Nailing it...

Shot a Milwaukee Midget Tournament on Saturday and I had this shot in my mind as the one I wanted to make as I walked from my van to the field . Many sports photos lose context when the ball is missing from the shot, so I thought if I could frame the ball within the pitcher's body, it would make a killer image. I removed the lens hood and wrapped my hand around the lens barrel to line it up, and shot through a hole in the chain link fence. After a few attempts I realized I wasn't in the right position so I just watched and moved around for a few pitches, trying to line up the pitcher and the pitched ball. I finally found a spot that would work but it was really tight and meant shooting right over the catcher's head with the batter to one side, the ump to the other. After a few pitches too soon or too late, I got this one. I always try to go into shoots with an open mind, allowing images to happen or come together in the process. Rarely do I have an exact shot in mind and force reality into creating it. The nice thing about digital photgraphy is to immediately know that you nailed the shot you saw in your mind's eye.