Author: Chris Smith

Well, out of over a THOUSAND images, I don’t know how in the world I’m supposed to pick a favorite. But I must say, this one would certainly be in contention. I just love how the green on the frog matches the green on the plant, and the red on his eyes matches the red on the plant. 🙂 As you can imagine, for a photographer this trip was like sending a kid into a candy store!

It’s early. It’s still dark out. Cami & I are getting ready to fly to Costa Rica for the week. We’re staying at the Peace Lodge at LaPaz Waterfall Gardens. So I wanted to share with you a quote from a very wise man. Mahatma Gandhi once said “If we wish to create a LASTING PEACE we must begin with the children.”

This image is one of my favorites from a Sunrise Session I did for some WONDERFUL friends and clients out at Folly Beach. Denise, Chad, and little Thomas are always a pleasure to work with!

The new banner is already up and hanging from Stadium Center Court. Mike Saia, of the Family Circle Cup, was kind enough to send me this photo of it. It’s about as tall as a four-story building!

I am SO EXCITED! I just talked to Mike Saia, the Communications Manager at the Family Circle Cup. He informed me that this year’s NEW BANNER of last year’s champion, Nadia Petrova, will feature an image I photographed of her. Here it is!!!

If you don’t already know, I’m one of the Official Photographers of the FCC tournament. Look back at some of my journal entries from last spring (here and here) to read more about my involvement in the cup.

The FCC is one of the Women’s Professional Tennis Tour’s most prestigious events. It’s the last clay-court tournament played in the US before the players head to Europe for the French Open. Behind the four Grand Slam Tournaments, there are several Tier One Tournaments, of which the FCC is one of the most respected. So if you’re a tennis fan but don’t have the funds to go to the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, or US Open…the Family Circle Cup should be NEXT on your list!!!

So far, this year’s entries include something like 7 of the top 10 in the world. Super Star and the Number One player in the world, Maria Sharapova will be there! The comeback hero of the last few years, Martina Hingis will be there! Other former Number One’s, Justine Henin and Amelie Mauresmo will be there! Up-and-coming stars like the 17 year old Nicole Vaidisova will be there! It’s going to be AWESOME! So make sure and come out April 7th – 15th. I’ll be there!!!

Cami & I drove to Hilton Head to spend the weekend with her parents. They were having a Super Bowl party – which was as good an excuse as any to go visit! As most of you know, I hardly go ANYWHERE without my camera…even when I’m “off”. 🙂 So while everyone was taking a nap Sunday afternoon, I jumped in her parent’s golf cart with my gear and rode up to a nearby pond where I had seen some wildlife hanging out earlier. I got some great shots of cormorants, egrets, herons, and ibis. Just as I was starting to think about packing up, all the other birds on the pond started going NUTS!!! The reason for the commotion…this powerful Osprey that had decided to swoop in to pick up a little dinner. It all happened in a blur, but I managed to squeeze off several frames before it perched on a tall tree to eat. I shot several more of it feeding before the light faded and my own stomach started to growl. Time to head to the party and do a little “feeding” of my own!

As many of you know, I’m not one of the Official Photographers of the Family Circle Cup professional tennis tournament just because it’s a great assignment. I enjoy shooting it because I’m also a tennis player and a fan! One of the local tennis teams I play on actually WON our State Championships a few months ago! So this past weekend, we got to fly to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to compete against the other states in our area for the USTA Sectional Championships! There were several other teams from Charleston who also competed here in their respective divisions. So I want to congratulate all those Charleston tennis players for their accomplishments! I’ll post a few of MY favorite photos here. But since so many of the players asked me to publish a gallery of ALL my images from the trip, they can be found here through the end of February.

This is a shot of Tim reading the paper while we all sat around waiting for our turn to get on court. We played Kentucky’s state championship team and defeated them 2-1. After that victory, Tim could be found “rollin‘ three deep”! 🙂

Here’s a shot of our fearless leader! Todd, the team captain, was ALWAYS on the phone in between matches trying to get scores and stats about the teams we would be playing next. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication in getting our team this far, Todd!

Saturday night we had our Player’s Party at the Old State Capitol. Often referred to as “the old gray castle”, it’s one of the most distinguished examples of Gothic architecture in the United States today. It sits on a high hill overlooking the great Mississippi. I found out the capitol of Louisiana was actually in New Orleans prior to being moved to this location when the city of Baton Rouge donated the land to the state in 1847!

I took this image at dusk while the warm glow of the setting sun illuminated the front facade. Placing the silhouette of a large tree in the foreground created the perfect frame around the empty sky, focusing the attention on the stately building.

Jeff Young is on our team. However, he was unable to play because he suffered a stroke many months ago. It was touch-and-go for a while, but he’s made INCREDIBLE strides towards recovery. His daughter, Kristen, is on one of the Charleston women’s teams that made it to the Championships. And his wife, Toni, is the head teaching pro at the Maybank Tennis Facility, which our team plays out of. It was GREAT to have him along on the trip for moral support and encouragement. Here he gets a double-zerbert from some of the costumed ladies that entertained everyone at the Player’s Party. That smile says it all! 🙂

Shawn played an INCREDIBLE match against Louisiana on Sunday. My previous doubles partner, Dan, got bumped up to the 4.5 league this year. He and I had a long and successful run together. So I’m sad to see him go. But Shawn and I are going to team up this year. I’m REALLY excited and looking forward to playing with him. He’s got EXCELLENT form on his volleys (as you can see), and very consistent ground strokes. I think this year’s going to be a lot of fun…

This trip to Baton Rouge was a TON of FUN! I played three of the matches, teaming up with my friend Steve – the nicest, kindest guy you could ever meet! We won two of our three matches together, beating Kentucky and Mississippi. We BARELY lost the match against Tennessee (6-4, 6-4). Unfortunately, our team didn’t make it to the finals. But sometimes that’s just the way the ball bounces. We’re all still proud of being State Champions, and the accomplishment of defeating several other states along the way. Besides, there’s always NEXT YEAR, right?!?

When we weren’t on the courts playing, I did a lot of walking around town to train my eye. It’s funny…a lot of folks think being a great photographer is a gift you either have or you don’t. However, just like any other gift you might poses, if you want to push it to the next level, you have to TRAIN IT! Lance Armstrong, who had a gift for cycling long distances, didn’t rest on his backside during the off-season. He TRAINED! During my walk-about one evening I happened upon this row of flagpoles along the River Walk. By turning the camera, I created the diagonal lines that lead your eye to the main subject, the flag. I also used a slow shutter speed so that the billowing flag would blur and create a sense of motion. And I used the Rule of Thirds to place the flag off-center, creating a more dynamic composition. I think I’ll call it “Half Mast”. What do you think?

OK, OK…I got a few requests for a shot of The Alamo. I guess when you tell someone you visited “San Antonio”, that’s what everyone thinks of. 🙂 Anyway, here’s my interpretation of “The Alamo at Dusk”. It’s actually pretty cool inside. They have old muskets that Crockett used and some knives made famous by Bowie. If you ever get a chance, make sure and visit! VERY COOL!!!