Giants batting practice close up
Scott Kramer
One of my favorite childhood memories is from the laundry room. Hear me out. When I was 10, my dad and I converted it into a part-time darkroom. And then we would go to local sports events, take a roll of photos, then come home and develop the film the same night. After it dried the next day, we would look at the negatives on our Bogen enlarger and print out the best images. As a result, I’ve long loved sports photography. Read books on it, watched YouTube videos from pros, and I still shoot a lot of games even from my phone.
When working as a sportswriter for various newspapers back in the day, I would always work closely with our photographers at the games, absorb as much knowledge as possible, and ask for tips. Even after that while writing for top golf magazines, I would always help out with photo shoots to gain more experience and feed my passion. As a result, I have published thousands of photos, and even had one grace a magazine cover once.
So I was enthralled when Sony invited me to be part of a small group to accompany legendary Major League Baseball photographer Jean Fruth at last night’s game between the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. Sony supplied us all for the game with the Alpha 1 full frame camera and various lenses, including the 70-200 GM II, 50-150 GM, 400-800m, 24-70 GM II, 100-400 GM, 200-600.
From the 1st base camera well
Scott Kramer
Before the game, we were allowed onto the Petco Park field to capture the Giants’ batting practice session. It was fascinating, learning both about the camera (which I’d never used before) and where the best vantage points are to catch the action. The first thing I learned from Fruth was how she likes to lower the camera sometimes and then point it up at the players to make them look “heroic” in the frame. After 90 minutes of that, I drew the nod to shoot from the first-base line camera well for the first inning. OMG – this was truly a lifetime bucket list item for me. And I got lucky – the Giants scored four runs in the first five batters, including two homers. On one of those dingers, I was able to photograph the Padres left fielder climbing the wall in an attempt to catch. The range of emotion on the field was wide – happy Giants, upset Padres. But I was riding high. Fruth accompanied me in the well, and taught me various nuggets. One particular Giants batter, she told me, usually loses his helmet about 10 feet out of the batter’s box, when he’s running down the bases. So it creates a great photo opp. Another player, she warned, typically fouls the ball right at the camera well area. Don’t try to photograph the third baseman from where we were sitting because it’s too far away for clarity. Aim the camera at the batter but keep your other eye open on the pitcher, so you can time the swing. She told me which Padres were friends with Giants first baseman Rafael Devers, so she knew there would be personal interaction if the players got on base. Like clockwork, Manny Machado drew a walk and then chummed it up with Devers as he reached first. And that made for some great images. She also offered other various shooting tips for when I had to return upstairs for the remainder of the game.
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Capturing the banter
Scott Kramer
While all of this was amazing, I was also blown away by the Sony camera and its technology. Its burst mode was something I’d never seen the likes of. Fruth adjusted mine to go at 30 frames per second. I wound up taking 3,400 photos. Haven’t had the chance to sift through them all yet. But I definitely saw some winners that I will treasure forever. Some of the details the Sony lenses brought out were incredibly striking, because of how clear everything was with perfect bokeh blurring behind the subject. I noticed other professional photographers also using Sony gear. And now I know why.
This night was truly a dream come true. While I miss the days of hanging with my dad in the darkroom, I felt right back in there with him last night as I sifted through the digital images after the game.