And then there were EIGHT!!! The round of 16 at the Volvo Car Open saw some surprises, and the best players are rising to the top. Here are a few shots from the day’s action. Can’t wait to see who is left standing at the end of the week! 🙂
We survived “Hump Day” at the Volvo Car Open! The best part was, the sun came out. YAY!!! There was a ton of AMAZING action, both on and off the courts. Here are a few selects from another incredible day of WTA tennis…
Round 1 of the Main Draw at the 2019 Volvo Car Open is in the history books! It was a cold and windy day. But the light was great and the energy was electric!!!
The day started off with special appearance by former world number 1, Tracy Austin, at the Doubles & Bubbles Luncheon. On the courts, former champions Andrea Petkovic, Sloane Stephens, and Kiki Bertens all sailed into the second round. Top sead Stephens had to fight hard for her win oveer a fiesty Sara Sorribes Tormo. American Amanda Anisimov put up a good fight, but lost to Petra Martic in three sets. Maria Sakkari triumphed in 3 sets. Qualifier Kateryna Kozlova upset Kristyna Pliskova. And newcomer to the stage, Emma Navarro, really impressed fans with her game, going toe-to-toe with Laura Siegemund before falling to the former semifinalist. Navarro is a Charleston native, and was making her first ever official WTA appearance on the tour!
Can’t wait to see what’s in store for Day 3…
Qualifying rounds are completed. The main draw has been set. And Day 1 of the Volvo Car Open was full of triumphs and defeats!
Early in the day I had a great time photographing all the amazing ball crew when Kristyna Pliskova made a special appearance.
Another highlights of the day was photographing the Top 8 seeds at the Media All Access Hour, including Sloan Stephens, Anastasija Sevastova, Caroline Wozniacki, Julia Goerges, Kiki Bertens, Aryna Sabalenka, and Danielle Collins.
But the real show-stopper was when an emotional Shelby Rogers won her first match back on the tour after a difficult year of recovery after a scary knee surgery!
Stay tuned for Day 2…
To kick of the start of the Volvo Car Open each year, the tournament has me photograph what they call the Iconic Photo Shoot. They select two players, who we take to an iconic Charleston landmark, where they pretend to play a little tennis. This year’s players were rising American star, Danielle Collins, and our 2017 champion from Latvia, Jelena Ostapenko.
The first day of qualifying at the Volvo Car Open (www.volvocaropen.com) was absolutely EPIC!!! Between Family Day, VIP clinics, all the special player autograph sessions, and the Draw Party, there was so much to see and photograph. It kept me hopping while I hustled to cover everything…including even a little bit of tennis action! 🙂
Last month I had the privilege of being a part of a limited number of photographers that were granted access to photograph some beautiful birds at the Center for Birds of Prey. What an INCREDIBLE experience it was to be up close and personal with these majestic creatures!!! This was not my first time. But it’s an experience that never gets old, and always holds new and exciting challenges!
This time, I went with a light-weight and portable setup. All images were shot on either a Nikon D850 or Nikon D500, using either a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 VRII or a Nikkor 300 f4.0 PF VR lens. I didn’t use any tripods or monopods, just hand-held shots. I carried one camera on each hip using my dual Spyder Holster, which allowed me to quickly switch to the ideal focal length for the shot.
Later this fall I’ll be teaching another Wildlife Photography workshop at the center, where I’ll be sharing my tips, techniques, and settings for successfully capturing these gorgeous animals: http://www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org/visit/special_events/instructor-led-photography-workshop/. I hope you’ll and come out to join me!
Many thanks to my good friend and fellow photographer, Ferris Kaplan, for the behind-the-scenes shots of me in action!
Being a professional photographer is not always roses and sunshine. Sometimes we are faced with difficult scenarios, yet expected to produce stellar results!
Photographing an assignment for Lee & Associates, I needed to create headshots for a couple of recent additions to the team. We normally do their shoots in The Cedar Room. This is the big beautiful ballroom in Charleston that’s known for its gorgeous historic brick walls. Instead, they offered us this wall in the bottom floor, which is now a a back service entrance in the basement of the old factory.
I got to work and set up my Nikon D5 with Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 on the Manfrotto 055 carbon fiber tripod. I mounted 2 SB-5000 flashes, both set to Group A, on a Manfrotto light stand with a 60″ Westcott shoot-through umbrella, as my main light. I set 2 SB-5000 flashes, on another light stand with a shoot through umbrella in the back. One of these flashes was set to Group B and directed at the subject to act as a rim/fill light. The other was set to Group C and directed at the wall as a background light. The camera was then tethered to my Lenovo Yoga laptop, which rested comfortably on the trash can in the corner. Using Adobe Lightroom allowed the client to proof images as I shot, and allowed each individual pick out their favorite shots.
In spite of the conditions, with a little ingenuity, and a dash of creativity, we were able to make this dark hallway look as bright and beautiful as the gorgeous ballroom above!
I’ve been looking forward to meeting Mary Beth & Bryant for a VERY long time! We finally met up this weekend, on a gorgeous spring day, to capture some beautiful engagement photos for their up-coming wedding. 🙂
Starting off at Hampton Park, I was quite surprised at how many flowers were already in full bloom! With vibrant colors from the flowers, huge oak trees, a black iron bridge, and long wooded walkways, we came away with some absolutely MAGICAL images! But to top it all off, we zipped over to Brittlebank Park to capture the last rays of a gorgeous setting sun over the Ashley River… and of course the beautiful twilight that followed.
I had such a blast getting to know Mary Beth and Bryant. I can’t wait to be there for them to preserve all the special moments of their amazing wedding this summer!!!
Yesterday found me traveling to Lancaster, SC for another shoot with the South Carolina Community Loan Fund.
The assignment was to tell the “story” of the Lancaster Christian Services Center. The SCCLF had helped this organization secure the financing to purchase a bowling alley to house a number of their community outreach programs, including two churches, a food pantry, meeting rooms for education programs, and of course a fun place for youth to hang out.
Images were captured with the DJI Mavic Pro and Nikon D850 with either the 14-24 f2.8 or 24-70 f2.8 and as many as three SB-5000 off-camera flashes, depending on the scene.
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of working with the amazing team at the Lovely Law Firm in Myrtle Beach. We picked the Grand Dunes Ocean Club for the backdrop of our photo shoot. It was a beautiful day and we came away with some awesome images!
This was my second time working with Justin and his company. They are a great group of people, and always fight hard for their clients!
Images shot with Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70, Nikkor 105, Sony XQD cards, and up to 4 Nikon SB-5000 off-camera flashes (depending on the scene).
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of photographing more head-shot for one of my favorite clients! As Siemon Whiteside continues to grow and expand, they bring me in to photograph the newest members of their awesome team of professionals.
Setting up my portable studio in their conference room included the following: Savage seamless black background, Nikon D5, Sony XQD Card, Nikkor 70-200, Nikon SB-5000 (Master) flash, Westcott Apollo 50″ softbox with 3 SB-800 flashes (main light), two Westcott Apollo Strip Lights with 1 SB-800 each (rim lights), RadioPoppers (to sync all flashes), and Lenovo Yoga Laptop (tethered to camera).
I always enjoy working with this awesome team of wonderful human beings!
