Former Port Orchard Independent reporter, Mark Walker, once told me after looking at a few of my sports action features, “Get the ball in the frame and in focus!” Well, that’s silly coming from a wordsmith and not a photographer. I tried explaining to him that I was trying to capture the after action reaction of a game saving play, which to me is as important as actual action shot. However, it did piss me off so much that from then on I made it a point to capture both, action and reaction of every play.
But To me, sometimes, the after reaction of a significant play is almost just as important or sometimes more important than the play itself. However, in this digital age, it’s good to capture both. It’s all about seeing pictures possibilities and capturing those moments that lead to great photographic moments.
Here's a picture I captured the other night of Ken Griffey, Jr., being congratulated after hitting the game winning single against the Toronto Bluejays. I managed to capture a story telling photo of Bluejays' first baseman Lyle Overbay (R) walking off the field as Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. (L) is surrounded by teammates after he hit a single to right field that scored the game winning run in the ninth inning. Griffey pinch-hitting for Josh Wilson hit a game winning single to right field that scored Milton Bradley to beat the Bluejays 4-3. I like the fact that I was able to capture the both the happiness and dejection in the same frame. The happiness of the Mariners players and the dejection displayed by Overbay as he walked off the field with his head down definitely told the story better than Griffey swatting the ball.
Other pictures that display reactions are: Manchester United's Roy Keane, middle, congratulates Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, left, after he scored the third goal of the first half against the Celtic goalie Magnus Hedman.
Alabama's Blair Potter, left, and Jessica Smith watch the Washington team celebrate their 7-5 win in the NCAA Softball Super Regional game Saturday May 26, 2007 in Seattle. Washington beat Alabama 7-5 to advance to the College World Series.
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Patrick Kerney celebrates his sack of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jeff Garcia in the second quarter of their season opener at Qwest Field in Seattle.
And lastly, the look on the base runner’s face as he’s called out during a Babe Ruth baseball game. If he had scored, the game would have gone into extra innings.
As you can see in the posted photos……..sometimes that reaction tells the story better than the action.
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