Ken Griffey Jr. inducted into Mariners Hall of Fame

A sold out crowd of over 46,000 watched as retired Mariners player Ken Griffey, Jr. was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame during a pregame ceremony Saturday, August 10, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Griffey, who retired from baseball in 2010, is the seventh member of the team to be inducted. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

June baseball | Mariners vs. Yankees

Kendrys Morales warms up on deck during a game against the New York Yankees Sunday, June 9, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Nearly 44,000 people attended the sunny day game, and the New York Yankees beat the Mariners 2-1. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Kyle Seager, right, unsuccessfully slides into second base during the ninth inning of a game against the New York Yankees Sunday, June 9, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Nearly 44,000 people attended the sunny day game, and the New York Yankees beat the Mariners 2-1. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

New York Yankees player Mark Teixeira, left, leaps out of the way of a glancing, grounded ball that he sliced downward into home plate during a game Sunday, June 9, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Nearly 44,000 people attended the sunny day game, and the New York Yankees beat the Mariners 2-1. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Former-Mariner-turned-Yankee Ichiro Suzuki fumbles a foul out ball during a game against the Mariners Sunday, June 9, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Nearly 44,000 people attended the sunny day game, and the New York Yankees beat the Mariners 2-1. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Kyle Seager warms up on deck with a couple of swings during a game against the New York Yankees Sunday, June 9, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Nearly 44,000 people attended the sunny day game, and the New York Yankees beat the Mariners 2-1. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

A young lady in the crowd prays hard for a solid hit by the Mariners during a game against the New York Yankees Sunday, June 9, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Nearly 44,000 people attended the sunny day game, and the New York Yankees beat the Mariners 2-1. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Field officials take a moment between innings to break out into a dance routine to the music being played over the loudspeaker during a Mariners game against the New York Yankees Sunday, June 9, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Nearly 44,000 people attended the sunny day game, and the New York Yankees beat the Mariners 2-1. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Former-Mariner-turned-Yankee Ichiro Suzuki does his signature bat stretch at the plate during a game against the Mariners Sunday, June 9, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Nearly 44,000 people attended the sunny day game, and the New York Yankees beat the Mariners 2-1. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Ichiro Suzuki slides into home plate for a run in the eighth inning during a game against the Mariners Sunday, June 9, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle. Nearly 44,000 people attended the sunny day game, and the New York Yankees beat the Mariners 2-1. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Seattle Mariners | Season Opener 2013

Under a blue sky peppered with fireworks, a packed house enjoys the Seattle Mariners opening home game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 8, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle.  (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Fans sitting in the outfield enjoy the last rays of sunlight during player warm up time during the Seattle Mariners opening home game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 8, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle.  (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

RuthAnn Shimoi sports a 1980s-era Mariners jacket of a man she used to caretake and escort to Mariners games for the opening home game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 8, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle.  (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Michael Saunders, of the Seattle Mariners, safely slides into second base during the first inning of the Seattle Mariners opening home game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 8, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle.  (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Sporting a jersey, Joel Firman, 20, center, enters Safeco Field via the home plate corner for the Seattle Mariners opening home game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 8, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle.  (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Fans sitting in the outfield enjoy the last rays of sunlight during Houston Astros warm up time during the Seattle Mariners opening home game Monday, April 8, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle.  (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Mariners fans wait in the outfield to catch stray balls during warm up before the Seattle Mariners opening home game against the Houston Astros Monday, April 8, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle.  (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Houston Astros outfielder Rick Ankiel warms up during the Seattle Mariners opening home game Monday, April 8, 2013, at Safeco Field in Seattle.  (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Magnolia Little League Parade | A little slice of Americana

Harrison Lillinridge, right, of the Upper Lake AA team - along with hundreds of other children from a host of Magnolia baseball teams - enjoyed a sunny day for the annual Magnolia Little League Parade Saturday, March 23, 2013, across Magnolia in Seattle. The sporty procession marked the beginning of the 2013 Little League baseball season. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Kids struggle to hold up their team's sponsor sign for a parent photo op before the annual Magnolia Little League Parade Saturday, March 23, 2013, across Magnolia in Seattle.

