Shutter to Think: Forest for the trees

It probably happens more times than I’m willing to admit.

I feel like I’m pretty observant of things happening in front of me, the little details that help tell the story. But sometimes tunnel vision sets in and one misses the whole picture, “seeing the forest for the trees,” if you will.

I was so laser-focused on capturing the player rounding the bases that it wasn’t until I arrived back at the office and started the editing process that I saw the exuberance exhibited by the fans in the background.

In my defense, it was a heck of an ending. The Cardinals had trailed in their supersectional game against West Central almost all day. After a two-run homer tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, my attention bounced around like a ping-pong ball as I was grabbing images of the players circling the bases and the celebration at home plate. It was sensory explosion.

And what happens next?

Forreston’s Ella Ingram goes yard on possibly the first pitch – I really don’t know – and the place goes bonkers. At this point, all bets are off. There’s an adage in sports photography: “Spray and pray.” Which means you just shoot anything and hope it’s in focus, exposed correctly and, lastly, good.

Hallelujah.

– Alex T. Paschal, follow me on Instagram @svmphotogs or message me at apaschal@shawmedia.com.