Congratulations AP

[Starman]

It only took you 67 minutes into the season before you ran your first two ****ing dimwit cliched "pitcher hangs head in dejection as batter rounds bases in background" pictures. Looking forward to 9,000 more over the next six months.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I can only assume this means nobody has turned a double play yet.

 

[Batman]

Up until this morning I'd have said "Big whoop. There's only so many angles you can get good, clean shots from in most ballparks."
And then I did a search on AP Exchange looking for a random spring training picture to run with a preview story.
Holy crap, there were some great shots turned in by those Florida photogs in the last two weeks.
Unique angles (including a couple shots of outfielders chasing down fly balls taken from behind the fence), cool stuff that played with the lighting, sun and silhouettes, crisp action shots. It blew my mind that we can get this from spring training, but the next six months are going to be humdrum.
Is it just better access at these smaller spring training parks that lets them try some different things? Maybe they can get in some nooks and crannies that aren't available (or are off-limits) at the big league parks? The photogs in Florida can't be THAT much better and more creative than the big-market AP guys, can they?

 

[SF_Express]

Well, I understand Starman's frustration, but I also don't know how many papers or websites are going to want art shots of suns and silhouettes or whatever -- or even great action of a fly ball being chased down in the fifth inning.

The problem with news photos is that they have to show the news, too, and certainly a pitcher giving up a game-losing home run is part of what you're talking about.

The double-play turn? Completely different story.

 

[Den1983]

Completely agree with Starman. Sometimes I get the feeling AP photogs don't even try anymore.

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

Something tells me it isn't that simple, that maybe hearing their side of the story would add some perspective.

Or maybe I'm wrong, and the only people stretched thin and doing what two or three people used to do are writers and deskers.

 

[RickStain]

There are 2,600 baseball games a year, not including playoffs. I'm pretty sure they ran out of new shots to take years ago.

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Up until this morning I'd have said "Big whoop. There's only so many angles you can get good, clean shots from in most ballparks."
And then I did a search on AP Exchange looking for a random spring training picture to run with a preview story.
Holy crap, there were some great shots turned in by those Florida photogs in the last two weeks.
Unique angles (including a couple shots of outfielders chasing down fly balls taken from behind the fence), cool stuff that played with the lighting, sun and silhouettes, crisp action shots. It blew my mind that we can get this from spring training, but the next six months are going to be humdrum.
Is it just better access at these smaller spring training parks that lets them try some different things? Maybe they can get in some nooks and crannies that aren't available (or are off-limits) at the big league parks? The photogs in Florida can't be THAT much better and more creative than the big-market AP guys, can they?

It's vantage points. Photographers are confined to certain spots at MLB parks. You can pretty much roam anywhere in ST, and the parks are so much smaller. Plus, no one is looking for "news" shots from ST games.

 

[wicked]

I also think it's partly about repetition. Once you've shot your 60th game of the season, you might as well be creatively tapped. The Florida guys are shooting, what, 10 or 15 games a year?

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

Some of "Florida guys" are regular AP shooters sent there for a few weeks.

 

[Versatile]

Getty and US Presswire are the way to go, if you can afford them.

 

[BTExpress]

Getty and US Presswire are the way to go, if you can afford them.

And if they cover every game . . . which they don't.

 

[wicked]

Some of "Florida guys" are regular AP shooters sent there for a few weeks.

Didn't know that. Hadn't seen any familiar credits. Thanks for correcting me.

 

[Versatile]

Getty and US Presswire are the way to go, if you can afford them.

And if they cover every game . . . which they don't.

Between them, you get most games. But yes, AP is the essential first wire to subscribe to simply because of coverage.

At the same time, I'm pretty sure AP didn't cover the McDonald's All-American Game, while Presswire did. So it's not exactly black and white that AP will be at EVERYTHING while Presswire and Getty will pick and choose.

 

[FLphotog]

OK guys really? You think it's that easy to be creative when you're shooting a game by yourself and you have to make CERTAIN that you get EVERY key play? I'm a FL photographer. I shoot for AP and I cover both spring training and regular season MLB games.

Spring training affords us an opportunity to try more creative things because the pressure is not on to get every play (after the 5th when the players whose names people actually know come out). We don't LOSE that creativity when the regular season starts. We just can't experiment. We can't go up into the catwalk or shoot from the bullpen or put a crazy wide angle lens on the top of a large pole and do a hundred other things we'd like to do to make creative images. We're tethered to the photo wells with our eyes peeled and our fingers on the shutter button waiting for something to happen... because heaven forbid we don't have a shot of "that double play in the third" then WE'RE going to hear about it when we call into our desk and they ask for it... because newspapers around the country are expecting it.

We do all of this while fighting for space in photo wells that are way over crowded with fake photographers (like US Press Wire) and trying to edit, tone, caption and transmit photos DURING the game (meaning jumping up and down from our laptops every time we hear the crack of a bat and yet making CERTAIN that we don't make a cutline error or have a comma out of place).

I understand that SOME of you guys want something a little more creative and we'd love to deliver but when we're the only shooter there for our wire service then we HAVE to get THE shot that most papers are looking for, and yes, that's usually the photo of the pitcher hanging his head as the guy who just hit a two-run homer is rounding the bases. If we DON'T get that shot because we were trying something creative while shooting with our wide angle lenses through the yellow bubbles of a fan's over-priced beer then we're going to lose our jobs.

 

[goalmouth]

Hey you -- stop complaining and get yourself and your laptop out on the baseline -- you're missing the Clipper!

 

[Batman]

Up until this morning I'd have said "Big whoop. There's only so many angles you can get good, clean shots from in most ballparks."
And then I did a search on AP Exchange looking for a random spring training picture to run with a preview story.
Holy crap, there were some great shots turned in by those Florida photogs in the last two weeks.
Unique angles (including a couple shots of outfielders chasing down fly balls taken from behind the fence), cool stuff that played with the lighting, sun and silhouettes, crisp action shots. It blew my mind that we can get this from spring training, but the next six months are going to be humdrum.
Is it just better access at these smaller spring training parks that lets them try some different things? Maybe they can get in some nooks and crannies that aren't available (or are off-limits) at the big league parks? The photogs in Florida can't be THAT much better and more creative than the big-market AP guys, can they?

It's vantage points. Photographers are confined to certain spots at MLB parks. You can pretty much roam anywhere in ST, and the parks are so much smaller. Plus, no one is looking for "news" shots from ST games.

Makes sense. Figured it was something like that.
That, combined with FLphotog's rant, pretty much answers my question.

 

[deskslave]

Yeah, because if there's one thing AP cutlines are known for, it's being grammatically correct.

 

[I Should Coco]

Something else I'm wondering: How many big metros staff their MLB team's road games with photogs ... even a stringer? I'm guessing very few.

 

[Versatile]

I can tell you the Washington Post doesn't on a regular basis (exceptions being things like Strasburg's first start on the road). If the Post isn't, I don't know who would.