Category: Dailies
REWARD: Missing – Two RBI’s
Strange thing happened to Batavia Muckdogs catcher Audry Perez (above) on the ride home from division foe Auburn on Thursday night, apparently the bus driver took a hard turn leaving town and two of his RBI’s from the nights 8-3 victory fell off along the way.
Don’t have to travel far to see a prospect
Stepping down from coaching after last season has left me with a lot more time to cover players ranging from 8th graders moved up to the JV squad to the major leagues, with every stop in between including Junior College, D1, D2, D3, Independent and Minor Leagues. So far over 2,700 players have been photographed from all over the country. One simple pleasure in all of this baseball is covering the local leagues including Genesee, Livingston, and Monroe County on days off from pro teams. Last night was not only a chance to see two very good teams, but to see Chris “Cito” Culver of Irondequoit who came into the season ranked as one of the top 100 prospects in the nation among high school players according to Baseball America.
Now, photographing a player and trying to evaluate them at the same time can be difficult. While looking through the viewfinder you miss all the key points because that’s what you’re trying to capture, you hope your shutter is closed at those points in time. In an old sports photographers saying, “if you saw the play – you missed the shot”. However, it is very simple to notice when a player sticks out, especially at the amateur level where they’re a step above the rest. As a photographer you have to pick up your speed a bit as well, know his reactions are quicker, etc. So take the below as is, a photographers limited view through one game.
Let’s lead off with talent. Arriving for infield/outfield the first thing that jumped out was Culver’s hands – fast, quick exchange, with the foot work to back it up. His arm strength has never been a question as he pitches in the low 90’s – though he won’t see the mound past high school, it’s always a good option for a player to have in his back pocket. From the left side he has good bat speed and the back hip explodes through that gives him power to all fields, at least in this game where he got a triple to left before pulling a home run out a few innings later. When speaking on just talent it’s obvious why he received a 10/10 rating from Perfect Game.
However, baseball is a game of more than just talent. This is a game where everyone who is lucky enough to work, be it as a player, coach, team staff, umpire, writer, photographer, etc., will tell you the speeches in Bull Durham about respect for the game are no joke. With Culver it was blatant to see what type of player he is, and a week after being sorely disappointed with a player who signed a major league contract and how he carried himself, it was refreshing to have the faith that is baseball reinstalled by a local player. Culver carried himself in every situation just like any coach wants, be it a big home run, an error, a bad bounce or just simply having some fun in the dugout he passed every test with flying colors.
Culver has signed a letter of intent with Maryland but given his skill and make up I question if he’ll ever put the uniform on as teams may want to get him in the organization quick. At this time, Culver reminds me of a more athletic Pedro Alvarez, but obviously not as polished as the former 1st rounder was coming out of Vanderbilt – that could change over a few years of college ball. His swing from the left is very similar and offers power, he could hang in the middle infield but given he will more than likely bulk up a bit a move to third or the OF is not out of question. My prediction is not bold, he’ll be taken in the top 10 rounds, with my random guess saying the 7th.
Attempting to turn a double play.
Home run to right field.
No photos for you…
It’s the start of the regular season so that means it’s the start of stocking up on images people will be asking for all year long, hopefully. You’ll see them on trading cards, magazines, newspapers, web sites, programs, schedules, DVD’s, just to mention a few. The great thing about that is all the places you will see my, or any Four Seam Images, images is that they will be paid for by the company using them – none of them will be handed over free. In fact, if you check out our site it says no free usage on every single page so nobody will contact us asking for free images…right?
Quick and easy answer is no, they’ll keep asking and we’ll keep on denying them. I get these emails often in every aspect of sports photography, be it baseball oriented with FSI, high school, college, or just stuff I shoot on my own and post to my PhotoShelter account so potential paying clients can find it. Each e-mail is eerily similar like it was passed around as the how to on getting free work.
Each of them contains all the basics…
1) It will be good publicity. Well, the simple two words I want to say to this are not family friendly so I will go politically correct and just say that’s a lie. Nobody is looking at the byline except friends and family, and they’re usually the first in line to ask you to work for nothing! You talk to any editor and they could care less about where you’ve been published! Good editors care about the work you do and if you meet their needs, not your tear sheets. There’s a few photographers that are part of FSI that I can honestly say I have no clue where they’ve been published except for the usage that has gone through us. There’s a few new photographers that started within the last week or two and I can not honestly name one publication they were in because we judged them off their portfolio and if they knew Photo Mechanic along with having the gear to shoot in bigger stadiums, not client list. The publicity offered for a third party using my work does not exist.
