Game 6 of the World Series produced an iconic moment is sports photography (GIF here) and we have Jeff Silverman to thank.
In the Sports Illustrated recap of the media coverage of the Series - here's what they wrote:
Tony Gambino is not a sports media name you’d recognize, but he was responsible for one of the most memorable moments of Fox’s World Series coverage. A freelance camera operator who has worked the postseason for Fox since 2012, Gambino took the incredible camera shot of Chapman getting to first base before the Indians' Francisco Lindor in the seventh inning during Game 6. “Plays in baseball happen so fast, and we as cameramen try to see what’s happening on the field, react, frame it correctly, be in focus, all in a moment’s notice,” Gambino wrote via email from Cleveland. “I just saw what was happening on the field and knew the play would be at the bag. And I went for it.... Compared to other sports, baseball is the hardest to shoot because you have no idea what’s going to happen. Plays happen so fast. I knew if I could get to the bag before them, it would look great.”
Gambino said he was positioned next to the first camera operator on the first-base side of the field—Low 1st. According to Michael Davies, the senior vice president of field and technical operations for the Fox Sports Media Group, Gambino used a Vision Research “Phantom” v64 camera that shoots at 2,100 frames a second. Davies said the camera is from a small company in Jacksonville, Vermont, that provides specialty cameras for companies. He said he believed Fox is the only sports network to use the camera.
“Tony is the kind of guy who has really taken to the technology,” Davies said. “He is there at the right place at the right time. One of the things that you miss when you see a replay slowed down as much as that is that it really happens in the blink of an eye. Someone like him needs to be on the mark and in focus. [Former Fox Sports chairman] David Hill used to say the best live events look post-produced, and I think we have definitely gotten closer to that mark.”
Gambino said he heard from people on the crew after the game about his shot, which was gratifying. “As a cameraman, it’s always great to see your hard work pay off,” Gambino said. “Especially for key moments in sports. We try and give the viewer the best look possible. The umpires to a great job, but it’s gratifying knowing that call is correct because of our camera work.
Jeff says be on the lookout for more premium shots since "There's going be stuff coming from Supercross, X-games, Superbowl and Westminster dog show coming up"
