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 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? My hunch is that no, they ordinarily were not. But I stopped there anyway on Dec. 10, our first full day of the recent 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