James Venes

With the Nikon D3 and a 70-200mm, f2.8 lens, I’m reaching the point where I’ll be able to do a lot more than just day games thanks to having equipment that can really handle it and the kind of lighting that’s common at minor league facilities. Still, I enjoy an afternoon at the ballpark and will continue shooting as many of those as I can because it’s much easier to freeze the action and get some nice, crisp shots.

Take Wednesday’s game between the Portland Beavers and Sacramento River Cats. Conditions were nice and sunny and for most of the game I was shooting at a shutter speed of 1/6400 or 1/8000 at f2.8 while the ISO ranged between about 500 to 1000 depending on how bright the background was or which direction the sun was coming from. What this let me do is something I’ve been wanting to be able to get since I began shooting baseball: really freeze the bat and ball, especially from one side of the infield or the other.

Behind the plate, when the ball is coming toward you it’s not really moving anywhere but on a mostly straight line. From the first or third base areas, it naturally goes side-to-side so there’s going to be blurring if the camera’s not fast enough to really stop it. With the D3 and the lens I’m using, it’s a piece of cake to get it to the point of being able to see the stitches. Maybe it’s a small thing but it’s something I like.

So, about the game. The Portland Beavers were in Sacramento for a series with the River Cats and this one wasn’t close at all. Behind four home runs, thirteen hits and twelve walks, the Beavers cruised to an 11-1 victory that saw not one but TWO position players (outfielder Matt Carson and catcher Raul Padron) pitch for the River Cats. Every once in a while you’ll see a position player get an inning in a blowout – just the other day Nick Swisher did it for the Yankees – but I’ve never heard of two doing it in the same game. Maybe it’s a little more likely in the minors and I’m guessing Sacramento wanted to save one or two of their pitchers, but it’s still got to be pretty rare.

Portland also wore a vintage-style uniform that consisted of a dark blue top and pants with white piping. In checking the Pacific Coast League’s media guide I found the top is their alternate jersey, but they’d worn it with the traditional white or gray pants before. This was the first time they broke out blue pants as well. It reminded me of things I’d seen from the 70s in particular when teams like the Indians wore all red uniforms. I actually like taking pictures of stuff like that once in a while because it’s a little different, but I can’t really call it a good look. See what I mean:

4/15/09: Portland Beavers at Sacramento River Cats

One of the things I’m working on doing is getting more non-action shots that show players in the dugout or reacting to what’s happening on the field. It takes paying a little more attention to it but it can add to the overall effect of what I do and it’s something I’ve seen others pull off very well.

Next week is going to be pretty exciting for me as I head to the new ballpark in Reno for the first time. During the offseason Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate moved there from Tucson, and tonight was the first game in their new downtown ballpark. I really like getting to places I haven’t been before, especially when they’re as new as this. Look for pictures from two games there over the next couple weeks. There may be a bit of a delay depending on how quickly I move into my new home.