WooSox VS Red Wings
I had the opportunity to photograph the final Worcester Red Sox (WooSox colloquially) home game last weekend. Given my nature, I had to photograph at least some of the game on 35mm, and went with a single roll of Tri-X 400. The following images were made from said roll and also digitally.
This being my second WooSox game, I wanted to document more than just the standard game moments. I had done enough of that last time. I focused more on capturing a combination of things, the ballpark, the people, the players, the moment.
A classic American scene. Fair competition.
Christian Franklin, number 16 for the Rochester Red Wings, stretches in the outfield pre-game.
Don Toothaker prepares to photograph first pitch. Don is an Air Force Veteran who now travels internationally as a photography educator. We teach sports photography together at these WooSox games.
A fastball.
I never frequented Wrigley Field as a kid. I played baseball as a child, and my parents used to say I had a mean swing, but it was never my favorite. I loved the ambiance of a baseball game, and this grew with age. Grown up, I’ve grown back toward the sport. I love to watch, and I love a hotdog or three even more.
It is very difficult to capture a ball in motion on film, the shutter release isn’t quite as responsive as some of the more modern cameras.
I’m entranced by the childhood experience of the baseball game. It is made better by the intimacy of this league. Fenway Park is a massive sea of bodies, roaring continuously. Beers are eighteen dollars, hot dogs are twelve. There is something right about Polar Park in Worcester. Things feel more normal, or from a different time. Things move slower, and the fans are real fans.
A lineup in the bullpen. Rochester’s pitchers prepare themselves.
More moments from the game. The WooSox really started to pull ahead, but that’s the beauty of baseball. Things change quickly. It can feel as though the game is crawling, and suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a single becomes two on, which turns into bases loaded, and a grand slam.
And just like that, the end of the roll. End of the game too. I’ll throw some digital images in here at the end. They’re technically “better quality” photographs, but I’d argue that’s not always the point of this. I’m trying to capture a moment, the feeling of a moment. I just think the more traditional medium and the limitations of it provide a more telling story. Anyway, here are some more photos.
I’ll be shooting a lot more baseball. Thank you to the WooSox for having me, thank you for a great season, thank you Rochester Red Wings for a great game, and until the next one.