University of Georgia Athletics
Through the Lens: 21st Annual Georgia Classic
February 28, 2024 | Softball
Get an inside look at the inspiration behind the shots from team photographer Tony Walsh
ATHENS, Ga. – This past weekend, I had the opportunity to cover all of Georgia's games in the 21st Annual Georgia Classic.
With our team coming off an impressive weekend at the Clearwater Invitational in Florida, I was excited to be out at Jack Turner Stadium in Athens.
As a photographer, it is part of my job to show the action during the game, but also the moments before and after. This image of Sydney Kuma and Sara Mosley is the perfect example of a quiet moment between teammates before the intensity of competition starts. Another part of my job is to stay out of the way and the mirrorless cameras I use allow me to take photos silently which is very helpful when being close to a moment like this.
In this photo, Ellie Armistead prepares to step off the base before a pitch is thrown. When I am covering any sporting event, I always try to show how close I am to the action with detailed photos like this one. The 70-200 telephoto lens I use allows me to zoom in really close to focus on details nobody else can see.
After a few innings, I like to get out of my position in the dugout and walk around to find a different angle or perspective. It was a beautiful day on Saturday and this photo shows that while also showing the support of the fans for our team.
When capturing the action of a game, there can be a lot of obstacles that get in the way of focusing your camera. This photo of Rachel Gibson pitching is cleaned up by taking an overhead angle behind home plate.
Whenever I am covering Georgia softball, I am always prepared for home runs. I prefer to focus on the emotion and joy of the batter rounding the bases instead of the moment the bat hits the ball. This photo of Jayda Kearney rounding third to celebrate with her coach and teammates is one of my favorites from the weekend.
With a 16-35 wide angle lens, I am able to take photos that have a perspective closer to what the human eye sees. For this photo, I crouched down for a lower angle to emphasize the focus of the photo which was Madison Kerpics running out to the pitcher's circle.
Sara Mosley capped off the weekend with an outstanding performance at the plate on Sunday. She went 3-for-3 with two home runs and drove in five of Georgia's eight runs. I like this photo of her celebration after her second home run because it shows more emotion than her first. Even during a game where the same thing happens twice, a small change in someone's reaction can make a big difference for the final photo.
I am certain there will be a lot more moments like this throughout the season. Softball is always a blast to photograph and I am looking forward to the rest of an exciting season.
# @UGAsoftball #
