rotates among the participating countries. Before you know it, it’s back to Spring Training and another full cycle of baseball.
Entering the Majors
My entry to the Major League game was shooting San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s games for a Bay Area newspaper group. From there, I did traveling baseball photography for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum where my roster expanded to all 30 ballparks. Most recently, I joined the team with La Vida Baseball, a Latino content partner of the Hall of Fame. With my passion for Latin American baseball, telling the stories of Latino players — past, present, and future — has been a dream job.
My 2021 baseball calendar began in Florida. I opened the regular season by documenting the reigning World Series winners — the Los Angeles Dodgers — receiving their 2020 World Series rings at Chavez Ravine. Throughout the season, I covered all the teams coming through San Francisco and Oakland.
I also had the privilege of documenting the Mid-Summer Classic in Denver, which included the All-Star Game, Home Run Derby, and my favorite, the Futures Game. I returned to Cooperstown, as I do each summer, to shoot the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. It was extra special this year with legendary Yankee Derek Jeter being inducted alongside Larry Walker, Ted Simmons, and Marvin Miller – the four members who encompass the Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
This year, my post-season assignments started with the National League Wild Card game at Dodger Stadium before moving on to the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and Giants, when I shot in both ballparks. During the National League Championship Series, I provided coverage in Los Angeles. I’ll conclude my coverage of the Major League season by shooting the entire World Series. I don’t have a preference as to which teams makes it: my only hope is that it goes seven games!
Making a plan
I learned long ago the importance of always having a solid shooting plan. When it comes to the post season, that planning becomes even more focused. At this point in the season, I have a good working knowledge of the teams, the players, and their stories, so I know what I want to include in my plan.
For the opening game of each round of the playoffs, my plan typically includes an overhead stadium shot so that I can begin my storytelling with a wide, scene-setting moment. This includes players lined up, sometimes a flag or a flyover, and hopefully a pretty sky.
From there, my job is to tell the entire story of the post season — fans, pregame portraits, warmups and batting practice, action, reaction, game-ending action, and of course, the celebrations. La Vida Baseball has also given me specific assignments. There are certain players and storylines they would like to highlight.
Shooting positions
Once the post season begins, there is a far bigger demand for credentials since the stakes are so much higher for the teams and cities involved. During the World Series, Major League Baseball might credential as many as 50-60 photographers in its larger ballparks. Team representatives and photographers then have the unenviable task of assigning shooting positions. It’s a thankless job. Not everyone can have a field-level position. Members of the news media do not get to pick shooting locations. Photographers are crammed into photo wells. You are not allowed to change positions.
When I began shooting many years ago, I was concerned and preoccupied with access and positions. As my thinking has matured, I have changed in my approach to access and shooting positions. I now worry very little about either. It’s nice to have a field-level, inside-first spot for the World Series. Although, pictures can be made from many places. I always strive to try and create something different.
In the early rounds of this year’s playoffs, I had field-level positions shooting from the first and third base photo wells. During the National League Championship Series, the first game had a rare 2:00 pm start time at Dodger Stadium and I was shooting from low right field position. I was very excited to be assigned to this location for this particular game. The field was backlit and, as the game progressed, there were beautiful shadows moving across the field. I shot wider to give my overall set of pictures a change in scale and to take advantage of the beautiful light.
My outfield location also gave me access to the fans, and the opportunity to make wide angle shots of the field. The second game had a later start time, and I was shooting from the same position. This time, I shot with a 600mm and went tighter on the action since there was no pretty light. The positions to which I am assigned also influence my plan of what players I might focus on, especially during game-ending celebrations.
Choosing equipment for baseball photography
When it comes to deciding what equipment to bring to the game, as my colleague Michael Zagaris likes to say, “you don’t go to the race without the car.”
For any game I cover — from Little League to the World Series — I always shoot with three camera bodies. I will use three Sony Alpha 1 cameras for the entire post season, and three different lenses, alternating among them during the game. With so much happening at once, you don’t have time to switch lenses on one body. Having multiple bodies is important for this type of shooting.
The Sony Alpha 1 provides everything I need to get the job done. For game action, 30 fps means I don’t miss the athlete at peak action. The autofocus locks on every time, so I can spend my time creating, framing, and composing my shots. The large file size gives me the option of cropping in later for moments when I am not able to get as close to the action as I would like, or if I want to shoot loose with an option of making the image tighter. The lenses I will bring to each shoot include:
I use this mostly for game action in baseball photography. Although, it also comes in handy for batting practice and warm-ups. It’s also a good lens if I want to shoot tight on a player and change up the scale or move to a different location away from all the media and try for a different angle. This is a must for my professional shooting. The images are tack sharp. With the fast aperture, I can control my depth of field, blur the background, make the action pop, and have fabulous results when I am shooting at venues that are not well lit.
I had the opportunity to borrow this lens during the Championship Series. With it, I can shoot home plate from the outfield and make a great picture.
This has been my go-to lens for both my Major League work as well as for shooting grassroots baseball. The versatility of this lens allows me to shoot everything from portraits to game action. I can move in tight on action or go wider to give a sense of place. I just ordered the next generation of this lens and may have one for the World Series.
This is one of three lenses I always have “in game” when shooting baseball photography. It allows me to shoot wide angles in front of a bench or dugout to capture candid moments of players interacting or reacting in between the action. With the fast aperture, it works well in dugouts with low-light conditions.
This is the lens that helps me make pretty pictures of everything from the grandest stadiums to sun-filled sandlots. Having an ultrawide option really comes in handy to show the beauty and landscapes of the venues where I am shooting. It helps me create great “openers” when telling the story.
This prime helps give a different look to my work, especially for portraits before the game. A selective focus lens like this offers great control when using shallow depth of field techniques. It adds another dimension to my work.
Shooting baseball photography is truly my passion. I am grateful to have the opportunity to cover the game at the highest level. The post season’s month-long sprint is both exhilarating and a grind. When the World Series comes to an end, I will do my laundry and head back out to find a Little League game — somewhere in the world.
For more of my baseball photography from this year’s MLB post season, check out the slideshow below:
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