The Faces of the Game

The District IV Fastpitch Championships in Centralia was lacking in competetive drama for many of the games I was able to cover.  Of those, only the championship contest held much in the way of competetive fire; There were two teams holding the other back, searching for the moment, the break or luck that would put them over the top. 

As a sports photographer, I thrive on capturing the "action shot", that play that makes a game, a season or perhaps a career.  What we sometimes forget is that we are creating images of human beings full of life and emotion.  Their own personal victories may be less common than the big plays.  The release of emotion and expression is less predictable to capture than the backhand-stab of a hot-shot grounder to short.

Sometimes, an objective observer has to remind himself exactly what he is trying to create.

The full collections of several fastpitch games are now available at GAP Photo.  You can find the second Toledo/Castle Rock game, Pe Ell/Napavine and the 1A Championship game between Onalaska and Montesano.