Tee-ball Love

This body of work captures the tender, fleeting moments of childhood as framed through the American pastime of tee-ball. While the images emerge from the context of sport, their deeper resonance lies in how they document the rhythms of discovery, resilience, and joy that shape early identity and belonging.

The photographs trace a collective journey, from quiet reflection behind the chain-link fence, to the exhilaration of running bases, to the warmth of encouragement from coaches and peers. Each frame balances vulnerability with courage, showing how even the youngest players negotiate spaces of challenge, triumph, and self-realization.

Tee-ball, in this sense, becomes more than a childhood game; it is a microcosm of cultural initiation, a rehearsal for participation in community and society. The tentative first swings, the guiding hands of adults, the bonds of friendship, and the exuberant celebrations after small victories all mirror the ways in which children learn to navigate systems, relationships, and shared traditions.

Through light, gesture, and expression, I aim to honor these five- and six-year-olds not merely as athletes but as storytellers of their own becoming, unguarded and radiant with possibility. In their play we see echoes of broader narratives: the enduring symbolism of baseball as a democratic space, the formation of identity within collective ritual, and the universal desire to be seen, supported, and celebrated.