FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Michael Probst has been working as a photographer and editor in Germany for over 40 years. He's covered everything from the fall of the Berlin Wall to Olympics and soccer World Cups, but one of his favorite things to do is make feature photos, the off-the-news assignments that tell their own story. Here's what he had to say about creating this extraordinary feature image.
I like to shoot features in nature. There aren't many things that are nicer than watching the sun rise in the outskirts of Frankfurt with all sorts of animals that you don’t find later in the day.
When the rape fields — plants of the mustard family whose seeds yield an oil used in cooking (canola) and for industrial uses — near the city started to blossom, I drove around to find locations with good looking fields of the yellowing flowers. They are found every year in different places.
When I found two or three fields that could be nice, I returned the next day with my drone. Once it was in the air, I saw that the fields were still too green. I tried again a few days later and the fields were the brilliant yellow I was looking for.
I tried various altitudes with my drone between 30 meters (33 yards) and 120 meters (130 yards). The drone was up for about 25 minutes waiting for a red car to come by.
Whether things that you photograph using a drone will work, you only find out once you are up in the air. A lot of my efforts fail.
For me, green and yellow always work for some reason, and the red car adds a different color. But I actually don’t think too much about why a picture works or doesn't. I like it or I don't. I try to discover things where it’s worth taking a picture.
I don’t often photograph people because in Frankfurt we don’t often have assignments with important people, and shooting interesting people on the street is not allowed without asking. That makes it sometimes quite complicated because most people don’t want to be photographed in Germany — they don’t trust the media anymore.
For more extraordinary AP photography, click here.
Cars drive on an alley between rape fields in the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto had his first multihomer game with the Yankees, Luis Gil struck out a career-high 14 and New York beat the Chicago White Sox 6-1 on Saturday to extend its winning streak to a season-high six games.
Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Trevino also went deep for New York, which has won 12 of 14 and improved to an AL-best 32-15. Soto was 4 for 4 with a walk and is batting .317 with 11 homers and 37 RBIs.
“It was a fun day," said Soto, who has rebounded after a 3-for-25 slide on a six-game road trip."
New York is 12-2-1 in series, matching 2002 as the only times since 1950 the Yankees have won 12 of their first 15 series.
Soto tied the score in the first with a 417-foot drive deep into the right-field bleachers, had an RBI single in the second and hit another solo shot in the fifth with a 437-footer deeper into the right-field bleachers. It was the 18th multihomer game for Soto, who combined with Stanton and Aaron Judge to make New York the first team this year with a trio of double-digit home run hitters.
Gil (5-1) won his fourth straight start and fifth consecutive decision, allowing one run, five hits and one walk in six innings. Gil has given up two runs over 24 1/3 innings in his last four starts.
“I have a great professor in Gerrit Cole,” Gil said through a translator of his Cy Young Award-winning teammate. “He’s always around and always giving me pointers.”
The 25-year-old right-hander averaged 96.4 mph with his fastball, 0.5 mph above his season average. He set the Yankees' rookie record for strikeouts, topping the 13 on Aug. 13, 1998, by Orlando Hernández, who threw out Saturday’s ceremonial first pitch.
“I was very happy to meet him after the game,” Gil said. “For him to be here and connect after the game — great.”
After struggling through a 29-pitch first inning that included 13 changeups, Gil struck out seven in a row starting in the fourth in a streak ended by Eloy Jiménez’s single.
“Maybe his best fastball of the year, which is saying something,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Brad Keller (0-2) allowed a career-high four homers. Making his second start this season, he gave up six runs — five earned — and seven hits in four-plus innings. Chicago batters struck out a season-high 16 times as the White Sox dropped to a major league-worst 4-18 on the road and 14-32 overall.
Andrew Benintendi’s opposite-field RBI double to left put Chicago ahead in the first, but Gil stranded the bases loaded when Korey Lee took a fastball for a called third strike.
Soto tied the score, Judge reached on an infield hit when third baseman Danny Mendick double-clutched before his throw, and Stanton hit an opposite-field RBI double off the right-center wall for a 2-1 lead.
Stanton homered to right-center in the fourth, his 11th of the season and fifth in nine games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: INF Bryan Ramos, on the IL since straining his left quadriceps Tuesday, could soon start a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte, manager Pedro Grifol said.
Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (right elbow nerve inflammation and edema) threw his first bullpen session in which he sat down in the middle for a break simulating an inning. “That’s a big, big one for him to check that box,” pitching coach Matt Blake said. “See how he bounces back after today and then go from there.” Cole was throwing in the low 90 mph range and soon could progress to batting practice. Cole was told to stop throwing in mid-March and pitched his first bullpen on May 4. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner is likely to need four or five minor league rehab starts, simulating spring training.
UP NEXT
LHP Carlos Rodón (4-2, 3.31) starts Sunday’s series finale coming off his first consecutive winning outings with the Yankees. RHP Chris Flexen (2-3, 4.46) starts for Chicago.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Yankees' Juan Soto, right, celebrates with third base coach Luis Rojas as he runs the bases after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees' Juan Soto celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 6-1. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (99) celebrates with teammates after a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 6-1. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (99) beats the throw to Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn for a single during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees' Juan Soto, left, celebrates with Aaron Judge after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees' Luis Gil pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees' Luis Gil pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Brad Keller, right, reacts as New York Yankees' Juan Soto runs the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees' Juan Soto hits a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
In this image taken with a slow shutter speed, New York Yankees' Juan Soto runs the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