2) We’ll give you credit! This of course goes along with the publicity factor. I don’t know where in history this became something to trade images for but whoever first proposed it must be put away for life, if they’re still alive. Of course you’ll give me credit, I created the work! Since when is it a privilege to be given credit for something I created? Watch any TV show, or movie, or buy a CD or DVD – all involved are getting paid and guess what, they’re all getting credit for their work!
These same people offering credit are the ones who put their name first in any creation. Want proof, check out a teams program. The SID or media director in charge is always first in the credits, and rightfully so. Of course you should remember they were on the clock and getting paid for putting that creation together so they’re being paid while expecting us to work free.
3) We don’t have a budget. Again I’d like to use those two simple words but will stay PC. This is short term thinking by the person asking in two ways. First is they didn’t think ahead to budget for the project the year before when they should have been putting in the numbers and planning. Second is they want cheap or free and don’t think of the old saying “you get what you pay for”. Cheap/free usually, not always, equals low quality – that in turn equals not as good products – that in turn creates less desire for the product – which in turns leads to less people buying. The simple fact is another old business saying, “you have to spend money to make money”.
Try this excuse with anyone else, seriously! Walk into the car dealership and say you want the new Lexus but don’t have the budget; go down to the local sub shop and say you want a 12″ sub loaded but don’t have the budget; call the gas and electric company and tell them you want their service but don’t have the budget; tell the IRS you’d love to pay your taxes but don’t have the budget! Good luck with it, honestly, maybe you’ll let me have a bite of the sub while driving the Lexus.
Response: It’s easy, I’m a professional photographer and my work is worth something. If you want to use my work then you’re paying a fair amount for it – not over priced, but fair. I like my job, though it’s not easy, very stressful, and only about 15% of the time is actually creating images, I still like it and would like to continue to do it. You want me to work for free so I can’t pay my bills and that would leave me searching for a new job because your short sightedness left me unemployed. NO THANKS!
Now, this is just for those emails asking for one time random usage – doesn’t even discuss the rates people ask photographers to work for, pennies on the hour that would violate any labor law if we were given such rights to begin with. That I will add to this in the next few days to address some other issues that come up.
Fittingly, I will not post any images this entry…
Spring Training winding down…
It’s going on week six of Spring Training and there have been over 60 teams covered in collegiate and professional baseball over that span, with still at least a week to go! So far in post only a small percentage has been put online and things have gotten behind a good amount with no end in site so this post will be short and sweet!
An extremely slow internet connection dragging tasks out along with a non-stop schedule have made this spring interesting. The shooting aspect has been great, the colleges could not have been better, along with seeing those I get to see in the regular season down here has made it all worth it. Put on top of being able to shoot along side some of my favorite photographers at some games/photo days in David Schofield and Tom DiPace it’s been a great time! Both of them are reasons I got into photography some 12 years ago now. I got to meet David my first year with the Batavia Muckdogs and he gave some great advice to a newbie, while Tom’s images in USA Today and several other publications were always an inspiration.
Only problem is falling behind, so next year will make some changes and see if that can improve post time. I knew before coming down things would be difficult and build up, however, even the priority games post work that needed to be done immediately dragged out a bit longer than expected for several reasons. Hopefully a few changes will speed that up next year and be able to deliver quicker and leave some time to relax as well, which have yet to do this spring working almost all hours of the day, every day, in catch up mode. Of course though would rather be busy than not!
Randomly pulled some images with the who, what, where’s below…
Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, FL (outside Lakeland)
Genesee Community College pitcher Mike Hackett delivers a pitch.
Dodgertown in Vero Beach, FL – former home of the LA Dodgers
Former Indians/Mets organization pitcher Jim Ed Warden delivers a pitch
while playing for the Long Island Storm, an independent league travel team.
Warden and others will start with the indie leagues this year and look to
get picked up, the way several of them played/pitched there is good
opportunity for that to happen, hopefully not too long into the season!
Comedian/Actor Jerry Seinfeld was on hand at some Mets games with
his family. There was no sign of George, Elaine, or Kramer. However,
the Soup Nazi did make several appearances over the loud speaker.
