Myrtle Beach, Part VIII: TicketReturn.com Ballpark

One of the things on my list of photo goals in recent years was to get inside a professional baseball park and photo document it. 

I missed my opportunity in the years I was living in Indianapolis, which has a Class 3A ballclub, the Indianapolis Indians, as well as a highly regarded ballpark, Victory Field. We had driven past TicketReturn.com at Pelicans Ballpark (yes, that's it's real name), the home diamond of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on several occasions when we were in the city previously, so I have been aware it was there for some time. 

The only question was: Are ballparks open -- accessible -- during the offseason like when we were there in December 2021? My hunch is that no, they ordinarily were not. But I stopped there anyway, at 1251 21st Avenue North, on Dec. 10, our first full day of the trip. It was heavily overcast, so I removed the polarizing filter on my lens as I walked from the parking lot to what I increasingly perceived to be an open gate. I started shooting as soon as I found things to put into compositions on the off-chance I'd be chased off at any moment. I didn't want to walk away without something. 

As it turns out, there apparently was some kind of small, holiday-related media event -- featuring a sleigh and a gentleman dressed up as Santa Claus at home plate -- taking place on the field at just the moment I arrived. Which probably explains why the gate was open.  Because I had a camera in my hands, I'm guessing nobody thought to stop me or ask me why I was there. And when I started taking pictures of the activity at home plate, it must have confirmed that in their eyes. 

But I also continued to shoot portions of the ballpark as I periodically turned back to the event to shoot more pictures, too. Finally, I stopped being concerned about the event on the field and continued my self-tour of the ballpark, ending up all the way in left field before doubling back, and returning to the gate, but this time via the field-level concourse under the lower grandstands, where I was able to photograph even more things. 

It wasn't until I was nearly out of the concourse that a Pelicans or ballpark staffer saw me and asked me "Can I help you?" (which I've since learned is code for "Who are you and what the bleep are you doing here?" I politely told her that no, I was just there taking pictures and was almost finished and ready to leave -- all true. I came back several days later to get the exterior shots you see in the post; I was so thrilled I got what I did inside on the 10th, that I completely forgot to shoot the exterior. 

For a complete gallery of my shoot at the ballpark that day, follow the link in this sentence. 

Above and below: The stadium exterior, which I grabbed on a second visit several days after taking the rest of the shots. 

The second and third shots I took were the open gate above and the interesting direction sign totem below. 

My first long-range shot above followed shortly afterward by a grandstand section shot below, showing the media and upper grandstands area. 

I'm still walking in the grandstands -- behind the protective netting -- when I shot the above and below. The latter shows the ado going on at home plate, featuring Santa, his sleigh and the Pelican mascot. 

Above: A tighter section shot of the media box and upper grandstands. 

Above: I shot this with the lens up against the netting hoping the focus on home plate would minimize the netting appearance. I think I mostly succeeded.

Above and next two below: I made it to field level on the third-base side of home plate, where there was a small gate open, enabling me to get these unobstructed shots using my Tamron 28-300mm Di CV PZD lens on the Canon 6D.

I climbed back to the aisle between the lower and upper grandstands, where I captured the shot of a closed concession stand (above) on the outdoor concourse behind the grandstands and the left foul line perspective below. 

The sign above was the only clue I had about what the media "event" might have been for. The only question was whether the photo session referred to in the sign occurred before ... or after I was there. I didn't stick around to find out. Farther down the third-base line behind the game seating was this open area to enjoy concessions (below).  

I was in left field (above) and left-center (below) when I made these photos. 

Above: The Pelicans have a designated area behind the third-base grandstands near home plate for smokers to indulge their past-time.  

I began my return walk to the gate going through the field-level concourse (above), where I passed four concession stands, one of which appears below. Each stand has a different name. The one below is Center Field; there also are Home Plate, Pitchers Mound and Dug Out. 

Above and below: More of the concourse, including the doors to the baseball team's pro shop, where team-logo clothing and other paraphernalia are sold on game days. 

Above: A scenic pond and grassy area adjoins the parking lot to the left. 

Next: Churches

Part I: Sunrises 

Part II: Frank G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum

Part III: Beach at Springmaid Pier

Part IV: Holiday Market at Market Commons

Part V: The small-shop trifecta in Surfside Beach

Part VI: Ocean Boulevard

Part VII: Barefoot Landing at the Waterfront