At bat Kids at this age are great fun to watch. They're able and willing — and they have the attention span of a gnat. The parents were equally fun to watch. There were no temper tantrums, no yelling, just lots of laughter as the kids hit the ball and forgot to run, or danced and twirled in the outfield.
It wasn't until I got home and started reviewing my pictures that I noticed that the bright green grass and all the other colors and clothes were pretty distracting. So I changed most of the pictures from color to black and white.
For example,consider this before-and-after pair of pictures.
Color version
Same picture, in black-and-whiteAs fun as her pink helmet is, I find it very distracting. My eye is drawn to the helmet first, and her face last. I like the black-and-white version better. What do you think?
So once I started converting, I didn't stop.
This youngster swung, hit, and watched. And forgot to run to first base.
Is the goal to get the ball — or to get the runner out? These three boys just wanted the ball. At one point, I wondered how any team ever managed to get three outs.
Is he bored or patient?
Finally, some action!
A swing and a miss!
Nice swing.
Chit chat at first base? Or is she covering her ears and singing, "I can't hear you"?
"I say he's out!"
One of the exceptions to the black-and-white format? Grass stains.Over in the big kid's section, I liked this image of the boy on the bench. Rookie mistake: I didn't even notice that someone else walked into the frame until I got home.
On the benchWhat did I learn?
- As much as I like intense color in my pictures, sometimes I prefer the simplicity of black and white.
- Don't forget to check the rest of the frame before pressing the shutter release. (Some lessons have to be learned over and over again.)
Yeah, I'm with you on the black & whites...sometimes the lack of color makes it more emotionally inviting.
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