Here are a few pictures from the Labor Day baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles played in Baltimore, MD. Instead of sitting on the preferred first base side, I sat right behind home plate (five rows to be exact). Although this was an amazing perspective to watch the game, this view will provide a photographer with a few limitations.

First, most of your photos will be of the players’ backs, and the umpire or even the catcher may obstruct your view of the batter. Obviously, a good photographer can still capture a quality picture overall, but some people, myself included, prefer to capture the entire body of the batter.

Second, you may need to bring a lens with a very large focal range to get a good snapshot of the action. Most baseball fields have a large backstop behind home plate, so there could be several feet between you and the field, even if you were sitting in the first row.

Last, sitting from this perspective can make it difficult to capture any action away from home plate without a lens that has a long focal range. I would highly recommend bringing a telephoto lens to the park in case you were to find yourself sitting right behind home plate. Unfortunately, some stadiums/ballparks might prohibit such a lens (Heinz Field is an example), so it is wise to check the stadium’s guidelines prior to attending the game.

Overall, when taking pictures of sporting events from a fan’s perspective, you must ask yourself two questions: Do I want to watch the game or do I want to capture quality pictures? Obviously, you can do both, but personal experience has shown me that at some point you might miss out on one intention or another. Anyway, good luck shooting and enjoy the pictures.