Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing a fantastic corporate event at Edmunds Oast for the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors! They are a great client, and we ALWAYS enjoy working with Claire and all the fabulous Charleston area realtors!!!
With Sloaneās big breakthrough this week at the Volvo Car Open, a NEW Champion is crowned!!!
After winning one match in five previous Charleston tries, Sloane Stephens, the 23-year-old American, found her fire this year. She made her first-ever final here, saving a match in the quarterfinals and playing standout tennis before Angelique Kerber was forced to retire. In the championship bout, she stopped a red-hot Elena Vesnina, earning her fourth WTA singles title, third in 2016 and first-ever on clay.
To top it all off, besides winning the trophy, plus a $128,100 check, she gets a NEW CAR!!! With Volvo Car USA as the new title sponsor, it had one more surprise up its sleeve by presenting Stephens with a brand-new limited edition Volvo. “Oh my goodness!” a shocked Sloane said on court. “You guys, I Just won a car.”
As the official photographers, after our champion had a chance to freshen up and catch her breath, Alice, Arielle, and I whisked her away for a private photo shoot with her new hardware. We had fun using our cameras as “stand-in” trophies to test the light. It was a chilly, overcast afternoon. But Sloan was a real trooper. And her hardware was waaay prettier than ours. We all had a BLAST!
CONGRATULATIONS to our new champion, Sloan Stephens!!!
Well, it was an eventful week! After eight 12-hour days in a row, of constant hustling, shooting, editing, and transmitting images for the tournament, we finally have a NEW Volvo Car Open Champion!!!
Congratulations to the French duo of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic for taking home the doubles trophy.
And congratulations to American Sloan Stephens for weathering several years of early-round losses before finally going the distance and taking home the 2016 crown…AND a brand new limited-edition Volvo Car!!! š
During the Volvo Car Open, there was a brief pause in women’s tennis as 4 super stars of men’s tennis descended on Charleston for an evening of entertaining action!
Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Mardy Fish played the second round of the 2016 PowerShares Series on center court in front of a packed house! It was great to meet and photograph some of my idols from back in my collegiate tennis days. Andy Roddick defeated Andre Agassi in the final match to take this round.
Here are a few images…
The fun continues at the Volvo Car Open on Day 6 with lots of action, plus special guest appearances by Martha Stewart and Governor Nikki Haley!
As the Official Photographer of the Volvo Car Open, my job isn’t just to cover on-court action! Here are a few scenes from this year’s amazing VIP Welcome Reception.
This was the first year it was held at the Cedar Room. I must say, this venue at the beautifully restored old Cigar Factory is absolutely incredible! Many thanks to Graham, Lauren, and all the talented folks that made this year’s event such a huge success!
Of course the usual VIP’s from Meredith came out in full force. This year also saw all the incredible folks from Volvo, as well as other great sponsors like Lisette, in attendance. Tennis celebrities like Pam Shriver, Cliff Drysdale, Rennae Stubbs, and Lisa Raymond were there. Even the one and only Martha Stewart made an appearance!
There are many behind-the-scenes parties and events that I have the pleasure of photographing…but the VIP Welcome Reception is always one of my favorites!
My apologies for getting so far behind. After 4 strait 12-hour days, I just HAD to cut some things from my daily to-do list…and blogging was one of them. š
But I WILL finish posting the rest of the week’s images, albeit a few days late. So here are some fav’s from Day 5 of the Volvo Car Open…
Day 4 at the Volvo Car Open saw the field slimmed down with even more upsets!!!
Day 3 at the Volvo Car Open saw some incredible upsets, paired with spirited play from rising stars, as well as plenty of off-court appearances by players and stars alike!
Here are a few fav’s from Day 2 at the Volvo Car Open! Enjoy…
Day 1 at the Volvo Car Open had me running around like mad covering a variety of on-court and off-court player appearances. You have to be EXTREMELY flexible to cover this game!!! š Here are a few shots from the day. Enjoy…
The Family Circle Cup has a new title sponsor and is now the Volvo Car Open!
Don’t worry, the longest running and largest women’s professional tennis tournament is still the same amazing event it always has been…just with a new name. š
Here are some images from the days before the official start of the tournament. My coverage began with the annual Iconic Photo Shoot, featuring the two previous champions, Angie Kerber and Andrea Petkovic. It continued with all kinds of player appearances and activities during the Family Day at qualifying rounds. And it culminated in the always amazing Player Party, which officially welcomes all the players to town and kicks of the tournament with a bang!
Stay tuned…seven more days of awesome tennis to come!!!
