Through The Lens: Oconee County Baseball (First Half of the Season)
High school baseball in the state of Georgia is as popular as it’s ever been. I photograph for Oconee County High School, one of the top teams in the state. The Warriors are a little over halfway through the 2025 season and so far, I have 512 gigabytes of video and photos from the sixteen games they have played. The Warriors carry a 12-4 (3-1 region) record into the second half of the season as things only get tougher as critical region games are on the calendar for the rest of the way.
So, as a challenge (to me), and a way to both spread the word about this talented team and to share some of my photography, I am choosing just one, singular image from each game played thus far to highlight and talk about in this post. This was a difficult process - some of the games, I have over 300 images to choose from. I’ll share a quick blurb and the camera settings I had dialed in for each shot.
And before I begin, if you or your team would like photos and videos to use for recruiting or just for the kids and families, please reach out to me via DM on Instagram or visit my contact page.
Cole Johnson (Class of 2025) | Oconee County at Loganville | Feb. 10, 2025
Game 1: The first game of the season was probably the most exciting game in the first half of the season. Oconee opened on the road at Loganville, the defending GHSA 5A state champs. An early 6 run lead for the Warriors was eventually erased by the Red Devils’ timely hitting. Oconee ended up losing 8-7 in extra innings.
About the photo: I love this B&W edit of Cole because it is exactly his demeanor on the mound. He’s 100 percent locked-in, works fast, and throws in the low 90s. You’ll be able to watch him next year playing for the University of Georgia.
Camera: Canon EOSR | RF 70-200mm | ISO 4000, f/2.8, 1/800 | 200mm focal length
Cole Johnson (Class of 2025) | Oconee County vs North Oconee | Feb. 17, 2025
Game 2: One of the biggest wins of the season came in game 2 of the season. Oconee County had not beat crosstown rival, North Oconee since 2017. When I told people about the game, I referred to it as “The Cole Johnson Game”. Cole hit a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning to cut North’s lead in half. Then in the 4th inning Cole hit his 2nd home run of the game to help put the Warriors up for good.
About the photo: This photograph made the Oconee Enterprise. I was initially pretty upset with myself because I’m usually taking video of Cole when he bats, but on this sequence I was in photo mode. There will be other home runs I can capture on video, so in hindsight I was very excited to get this shot of Cole flashing two fingers as he rounds first (referencing his second home run of the game). I was at 1/6400 shutter speed in the sequence because I had also taken a burst of Cole’s swing and I wanted to make sure it was crisp.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/6400 | 110mm focal length
William Resutek (Class of 2027) | Oconee County vs Flowery Branch | Feb. 18, 2025
Game 3: It’s hard to come off of an emotion win vs your cross county rival and play another tough team from a higher classification. Flowery Branch gave the Warriors all they could handle, but Oconee scored 5 in the bottom of the 5th inning to put the game out of reach.
About the photo: Why do lefty's have such awesome swings and follow throughs? This is a shot of our first baseman, William Resutek with a hard hit ball. I love how you get everything in this image. The power of the swing with the catcher and umpire still frozen in position all while Will’s teammates look on. Plus, as you’ll see in a later photo, images taken from the third base side of the field are beautifully lit because you get the sun shining on the players. If you study the camera settings, 1/2500 is about the minimum to freeze a baseball swing hitting a ball if you’re trying to freeze the action.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 4000, f/2.8, 1/2500 | 120mm focal length
Ethan Kenney #12 | Oconee County at Houston County (DH) | Feb. 22, 2025
Game 4: A double-header down in Houston County, one of the premier programs in the state of Georgia across all classifications. A 9-0 shutout at the hands of the Bears was a humbling experience and it didn’t look good for game 2 against Houston later that day.
About the photo: I love a good home run celly and I also love it when I get an awesome photo. This is right after Ethan Kenney of Houston County sent one over the left field wall. I got the entire sequence of the home run, from the swing, to him rounding the bases, up to this celebration at home plate. You can tell by the way his teammates came out to great him that not only is Ethan a great player, but he’s also someone this team thinks of as a leader. Love the white and black uniforms as well.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 500, f/3.2, 1/6400 | 90mm focal length
Brody Christopher (Class of 2027) | Oconee County at Houston County (DH) | Feb. 22, 2025
Game 5: The second game of the double header down at Houston County. The Bears had just beat the Warriors 9-0 and had given up one hit in the first game. But game two was a nail biter. It was a game of big defensive plays by Oconee as this photo reveals. Look at the score how it shows 1-1, but Houston had eleven hits. That tells you something right there. I actually made a pretty intense highlight reel for Instagram. But, as always, I’m a hybrid shooter - I’m flipping back and forth between making photos and shooting video.
