Jay'me tossed up a batting-practice fast ball yesterday. I thought "this is awesome! I can do this one in my sleep AND be creative!" See, I love baseball. It's something I truly enjoy and of course it's very American. There are so many things you can do with that as a theme. And yet, today conspired to make it very difficult for me. So I ended up going completely obvious and borderline creative. But man did I have good ideas!
Canon 30D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Shutter 0.5 seconds
Aperture f/6.3
ISO 2oo
1 hot light at 3200K
My tie-in, aside from being beat-you-over-the-head obvious, includes the limited DOF. I once again broke out my macro and a single hot light. Because I was so close to the subject I didn't want to go wide open. You can see that even though I used an aperture of f/6.3 the focus remains quite shallow. It's exacerbated by the angle of the bat. I also chose to focus on the 'O' as sort of symbolic of the ball.
You may be wondering why I chose such a specific aperture. It's really simple. I used my DOF preview button (most dslr's have them) to preview the results. It just happens to be the one I like best. Plus my sensor is crazy dusty and if I get too small an aperture I spend 30 minutes cleaning the image! The DOF preview button only works when you have ample light but it can really minimize the guess work and cut down on waste if used correctly.
Oh yeah, and I forgot to tell you all that I finally have a new tripod (and there was much rejoicing)! Thanks to a lucky Superbowl pick it cost me only my winnings! WooHoo!!! I used said tripod tonight with my remote shutter and felt at home once again. I promise to put it to better use next.
Also of note, I only took 12 shots before stopping. It's part of my New Years Resolution. I'm thinking I need to think more before shooting next time. Anyway, pitchers and cathers reported to camp and spring training had started. Let's hear it for summer time baseball games!
Scott
You may be wondering why I chose such a specific aperture. It's really simple. I used my DOF preview button (most dslr's have them) to preview the results. It just happens to be the one I like best. Plus my sensor is crazy dusty and if I get too small an aperture I spend 30 minutes cleaning the image! The DOF preview button only works when you have ample light but it can really minimize the guess work and cut down on waste if used correctly.
Oh yeah, and I forgot to tell you all that I finally have a new tripod (and there was much rejoicing)! Thanks to a lucky Superbowl pick it cost me only my winnings! WooHoo!!! I used said tripod tonight with my remote shutter and felt at home once again. I promise to put it to better use next.
Also of note, I only took 12 shots before stopping. It's part of my New Years Resolution. I'm thinking I need to think more before shooting next time. Anyway, pitchers and cathers reported to camp and spring training had started. Let's hear it for summer time baseball games!
Scott
This close up shot is a home run! Warm and winning colors, the iconic Louisville Slugger name, and the crisp, clear O draws me into... well... a Field of Dreams... Guess what I'm gonna watch tonight!
ReplyDeleteLoving the up close and personal look at a bat. I'm amazed that this is taken at f/6.3. You were really working the DOF.
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