Boys from a host of Magnolia baseball teams goof around while waiting for the annual Magnolia Little League Parade to begin Saturday, March 23, 2013, across Magnolia in Seattle.

Christian Thompson, 9, left, huddles in an oversized jacket to keep warm from his spot on the bench during a scrimmage game following the annual Magnolia Little League Parade Saturday, March 23, 2013, across Magnolia in Seattle. The sporty procession marked the beginning of the 2013 Little League baseball season. (Jordan Stead, seattlepi.com)

Boys hold their hats to their hearts during the national anthem before scrimmage game following the annual Magnolia Little League Parade Saturday, March 23, 2013, across Magnolia in Seattle.

Seattle Mariners Vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Anthony Gose, center left, of the Toronto Blue Jays, slides into second base after being tagged out by Mariner Dustin Ackley, center right, during a game Monday, July 30, 2012, at Safeco Field in Seattle, Wash.

Jeff Mathis, foreground, tags out the Mariners' Carlos Peguero, background, after a glancing hit from Peguero's bat drove the ball into the ground just above home plate during a game Monday, July 30, 2012, at Safeco Field in Seattle, Wash.

A field official pulls himself up after being bowled over in a player's second base dash during a game Monday, July 30, 2012, at Safeco Field in Seattle, Wash.

BYU Baseball + Utah light

Pitcher pictures are a dime a dozen, but I couldn't help myself. The late evening light at this time of year in Utah is godly. The 300mm was being used by editor on this particular evening, so I shot the game with a 400mm, which I've never done with baseball. The result was a much more expression-based game - either by way of pitchers, runners or base players. Enjoy the golden goodness.

San Diego pitcher Paul Sewald burns one down the middle during a game against BYU on Friday, May 4, 2012, at Miller Field at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Spring baseball continues...

A little bit of golden hour never hurts when out shooting a baseball game on a gorgeous April evening in Utah. I love the pace of the sport; molasses-slow for ninety percent of it, but a blazing ten percent to keep it interesting.
NOTE: If you say you "kinda like" shooting a sport to your editor, you will be assigned every game. Luckily, I honestly do have a great time out on the field in my supercool kneepads. Enjoy!

Kayden Porter | Anatomy of a Baseball Portrait

Before covering a baseball game in Spanish Fork, Utah, I was instructed to shoot a portrait of Kayden Porter. This kid (more like a 6-foot 3-inch, 235-pound, home-run-derby-winning man) is a beast, bottom line. Luckily, he is also a good sport. I had five minutes before the game to bust out an image to use for a highlight piece on the pitching powerhouse. Armed with a combination of two Elinchrom strobes, the greatest light of them all (the sun) and a red outfield fence that had caught my eye, we went to work. In less than a few turns of the minute hand, I had balanced my strobes to daylight and fired off 20 to 30 frames. Kayden - who had apparently done this many times before - was a natural. With little coaxing and positioning, I was getting the look I wanted. The second image was chosen to run in print.

What works for me is the punch of color and contrast provided by the reds of the fence and and outfit, especially when in competition with those eyeballs. The flesh and and hair catches the pure white of the strobes to produce an almost plastic feel, which I love in an artificially lit portrait. The detail in the stitching of the glove and hat adds tasty little details. While he may not be too stoked on it, the cracked lip is awesome.

While it is by no means a perfect portrait, I sure hope he digs it. After all, he looks like a total badass. Read the accompanying story about Kayden here. Enjoy!

Technical info: (1) bare Elinchrom strobe to the left (set cheek-high), (1) bare Elinchrom strobe to the rear-ish right (cheek-level), sun from high and behind, powerpack, Canon 5D Mark II, 135mm f/2L @ 1/200th and f/11... from what I can remember.

Baseball season arrives

And with lovely Utah light. While some hate the slower pace of baseball, it has to be the runner up to basketball as my favorite sport to photograph. Not much to say here except: expect more of this in the near future. Enjoy!