About the photo: Brody Christopher pitched the 6th, 7th, and 8th inning that game and held the Bears’ offense scoreless. I love this image because it shows Brody watching the next batter stroll up to the plate and anyone who knows a little bit about baseball can see the scoreboard in the background and know it’s a pressure situation. It was a pressure cooker part of the game, but knowing how calm Brody is, he wasn’t feeling it.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/2500 | 200mm focal length
Carson Fuchs (Class of 2025) | Oconee County at Locust Grove | Feb. 25, 2025
Game 6: The Warriors won this game in 6 innings with an 11-1 score (mercy rule is 10 runs after 5 innings). I thought the game would be way closer than it was because historically, Locust Grove has had one of the best teams in the GHSA 4A classification. Carson had two hits in this game, but this wasn’t one of them. He flew out to center on this hit, but it was a barrel.
About the photo: The field had chain link fencing even around home plate. Most schools have netting which is way easier to focus through. I felt lucky to get a clean image without the metal reflecting in the lens. The lighting, the follow through and the ball flight is why I chose this photo. It was a tough choice because there were a ton of other great photos I took of this game.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 3200, f/2.8, 1/2500 | 70mm focal length
Walker Duvall (Class of 2026) | Oconee Count vs Crisp County | Mar. 1, 2025
Game 7: With a 4-2 record the Warriors hosted two teams at home for a double header. First up was Crisp County from Cordele, Georgia. This was a special game for me as a photographer and a dad. My son, Walker got his first two varsity at-bats in this game. In his first plate appearance, he hit one out towards the right field line and tried to stretch a single into a double. Tried, as he was promptly thrown out a second base. Undeterred in his second at-bat, he stepped up to the plate with two outs and Oconee up 14-5. Walker barreled one up that went to deep right center. He got to second base and kept going to third. The throw from the outfield went into the visitors dugout and Walker was able to advance home. That was the 15th run, which gave the Warriors a walk-off, mercy rule victory. Pretty cool moment for Walker.
About the photo: The home whites that the Warriors wear always look so clean. And, I’ve always been happy that Walker chooses to sport the knickers look with the tall socks. I think it makes you look faster in photos. As for this image, he’s on deck for his first at-bat of the season. Baseball means the world to him so I can’t imagine how nervous he must have been. It’s cool to know that if he did have nerves as he’s staring at his bat in the photo, that he was able to overcome them or use it to his advantage because he went 2 for 2 in the game.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 640, f/3.2, 1/1000 | 170mm focal length
Cole Johnson (Class of 2025) | Oconee County vs Walnut Grove | Mar. 1, 2025
Game 8: Oconee County hosted Walnut Grove in the second game of the day. Again, the Warriors were playing a tough team from a higher classification. But the team seemed to continue their hot streak from the earlier game and although it wasn’t a mercy rule, the game never felt like Walnut Grove would make it a close game. OC won 7-3.
About the photo: How could you not love this image?!? The only thing I regret is the ball not being in frame. I did have a later one in the sequence, but Cole had drifted farther towards right field and his face was partially blocked by his glove. There’s a group of dads who always sit in the outfield for games, so to have them in this photo makes it even cooler. If you look to the far left, that’s Cole’s dad watching his son track the fly ball. Usually when I’m shooting outfield photos, I’ll click the 1.6 extender in-camera so even though the camera data says I shot this at 200mm, it was an equivalent of 320mm.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 2000, f/2.8, 1/1250 | *200mm focal length
Will Roberson (Class of 2025) | Oconee County at Hart County | Mar. 4, 2025
Game 9: Oconee County was hot. They could do no wrong. They had to travel up to Hart County, a former region opponent who would not back down. The Warriors lost a tough, weird, frustrating game to the Bulldogs. There were errors. There were very questionable calls by the home plate umpire all night long. But, those are the breaks, you have to overcome them to win games at times.
