A Dream Come True....

Go take pictures of ballplayers over the holiday weekend?

 Why, yes… of course I will. 

Who am I supposed to take pictures of? 

Don’t worry… here’s a list.

And so began my first photo assignment, taking pictures of the AAA Omaha Royals for i70baseball.com during last weekend’s series against the Oklahoma City Redhawks.

The opportunity to take pictures with the freedom a press credential provides was an offer dreams are made of. Yet there I was, headed into a ballpark where I had been many times, with a media pass, player access and roaming privileges. I could hop into photo wells alongside the dugouts to get those up-close bench shots shielded from public view.  And when the players were stretching and tossing balls before the game, I had the freedom to walk right out onto the field. As a fan who has always been stuck behind the gate, the thrill of experiencing baseball from beyond that jail was hard to contain. 

Admittedly, I was nervous. Would I mess up?  Get in trouble?  Do something wrong?  Would I stand out like the rookie I was? 

Before heading out on my inaugural media pass adventure, I had decided on several personal rules of conduct.  I wanted to make a good impression, but I also wanted to make sure this would not be my last chance to attend a game with a press credential.

Rule #1: No Cheering from the press box or photo wells. 

Rule #2:  Do not dress like a fan.

Rule #3: Maintain professional distance.

... Rule #3 didn’t last very long!  ;)

The weekend was quite an adventure for a baseball-loving gal such as myself.  I met broadcasters, got tips from a real pro photographer from Baseball America, met the Royals’ superstar prospect and cheated on my Memphis Redbirds for just a few days. 

And like any good lead in should, I hope this leaves you wanting to read more. 

Today i70baseball.com published the full story of my media pass adventure including pictures and stories about the fun I had photographing the boys of the AAA Omaha Royals. 

You can read more by clicking the link:  “The Omaha Challenge”

Or by copying/pasting this address:  http://www.i70baseball.com/?p=3225

Thanks for reading!

This weekend I will be even more excited to use my second media pass when our Memphis Redbirds (aka Babybirds) take on the OKC Redhawks in the best-of-5 American Conference Championship playoffs.  Games 3 through 5 will be played in Oklahoma City starting Friday. 

GO MEMPHIS!!!!!

And GO CARDS!  ;)