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Assignment: PCA60 - Spring
Deadline: 2009
Image tag: pca60
From: mazshaxlong

Mission:
In honor of the changing of the seasons this assignment is to shoot a photograph that captures "spring". It does not have to a be a flower picture (although it can be). You can use any of the numerous definitions of spring for this one, or you can show a phrase common to your area such as "spring to action".

WIT....

Ok, being in Florida and in Tampa. Spring means baseball at all levels.
This area is the home to may MLB Spring Training sites as well as its deep in baseball history and players.
Some local players to note are:
Wade Boggs
Lou Pinella
Tino Martinez
Steve Garvey
Tony LaRossa
and many more, I checked a web site yesterday and there have been 73 MLB players who are from Tampa. Every year we see 20 plus local players drafted. So Spring means BASEBALL to me.
For those who do not know, my youngest is a Sr in High School and on the radar of the scouts. Plus I shoot all the high school games and lots of their practices using the 6.5 fps on the 40D to show the kids and coaches mechanics and physical positioning at certain key times during practice and the staff review the shots from the games as well.
I have been taking 1000's of shots a week of baseball. Working the plays, the stop action, Mom Shots (The ones the moms want to buy).
So what I have been working on is more of the moments of the game from a different perspective... the player away from the play. Seeing what he is seeing or highlighting him watching the plays unfold.
In this case there is a throw coming into the third, the runner is obviously going to beat the throw because he is not sliding. The Catcher on this team is very good, He controls the defense (as he is also the only one facing the field too). He has to see whats going on, or what is going to be happening. Make sure all players are moving to the right location for the play, to back it up, or to cut off a runner from advancing... He makes the calls in real time, they listen and move.
So for me.. Baseball is Spring. Opening Day is tomorrow for the MLB, So Spring training is over. The high schools here are on Spring Break (yes I could have gone to the beaches and got lots of shots of the Spring Break crowd... But its a zoo over there). There is a big tournament every spring break for the last 29 years where all the Tampa schools play against each other in a round robin format, three games are guaranteed. If you play baseball, Spring break means staying at home and playing baseball in front of all the Pro Scouts who have been here all during March and will be leaving next week to go back north. The Colleges are all here as well, lots of Radar guns, stop watches, notebook PC's with wireless cell cards and all the local papers have reporters here looking for the story...
Spring is Baseball and I love baseball much further than just the game.

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 400 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: +1/3 EV