About the photo: I love training my camera at home plate when taking photos. When taking video, I often will start at the pitcher and follow the ball as it crosses home plate. This was obviously a called strike (or was it?). Umpire joke there. Will was setup on the outside corner and I don’t really mind the motion blur in the ball because the blur helps tell the story of it being a fast pitch. Plus with it being dark, I had to be careful of how much I was going to push my ISO. The higher the ISO, the grainier the image.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 6400, f/2.8, 1/1250 | 70mm focal length
Isaac Smith (Class of 2025) | Oconee County vs Franklin County | Mar. 5, 2025
Game 10: This was one of those games that was miserable to sit out and watch, but you’re so glad you did because it had it all. It was in the low 40s. It was spitting rain. It was blustery. It was not at all ideal baseball weather. But, the Warriors faced off against another former region opponent in Franklin County. The Lions have a center fielder, Ty Peeples who will be playing at the University of Georgia next year…he might actually get drafted by MLB this summer. Ty led off the game with a smooth, towering shot to right field that might still be climbing into the cold night. But Oconee County and their never-say-die attitude staged a comeback, which was capped off with great base running and a bomb from Cole Johnson. Yes, both future Bulldogs hit big home runs in this game. Check out the highlight reel.
About the photo: I had great photos of Ty and Cole in this game, but this one tells the story best of what we as fans and the players were dealing with. You can see our shortstop, Isaac Smith sliding into third on this play. But what you really notice is the dark, the rain, and the American flag showing how hard the wind was blowing. I love this photo because with one look, you know what the atmosphere must have been like.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 8000, f/2.8, 1/1000 | 70mm focal length
Coach Brian Trivette | Oconee County at Madison County | Mar. 7, 2025
Game 11: A quick drive up to Madison County against a team that was 2-9 was a recipe for disaster. And it almost happened. The Red Raiders held on to a precarious lead for most of the game until the top of the 7th, when a 4 run outburst by the Warriors made it feel like it was an easy win all along. As my good friend and podcast co-host, Will Leitch says, “Win your clunkers.” This is in relation to good teams aren’t always going to play lights out, but even if the team plays bad and finds a way to win a bad game, that’s always a positive. The Warriors won a clunker, but a win is a win.
About the photo: I knew it when I took it that this would be a favorite of mine. The only thing I couldn’t be certain of was how I wanted to edit it. Black and white looked great, but the color edit won out. I added a mask around the lights to soften them and act as if the light was washing down on top of coach. I took a quick burst of photos here, but the hand touching the cap brim as he gave signs was the icing on the cake for making it one of my favorite baseball photos I’ve ever taken. Note, the settings for a non-action photo are all out of whack. If I was at the game taking moments instead of action, I would have preferred to see the ISO around 2000 and shutter speed around 1/250. But I don’t have the time in between pitches to change, so I go with what I have dialed in.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 8000, f/2.8, 1/1600 | 70mm focal length
Seniors Pregame | Oconee County vs Clarke Central | Mar. 8, 2025
Game 12: Not an action photo at all. This was shot pregame as JT, Luther, Isaac, Shanon, and Adam greeted their former teammate and Class of 2024 pitcher, Bristol Skinner. There was no time to pose them. They were just talking amongst themselves and saw me and we all mutually knew it was time for a photo. I say it was not posed, but damn, they did a good job quickly falling into a very cool pose and another favorite photo from this season. The Warriors beat Clarke Central that day 10-0.
About the photo: I already talked about the photo, but let’s talk about the settings. I had my 70-200mm lens on the camera and had just rounded the corner when I saw them talking. If I could change anything, I definitely would have shot it at around f/4 because with five people in the photo, more will be in focused. The color is great and the pose it great, so I’m pretty happy with it. I know the guys were happy with it as well.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 70-200mm | ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/400 | 70mm focal length
Shannon Dickert (Class of 2025) | Oconee County vs East Hall | Mar. 11, 2025
Game 13: Senior Day and the opening of region play. I must say, most of the time Senior Day or Senior Night is typically the last home game of the season, but I’m glad we went ahead and did it mid-season. It was the region opener, but not a very good region opponent, so you knew it would be a victory, which it was by a score of 13-1. The weather was beautiful, and it gave plenty of time to honor the seniors, which there are a lot - eleven to be exact. I was setup around home plate to get the shot of the seniors walking under the bats and then pivoted to get the family shot as they walked around home plate. Shout out to the Dickert’s for providing the best one of these “under the bats” photos.
