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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Eighty-seven: Impressions of Charleston, South Carolina > Decisive Moment, Riley Park, Charleston, South Carolina, 2013
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08-AUG-2013

Decisive Moment, Riley Park, Charleston, South Carolina, 2013

As evening shadows blend with a setting sun, a baseball leaves the hand of a pitcher and heads towards a waiting hitter. My shutter stops the ball in its flight just as it enters the notch connecting the pitchers mound to the batters box. It is exactly at this instant that the batter must make a decision. Swing or not? All is suspended in time. I made this image while spending a glorious evening of minor league baseball in Charleston’s Riley Park, home of the Charleston Riverdogs. The park was built in 1997, and seats 6,000 baseball fans. The Riverdogs are a farm team of the major league New York Yankees. They play in the Class A South Atlantic League. I was sitting so close to home plate that my 112mm short telephoto lens could easily encompass this scene. I had to shoot through the wire mesh backstop, which places a unifying texture over the entire frame.

FujiFilm X10
1/280s f/3.6 at 28.4mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis12-Sep-2013 22:17
Thanks, Rose. You are right -- this image is rich in dynamic tension. It is caused by melding the relationship of the elements decisively stopped in time to the powerful relationships formed by geometric elements such as the circles, rectangles, diagonals, and verticals. The body language of the pitcher, batter, and umpire contribute a flow of arms and legs rich in tension as well. And finally, the striking evening shadows and color contrast add a context for meaning.
sunlightpix12-Sep-2013 00:06
Its a perfect moment of dynamic tension! V
Phil Douglis01-Sep-2013 22:16
And I was not using burst shooting, either. I pressed the shutter as the pitcher released the ball, and by the time the image registered on the sensor, the ball was well out of his hand and on the way.
Tim May01-Sep-2013 16:52
Wow - the ball in mid-air. I shouldn't be, but I'm jealous.
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