Xander's Swing |
Susan, Grayson and Abby |
View from Mass. Ave Bridge |
Fenway Green |
Photography at Fenway
Fenway doesn’t have a lot of
restrictions on bringing fancy cameras into the park; “Cameras and video
cameras are permitted but cannot be used to reproduce the game and must not
interfere with other fans' enjoyment of the game.” No problem, I could
bring my big DSLR and 100-400mm zoom, but I prefer to keep things light and
inconspicuous. The perfect solution is “Susan’s” Canon SX50 HS. The
same camera that Susan has steadfastly refused to touch!
Let me explain
I got the SX50HS for Susan to take
along on our tour through Alaska in 2014. The camera is light, with a
small sensor, but has a 24-1200mm fixed lens! With that focal length
range, why would you need other lenses? Susan and I tend to choose different
hikes on our tours. I generally stay with the photographers, making
frequent stops for shots, while Susan moves more quickly with the non-photographers,
who are often called the “natural history” groups. Since we are usually
exploring different areas, I assumed Susan would want her own camera to capture
the action, especially if she is the lucky one to be charged by the angry grizzly.
"Angry charging Grizzly" is one of those
situations for which a 1200mm lens would sound pretty good. But NO.
She continues to argue that I’m the photographer and she has no need to
touch that crazy cameray thing. Cameray? - My word not hers, but I suspect it will catch on. I’ve tried to sneak
the camera over to her side of the bed when she is sleeping, but all my strategies have failed.
Hungry Grizzly, Pavlov Island Alaska |
Peddy's Windup, 1200mm View Uncropped |
Sorry for that unfortunately long
diversion, but I had to get it off my chest. The bottom line is that I
have a nice little camera to bring to athletic events such as the Red Sox, or
to third world countries where a big “fancy” camera could be a dangerous
attraction. Obviously, the 1200mm focal length on the SX50 HS allows me to get
closer to the action, but the camera also has a full range of controls, and
although the small sensor can show problems with noise at high ISOs, it does
result in a deep depth of field in macro images. And, perhaps most importantly,
the camera shoots in RAW!
We got to the game early and had the
fun of watching Children’s Day. The Red Sox players had a chance to
frolic on the field with their kids. It is a healthy reminder that
many of the players are only a little more than kids themselves and have their
own new families.
Brush-Back |
Pappi Unleashes |
Capturing action shots from far back
in the stands can be a challenge. Obviously, a long lens can be helpful,
but anticipating the key moments is difficult. Your arms can get numb
continually holding the camera in front of your face waiting for the magic to
happen. As much as I would love to capture the critical play, I don’t want to spend
the whole game with a camera blocking my view of the live action. I
usually shoot in just a few situations. Catching the swings is fairly easy.
Of course, being along the right field line I could only catch the
right-handlers. Capturing the quick and unpredictable action in the
infield can be difficult, but with a man on first I can watch for a steal or a
dive back to first to avoid a pick-off. If I am on the left field side I
can look for action in the home dugout. A little scratching or spitting
is always exciting. All of this needs to be limited within
reason. There are professional sports photographers right on the
sidelines who I can trusted to shoot the key plays. I just try to get a few
images to document my attendance at the event and settle back to finish my
popcorn. After all, I’m a landscape photographer and despite years of
visiting Fenway I have yet to see a tree in the “park”.
Fenway Pano |
Like many newer cameras, the SX50
can construct a panorama image from a series of shots, so I had to capture a
disorientingly complete view of the park, but my favorite pictures are of the
family while they were trying to steal my popcorn.
Despite the score, it was a great
day trip and a good chance to play with my little carrying around camera.
My only disappointment was that I failed once again to slip “Susan’s”
camera into her pocket book.
Jeffrey Newcomer
partridgebrookreflections.com
partridgebrookreflections.com