Hot to Get Classic Black and White Baseball Photos with an X-Pro2 and Voigtländer Ultron 75mm f/1.9 MC
Vancouver Canadians vs. Hillsboro minor league baseball at Net Bailey Stadium
Black and White Photography at the Old Ball Game
Vancouver Canadians vs. Hillsboro Hops Minor League Base Ball at Nat Bailey Stadium
Last week, we attended our first-ever baseball game while living in Vancouver. I would not count myself as a big baseball fan, but I still have and occasionally use the baseball glove that I received as a gift from my inlaws when I visited Canada for the first time in the summer of 1984 :)
In Toronto, at the Skydome, we’ve seen the Blue Jays, and we were at Safeco Field a few years ago to see the Mariners play. While we are not devout, watching any sport live will often change your opinion and perspective on the given sport.
I wondered if I was allowed to bring a camera, so I took a chance with a very minimalistic kit for this game. I took just one camera and one lens: my Fujifilm X-Pro2 with the compact and lightweight Voigtländer Ultron 75mm f/1.9 MC.
Nat Bailey Stadum, Vancouver
Black and White Photography Baseball
Baseball has a long history in North America. For me, it is largely associated with Yankees games in New York, and by nature, it is therefore linked to black-and-white photography.
I decided to shoot this doubleheader entirely in black and white. That being said, I captured the images in RAW and could, therefore, change my mind if the colors won me. They didn’t. The final output from the Vancouver Canadians vs. Hillsboro Hops game was all in black and white.
Grand stands Nat Bailey Stadum, Vancouver
Wonderful Atmosphere
The first game started at 5:00 PM and was played during the golden hour, much to my delight. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and at no point did the stadium staff stop me from moving around freely, which meant I could capture the game from multiple angles.
The Nat Bailey Stadium seats 6,500 people, and I estimate that attendance was less than half of that.
The Voigtländer Ultron 75mm f/1.9 MC gives me a full-frame equivalent field of view of approximately 115mm on my X-Pro2, and I was pleased to learn how well this worked for baseball.
Ideally, having more reach and autofocus would have been better had this been a paid gig.
A Hillsboro Hops player makes a hit at Nat Bailey Stadium
Static Shots
The above-mentioned lack of autofocus and having only a set focal length lens made action shots difficult to obtain, but I didn’t mind. I was mostly at the game to capture the atmosphere, player portraits, and crowds in the stands.
How To Get the Classic Black and White Look
Three important elements are going into getting this particular look in your black-and-white baseball photos.
I shoot RAW with my film simulation setting at Acros for Fujifilm’s Acros film simulation. This simulation is based on Fujifilm's black-and-white negative film stock.
When editing in Capture One, I often reduce contrast slightly, between -5 and -10. In the tone curve, I may lift the blacks or shadows slightly.
The final element is the Voigtländer Ultron 75mm f/1.9 MC, which has an excellent classic rendering style, especially when looking at the bokeh. Most of the images in this post are captured at f/2.2.
Hillsboro Hops at bat
Manual Focus Only
With practice, manual focusing can become second nature. You get the best result by punching in on the topic to verify that you have accurate focusing, then simply hitting the shutter. The more you practice, the faster you will be able to do this.
After experimenting with focus peaking for some time, I have decided that working without it works better for me. Depending on the level of focus peaking, I find that it can be distracting and detract from the overall experience.
Christian Cerda, Hillsboro Hops
Bottom of the Ninth
It is wonderfully relaxing to be a sports photographer when you don’t have to worry about capturing the winning play (which I did miss, along with other home runs and action). This was an event for me to merely take in the sights, sounds, and baseball vibe.
If you have never shot sports or it has been a while since you did, this is a fantastic way to hone your skills and perhaps try something new and challenging.
Vancouver Canadians at bat
Vancouver Canadians fan
Look, I got a game ball
Vancouver Canadians grand stands at Nat Bailey Stadium
The photos in this post are made using the following photography gear and editing tools.
Links to my reviews and sources:
Fujifilm X-Pro2
Voigtländer Ultron 75mm f/1.9 MC
Fujifilm Film Simulation Samples
