Summertime fun: Take me out to the baseball game

We attended a professional baseball game for the first time in literally decades. We had cousins visiting from Japan for a few days and when asked what they would like to do during their visit to San Diego, they responded with a very specific request: To attend a baseball game between the San Diego Padres vs. the Los Angeles Angels.

Baseball and architecture

I purchased tickets online months in advance and thought no more about it until later, corresponding with a Japanese friend who lives in Tokyo. When I mentioned that I would have cousins visit from Japan in August, she immediately guessed what motivated their request:

“Did your cousin and his son ask you for tickets for SD Padres vs Los Angeles Angels? Shohei Ohtani, a young star player from Japan, was in Los Angeles. He is so popular. He is adorable! I’m sure they would like to see Shohei.”

It turns out, Shohei was exactly why they wanted to see this particular game. As for us, we wanted to see the park itself, lauded for its architecture by Antoine Predock.  

Rules and opportunities

Of course, to a photographer, every excursion is a potential opportunity for photography. I Googled “photography at Petco Park” to see if there were guidelines but didn’t come up with much. I guessed tripods wouldn’t be allowed but took a monopod with me. To keep being encumbered to a minimum, I wore my Fujifilm X-T2 on a Black Rapid cross-body strap with a wide-angle 10-24mm lens and carried my 100-400mm lens in a tote bag. From the guidelines I did find, it was clear a photo backpack might be problematic.

At the gate, my long lens attracted unwanted attention as a “professional” lens. To the gatekeepers, this was defined as any lens longer than eight inches. I was allowed to take it in with me but admonished that if caught using it, that would be the end of my photography for the evening. The monopod also was initially disallowed as an extensible device. Eventually, they relented when I pointed out it also functions as a cane (not that I actually need a cane). I do understand the rationale for this policy, essentially outlawing selfie sticks.

Using the long lens anyway

I had to be satisfied with using my 10-24mm lens for images of the stadium and overall scene. I waited until the game went into a tiebreaking 10th inning AND Shohei came up to bat (after not playing in the starting lineup due to an elbow ligament injury) to risk a few hand-held shots with my long lens. Of course, I had to shoot through the netting, but there was plenty of light to handhold. I put the camera into continuous high mode and blazed away, capturing Shohei’s athleticism as he danced his way from base to base, scoring one of the four runs that decided the game definitively for the Angels.  

I even employed my iPhone, capturing my cousins sitting in the stands. After uploading it to my Instagram account with the hashtag #SDinHD, they were thrilled to see themselves up on the big scoreboard in a rotating lineup of other social media savvy patrons in attendance.  

Next baseball game

With every shoot, my thoughts turn naturally to what I would do next time we went to a baseball game. In this instance, I’d look for a lens that wouldn’t exceed the “eight-inch long” professional rule. My 100-400mm lens actually does measure just over eight inches in length, just barely, at 8.3.” I’ve already picked out what I would take next time, my Fujifilm 50-140mm lens, which measures a mere 6.9” in length. My 2x teleconverter will be tucked separately in my tote bag, of course. At 1.2” in length, this combination will give me enough reach, while still nearly satisfying the no “professional” lenses guideline.

In the meantime, enjoy your summer and play ball!