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Riverlake

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I've been hired to photograph a national baseball tournament this summer. I'm 17-years-old and I'm Canadian. I've been photographing sports for 3 years, and I've gotten photos of soccer, auto racing, and hockey published. I also take pictures for 2 local hockey teams. They are a Midget-AAA team and a Junior-C team.

I am looking for advice on how to photograph baseball and I also want to know what type of photography services I should offer people at this tournament. I am just starting to try to become a professional photographer and I have a lot of skill, but very little experience.
 
In all honestly, if you're getting paid to shoot a national tournament, you don't have the right equipment. Sure you can do it, but most sport photographers shoot with cameras that can do 5+ fps with 300-400mm lenses with big apertures at like f/2.8. Your chances of getting the perfect shot are going to be a lot slimmer.

Plus, what kind of quality are your employers expecting? Even if you're shooting from the side of the field you're not going to be able to get close ups of out field plays on the other side of the field.

I know, my opinion sucks and I'm an ass.
 
In all honestly, if you're getting paid to shoot a national tournament, you don't have the right equipment. Sure you can do it, but most sport photographers shoot with cameras that can do 5+ fps with 300-400mm lenses with big apertures at like f/2.8. Your chances of getting the perfect shot are going to be a lot slimmer.

Plus, what kind of quality are your employers expecting? Even if you're shooting from the side of the field you're not going to be able to get close ups of out field plays on the other side of the field.

I know, my opinion sucks and I'm an ass.

My employers haven't told me what kind of quality they're expecting. I think they mostly just expect me to sell team photos.

They've seen my work though and I guess they liked it.

The games are going to be at fields with a seating capacity of less than 3500. I don't need a big zoom lens to take photos.
 
if you are "The Event Photographer" then you may be able to call the shots. Get on the ground level. Maybe near a dugout...a lot of baseball fields have spots for photographers down low. You want down low, so you are capturing a different perspective than all the fans.

With equipment... you are pretty far behind. At the MINIMUM I would require a 3FPS DSLR w/ a 70-200 f/4 lens. With auto racing, the cars are moving in one direction, so you can pan to compensate for slow shutters. However, you can't pan for a swinging bat. You'll need all the shutter speed you can get, and your Kodak won't do it. Sorry to break it to you.

How much are they paying you? You might be able to use that to rationalize getting some nicer equipment. Are you selling the prints to the teammates?
 
if you are "The Event Photographer" then you may be able to call the shots. Get on the ground level. Maybe near a dugout...a lot of baseball fields have spots for photographers down low. You want down low, so you are capturing a different perspective than all the fans.

With equipment... you are pretty far behind. At the MINIMUM I would require a 3FPS DSLR w/ a 70-200 f/4 lens. With auto racing, the cars are moving in one direction, so you can pan to compensate for slow shutters. However, you can't pan for a swinging bat. You'll need all the shutter speed you can get, and your Kodak won't do it. Sorry to break it to you.

How much are they paying you? You might be able to use that to rationalize getting some nicer equipment. Are you selling the prints to the teammates?

They told me that I should think about selling prints of team photos and prints of game action photos to fans and players. I am "The Event Photographer" and they aren't paying me, but they said I can keep 100% of any money I make from selling prints.
 
They told me that I should think about selling prints of team photos and prints of game action photos to fans and players. I am "The Event Photographer" and they aren't paying me, but they said I can keep 100% of any money I make from selling prints.

OK you have a big task ahead of you. This can turn out well, if done right. Do you have any money to invest in equipment?

You need to tell them "I need to be on the ground level" and point out a couple possible locations. Giving them two options that you like. Then they'll probably choose one of them, and you'll get a spot you like. I can't stress the importance of NOT shooting from up above. Even if you can see better...it's the perspective everyone else is getting. Be sure to just take gobs of photos. What age group is this team? Is it high school or younger? If so, parents will go nuts about buying pictures. Doing basketball tournaments, some parents just buy every pic I have of their kid. It can be a real money-maker, especially for somebody starting out.

How many games are there?
 
before reading any of the replies to this, my first thought was "your being hired and your using that for a camera"

point and shoot cameras really arent made for this... to be honest, I'm shocked that you've had so much work using a simple point a shoot camera.

when it comes to shots of the game, your camera really won't do much, you need the options for shutter speed and such, as mentioned above.

If I were you, and was seriously considering taking photography to a professional level, I'd be investing in a DSLR... even something as simple as a D40 is good to start on, unless you've got the moula for the bigger camera's.

Even if its simply team photos, your really limited to what you can do using your point and shoot....

if your doing well with photography now, using a P&S imagine the possibilties with a good manual camera that gives you all the control... if you do get a good DSLR, just promise that you wont use the PHD option, get a book, learn all the details, and learn the freedom of manual functions.
 
I'm getting a DSLR in August 2009 for school.
 
I've been photographing sports for 3 years, and I've gotten photos of soccer, auto racing, and hockey published. I also take pctures for 2 local hockey teams. They are a Midget-AAA team and a Junior-C team.

Have you been paid for any of this? If your photos are good, you should have made big bucks by now. I have a feeling the culprit is your camera, or people knowing you work for cheap, and not paying you enough. Give yourself more credit, and treat yourself nicer with a nicer camera. A Nikon D40 and Rebel XT are both UNDER $500 each with a starter lens. Then, you can build on as the money comes in.
 
OK you have a big task ahead of you. This can turn out well, if done right. Do you have any money to invest in equipment?

You need to tell them "I need to be on the ground level" and point out a couple possible locations. Giving them two options that you like. Then they'll probably choose one of them, and you'll get a spot you like. I can't stress the importance of NOT shooting from up above. Even if you can see better...it's the perspective everyone else is getting. Be sure to just take gobs of photos. What age group is this team? Is it high school or younger? If so, parents will go nuts about buying pictures. Doing basketball tournaments, some parents just buy every pic I have of their kid. It can be a real money-maker, especially for somebody starting out.

How many games are there?

The tournament is Midget-AAA (ages 17 & 18)

I'm very famillar with both venues that are hosting games. I can post pictures if you want. The tournament is 4 days long.

I just got a tripod, Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 and a photo printer.

They told me that they're going to arrange for me to take team photos of every team in the tournament and I'm hoping to get every team in at least one set of action photos.

There are 11 teams in the event.
 
Have you been paid for any of this? If your photos are good, you should have made big bucks by now. I have a feeling the culprit is your camera, or people knowing you work for cheap, and not paying you enough. Give yourself more credit, and treat yourself nicer with a nicer camera. A Nikon D40 and Rebel XT are both UNDER $500 each with a starter lens. Then, you can build on as the money comes in.

I'm getting a DSLR in August 2009 for school.

The tournament organizers said they can't pay me because they don't have the money. It's costing them a lot just to host this event.

I'm just starting and I'm trying to build a portfolio for school.
 
So, it sounds like your strategy for THIS time should be promote the heck out of your team portraits. Give a bunch of package options, and really make some money off that. Then save that, and buy a DSLR.
 

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