Sports Card Photographer

2026 National: Jayden Maiava
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11.29.25: UCLA vs. USC

Camera: Nikon D5⁣⁣⁣
Lens: Nikon 70-200 2.8⁣⁣⁣
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Tech Specs⁣⁣⁣
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Lens (mm): 160
ISO: 2500
Aperture: 3.5
Shutter 1/1600

2026 Pristine Insert: Shohei Ohtani
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8.5.25: Cardinals vs. Dodgers

Camera: Nikon D5⁣⁣⁣
Lens: Nikon 400 2.8⁣⁣⁣
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Tech Specs⁣⁣⁣
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Lens (mm): 400⁣⁣⁣
ISO: 3200
Aperture: 3.5
Shutter 1/2000

2025 Archives: Adley Rutschman
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8.29.24: Orioles vs. Dodgers

Camera: Nikon D5⁣⁣⁣
Lens: Nikon 400 2.8⁣⁣⁣
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Tech Specs⁣⁣⁣
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Lens (mm): 400⁣⁣⁣
ISO: 640
Aperture: 3.5
Shutter 1/800

2025 Archives: Marcelo Mayer
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6.24.25: Red Sox vs. Angels

Camera: Nikon D5⁣⁣⁣
Lens: Nikon 400 2.8⁣⁣⁣
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Tech Specs⁣⁣⁣
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Lens (mm): 400⁣⁣⁣
ISO: 1600
Aperture: 4
Shutter 1/2000

2026 Flagship Chrome: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
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7.22.25: Twins vs. Dodgers

Camera: Nikon D5⁣⁣⁣
Lens: Nikon 400 2.8⁣⁣⁣
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Tech Specs⁣⁣⁣
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Lens (mm): 400⁣⁣⁣
ISO: 3200
Aperture: 3.5
Shutter 1/3200

2023 Platinum Anniversary: Miguel Vargas
 
9.21.22: Diamondbacks at Dodgers
  
Camera: Nikon D5 
Lens: Nikon 70-200 2.8
 
Tech Specs 
 
Lens (mm): 110 
ISO: 5000 
Aperture: 4
Shutter 1/800
 

2026 All-Star: Mike Trout
 
6.25.25: Red Sox at Angels
 
The Story Behind the 📸⁣⁣⁣

This photo was captured last summer during a day game in Anaheim. Mike Trout was taking a lead off second base and I took the photo from the first base photo well next to the visitor’s (Red Sox) dugout, just past first base.

I saw this card recently and the photo had me puzzled. I couldn’t figure out where the photo was taken at the stadium that would render that background. Well after looking through my images of Trout from last year, I realized that the photo was mine and the background was AI.

AI stadium backgrounds have been used for a while, but normally for players who have switched teams or for international players like Roki and Yamamoto, who had yet to play in their home ballpark. I don’t have a huge problem in those instances, but I have seen more and more AI backgrounds on images that just don’t need them making it feel like the photo is staged or unauthentic.

The empty stands at Angel Stadium behind Trout in the original photo apparently was a problem for whoever creatively was handling this set. This is where it starts to become an issue for me as you are removing an actual historical setting and replacing it with one that isn’t even close to being accurate.

The only place in the stadium that there is a red bar behind the batter is when the batter is at home plate. That red area is an ad for State Farm and is visible in probably hundreds of photos over the years. The State Farm text is very visible, but the AI rendering is not. The text is jumbled and the part that is red is far too thin to be accurate, which made me pause the first time I saw the photo.

I’m sure the team at Topps thinks they made the photo a better one for the card, but did they?
 
Camera: Nikon D5 
Lens: Nikon 400 2.8
 
Tech Specs 
 
Lens (mm): 400 
ISO: 160 
Aperture: 3.5
Shutter 1/1600
 

2026 All-Star: Freddie Freeman
 
8.15.25: Padres at Dodgers
 
 
Camera: Nikon D5 
Lens: Nikon 400 2.8
 
Tech Specs 
 
Lens (mm): 400 
ISO: 2000 
Aperture: 3.5
Shutter 1/2500 
 

2026 Bowman Best: Brayden Burries
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11.3.25: Arizona vs. Florida

Camera: Nikon D5⁣⁣⁣
Lens: Nikon 70-200 2.8⁣⁣⁣
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Tech Specs⁣⁣⁣
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Lens (mm): 125
ISO: 4000
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter 1/1600

2026 Bowman: AJ Dybantsa
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11.3.25: BYU vs. Villanova

Camera: Nikon D5⁣⁣⁣
Lens: Nikon 70-200 2.8⁣⁣⁣
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Tech Specs⁣⁣⁣
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Lens (mm): 130
ISO: 4000
Aperture: 2.8
Shutter 1/1600