About the photo: Everything was going so fast. I think I took 200 photos even before first pitch. But the multi-colored bats juxtaposed with the white uniforms and families walking underneath makes for such a cool image. I loved this idea and no I didn’t come up with it. Shout out to the other parents of this team for planning the whole event. Also, notice in the camera description, this is the first featured phot where I’m using a different lens. The RF 24-70mm is quickly becoming my favorite non-sports lens. Everything it produces is so crisp and vibrant. I love shooting with it.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 24-70mm | ISO 400, f/5, 1/2500 | 70mm focal length
Carson Fuchs (Class of 2025) | Oconee County at East Hall (DH) | Mar. 14, 2025
Game 14: Oconee County played against East Hall at home on Tuesday, March 11th and then had to go on the road to East Hall for a region double header on Friday, March 14th. Game one lasted 3 innings. I told you East Hall wasn’t any good. The Warriors won in mercy rule fashion 16-0 over the Vikings. The field was nice and the sight lines were good and Carson was dealing in this game. Also, there was a Gen-X guy who was running the sound system so in between innings we were blessed with Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Alice In Chains.
About the photo: I did not have my 70-200mm lens for this game. Instead I had my old 10 year old kit lens I got with my Canon 80D camera. I love working with older lenses at times - it’s a challenge, but a fun one. This 18-135mm is not bright and I knew if I was going to use it, it needed to be in the daylight. Every now and then, when editing I’ll get in a black and white phase. This photo looks great in color, but black and white edits just accentuate the grit and determination on a pitcher’s face. Sometimes I get caught wanting more contrast like in this photo or more brightness. But I’m happy with how this one turned out and Carson’s mom came up to me at the following game saying how much she liked this photo. That’s the best feeling as a photographer.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | EF 18-135mm | ISO 500, f/5.6, 1/1500 | 135mm focal length
Will Roberson (Class of 2025) | Oconee County at East Hall (DH) | Mar. 14, 2025
Game 15: The second game of the double header was a lot like the first game. Oconee County won in shutout fashion. The best part about this type of day, when a team is overmatched, is that all the guys play. When taking photos, I love to feature as many of the players as possible. There are stars on the team and man are they fun to watch and photograph. But I also know that every kid on that roster puts in time in the cage, at practice, lifting, etc. If I can grab a few action shots of them playing high school baseball I get a thrill when I see them repost it or hear back from their parents about how much they loved that photo. I made a very cool black and white video edit from this series.
About the photo: Evening sun was at prime golden hour and it’s always a good shot when you get a catcher rising up to try to throw someone out stealing. Unfortunately in this instance the runner was safe and I would have liked to use an image with the ball out of his hand, but he threw it so fast, the next frame had the ball blocked by the batter’s head. A different color grade was used on this photo - it brings out all of the bold colors and vignettes the edges.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 24-70mm | ISO 500, f/3.2, 1/2500 | 50mm focal length
Nate Roberson (Class of 2027) | Oconee County vs Jefferson | Mar. 18, 2025
Game 16: Since that loss to Hart County, the Warriors had won six games in a row, three of them by mercy rule. Jefferson visited Arrowhead Park on Tuesday and won a pivotal road region game vs Oconee. Too many mistakes and not enough timely hitting will get you beat many times. But, it’s a good reset for this talented team, but the Friday double header at Jefferson looms large. A sweep or split would put that early week loss far off into the rearview.
About the photo: Nate has been an ace on the mound for over a year now. And he’s only a sophomore! There might not be a better angle at Oconee’s home field than photographing the players from the third base side of the field in the evening sun. I barely had to even touch this photo, it looked this good right out of camera.
Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II | RF 24-70mm | ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/2500 | 180mm focal length
The Oconee County Warriors are 12-4 and continue their push to the state playoffs this week at Jefferson. Follow the team on Instagram. I’ll be posting updates, photos, and more video edits as the season goes. Also, follow me on Instagram if you aren’t already. I specialize in sports photography, sports highlight reels, and also work with clients on retainer.