Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Batter Up!



This is one of my favorite photos from historic Rickwood Field.  As you know from  an earlier post, Rickwood is America's oldest baseball park.  When I look at this photo I can almost see a player climbing those worn wooden steps for his turn at bat. The vintage signs that surround the field are visible in the distance.  Rickwood  Field is a Birmingham treasure. 

17 comments:

Kris McCracken said...

This is a beautiful photograph, you just feel the character of the stadium here.

I have always wondered why Birmingham doesn't have a major league sports team, the place does seem to tick many of the boxes required.

Jim Klenke said...

I love it. I can just here the coach yelling my name, telling me to get up there and pitch hit.

Jérôme said...

Lovely shot; it's as if you could smell the old wooden floor just by looking at it.

What's the 'Burma-...' sign in the background?

Virginia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Virginia said...

Jerome,
That's Burma Shave shaving cream. I think they are the ones that had the signs along the road that you read one at a time. Hard to explain. Sorry. The vintage signs really add to the atmosphere. There's even a sign that says, "No betting in this park."

Janet said...

Hey, batter batter, SWING!

Janet Kincaid said...

Excellent photograph, Virginia! I love the Burma Shave sign in the background.

D said...

I love this picture, especially the wooden floor and old signs. It makes me want to visit Rickwood Field soon.

Bob Crowe said...

A good subject for the day of the All Star Game. It's nostalgic, a romantic memory of America from decades ago, and full of atmosphere.

Olivier said...

ce vieil escalier pourrait raconter plein d'histoire. j'aime beaucoup le baseball, mais surtout en mode résumè, c'est un peu long ;o)
this old staircase could tell a lot of history. I love baseball, but especially in fast mode, is a bit long ;o)

Ming the Merciless said...

Love the wood and worn concrete on the steps leading up to the field. Great capture.

To respond to your question about setting to capture a still and moving object together, I set my point-and-shoot to regular portrait mode (i.e. 100 speed on old film camera). Basically, I took the photo as the train begins to speed off the platform while the guy was stationary. Just make sure there is a lot of light in the station.

That said, according to Peter of Peter's Paris, you cannot take photos of the Paris subway. You can sneak a shot or two but be aware that the police will politely ask you to NOT photograph the subway stations.

Victor said...

Beautiful photo Virginia!

dianasfaria.com said...

this is a great photo with so much to look at.I like the colors,reminds me of summer.

Marcel said...

Way cool!

Pietro Brosio said...

Excellent image, great atmosphere.

Rob said...

Timely post; just in time for the All Star Game. Love the photo!

Tom said...

I agree this picture as atmosphere.. it's a stunner