Shooting Cal Ripken Jr.
First let me apologize for the poor-quality photo. I was at a talk given by freelance photographer Jim Burger (left) and Baltimore Sun photographer Gene Sweeney Jr. (right) on Saturday about shooting images of Cal Ripken Jr. All I had was my cell phone camera, and the lighting was poor. Maybe it is time to invest in a decent point-and-shoot for walking around.
The talk was at the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards to celebrate the opening of the museum's newest display "Cal Ripken, Jr.: Focus on a Hall of Fame Career; Photographs by Jerry Wachter". Here is some info from the press release: "Beginning on June 25, come to Sports Legends Museum and see our newest exhibit paying tribute to Baltimore’s newest Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken, Jr. From his major league debut in 1981, to the historic 2131 game of 1995, to his final at-bat in 2001, “Cal Ripken, Jr: Focus on a Hall of Fame Career” is a photograph exhibit highlighting Cal Ripken’s 21 season career as documented by Orioles team photographer Jerry Wachter. The exhibit will feature more than 40 images as well as artifacts from both Ripken and Wachter’s career".
Jim and Gene talked for about an hour about Jerry, shooting Cal, the Orioles and news photography in general. There were more than 50 people there listening and asking questions. Jim and Gene were great with their answers. The stories of shooting Cal and the Orioles were very entertaining. They spoke about the old days of shooting in Memorial Stadium when photographers could practically roam free on the outskirts of the field. They were in play and had to keep on their toes for balls and players trying to make plays. All that changed with the move to Camden Yards. Now shooters are penned up in a few positions near the dugout and around the stands.
Jerry's images were huge in the gallery and printed well; many were blown up to at least 3 feet. If you have a chance to visit the museum and are into sports photography and sports memorabilia, especially Baltimore artifacts, then it is worth the trip. Admission is $10 per person, which I thought was a little steep if just to see the images of Cal Ripken, but I went for the talk and the Cal images, so it was worth it.
The talk was at the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards to celebrate the opening of the museum's newest display "Cal Ripken, Jr.: Focus on a Hall of Fame Career; Photographs by Jerry Wachter". Here is some info from the press release: "Beginning on June 25, come to Sports Legends Museum and see our newest exhibit paying tribute to Baltimore’s newest Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken, Jr. From his major league debut in 1981, to the historic 2131 game of 1995, to his final at-bat in 2001, “Cal Ripken, Jr: Focus on a Hall of Fame Career” is a photograph exhibit highlighting Cal Ripken’s 21 season career as documented by Orioles team photographer Jerry Wachter. The exhibit will feature more than 40 images as well as artifacts from both Ripken and Wachter’s career".
Jim and Gene talked for about an hour about Jerry, shooting Cal, the Orioles and news photography in general. There were more than 50 people there listening and asking questions. Jim and Gene were great with their answers. The stories of shooting Cal and the Orioles were very entertaining. They spoke about the old days of shooting in Memorial Stadium when photographers could practically roam free on the outskirts of the field. They were in play and had to keep on their toes for balls and players trying to make plays. All that changed with the move to Camden Yards. Now shooters are penned up in a few positions near the dugout and around the stands.
Jerry's images were huge in the gallery and printed well; many were blown up to at least 3 feet. If you have a chance to visit the museum and are into sports photography and sports memorabilia, especially Baltimore artifacts, then it is worth the trip. Admission is $10 per person, which I thought was a little steep if just to see the images of Cal Ripken, but I went for the talk and the Cal images, so it was worth it.
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