NY Mets David Wright gets fully extended while playing an exhibition game
vs. the Michigan Wolverines in Port St. Lucie, FL at Tradition Field.
Former Batavia Muckdog Colt Sedbrook getting extended on a hit
during an intrasquad scrimmage in Jupiter, FL
Derek Norris sliding in during a game vs. Houston, he was safe on the play.
Back to baseball, waiting for regulation!
After a break from baseball for at least one night at the Dropkick Murphys show it was back to baseball, and since I have yet to create an entry focusing on the game it’s due time. Yesterday was a college game with Central Michigan visiting Central Florida. CMU came out on top by the score of 7-4 with the last inning a bit of a nail biter. Today was back to professional baseball with the Twins playing the Orioles, who are now making their home in Sarasota after a move from Ft. Lauderdale.
For those that don’t know the Reds left Sarasota to a new home in Arizona for several reasons including the lack of updates to the stadium. Well, for photographers a badly needed update is due in the construction of a photo well, any photo well! The last photo in series below shows how photographers are situated on the field with no protection. The dugouts are unprotected just the same leaving players in harms way as well. Players for the most part are paying attention to every pitch, but not always considering the happenings going on around them at modern day games that provide a much different atmosphere than twenty years ago. Photographers on the other hand could be focusing anywhere on the field to get the shot to do their job and not watching the ball every pitch leaving them unaware if a ball or bat is screaming towards them. I cannot count how many close calls I see a season from either a photographer shooting the opposite direction or simply not paying attention. You hear it on TV watching the games with announcers joking about how a screamer sends the dugout or photographers scurrying but one of these times may not be so funny.
The tragic death of Mike Coolbaugh should have served more of a lesson to all teams at every level, but especially professional baseball where players are bigger and stronger than say high school or college. The question is not if a player on the bench, or a photographer without a well, will get seriously injured, it’s when. MLB should implement a rule that all dugouts must be protected with fencing like you see throughout most stadiums, and make sure it includes Spring Training sites. With that dugout fence a photo well of some sort should be placed in each stadium at the end of each dugout, even a cheap make shift one would work better than leaving photographers exposed with nothing to protect them. Need design ideas? Ask a photographer, we have plenty!
Onto today’s game…
Ben Revere of the Twins slides into third safely on a triple.
Brandon Snyder gets the throw from the pitcher on a pick off attempt.
Former first round draft pick Mike Hinckley delivers for the Orioles.
Steve Singleton turning a double play.
Photographers are left without a photo pit to shoot from.
All Photos copyright Mike Janes Photography 2010 and cannot
be used without express written permission. Unauthorized use of
images will be pursued to the highest extent of lickable laws 😛
Dropkick Murphys provide a break from baseball!
The weather is changing, spring training has kicked in, colleges and high schools are starting their regular season in the warm climate areas, winter clothes are starting to disappear; we all know what that means, so what other way to welcome baseball season than getting your earn drums kicked in at a Dropkick Murphys concert?
It’s been over two weeks straight of covering baseball with more than thirty teams in the books so a nice break is always in order! When seeing the Dropkick Murphys would be in town on their warm up tour for the now annual St. Patty’s day concert series that is just important to Boston as the parade it was time to contact Ken Casey (singer/bassist) and get some shots for the band just like the old days.
Starting in 1999 I had the pleasure of covering the band on several of their tours including the first St. Patty’s day gig. Currently I’m having hundreds of old negatives scanned from those shows, and those of you who own their album “Sing Loud, Sing Proud” have already seen some of the images in the artwork. They’ll be online someday in the future!
Onto the show…
Dropkick Murphys Al Barr spent much of the show with the crowd as has been a staple for years! By the end of the show the stage is packed with fans singing along!
Ken Casey leads the crowd towards the end of the show.
James Lynch performs with the stage full of fans.
Al Barr holds the mic out for the fans to sing along!
Fans take over the stage as Ken Casey performs.
Al Barr and Ken Casey finish the set in Tampa.
Images shot with a Mark III and either 24-105 f/4 or 70-200 f/2.8 at ISO 3200 or 6400 with various shutter speeds. No flash photography allowed at these venues.
The Dropkick Murphys new album, LIVE ON LANSDOWNE, hits streets March 16th. Visit their official website at http://www.dropkickmurphys.com to pre-order with the chance to win a trip to see the band in Dublin along with several other prizes!
Four Seam Images 