Charleston Rugged Maniac

“Best run ever! Perfectly organized, no jam ups at obstacles, plenty of mud and muck! Not one bad thing I could say. Loved it!”
-Jessica K.

Do you like to run? Climb towers of shipping containers? Rocket down a massive water slide? Crawl through underground tunnels? Leap over fire? Than the 5th Annual Charleston Rugged Maniac Challenge would have been perfect for you!!!

This weekend I got to photograph this awesome sporting event again. I had the privilege of covering The Gauntlet this time, which was AMAZING! It was so hectic, bobbing and weaving to keep from getting run over, encouraging everyone as they struggled through the obstacle, and cranking through over 8,000 images at 11-fps in 5 hours. There was never a dull moment. I LOVE MY JOB!!!

Family Circle Cup Photo in Charleston Magazine

 

Most of you know I’m one of the Official Photographers of the Family Circle Cup.  Last year I had the honor of meeting a fabulous sports writer by the name of Bobby Chintapalli!  She was terrific to work with and a pleasure to be around.  She just emailed me a link to this article she wrote for Charleston Magazine because she realized the photo they used was one of mine.   Thanks Bobby!

Featured on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Website

Mike Saia, my “Boss” for the week at the Family Circle Cup when I photograph the professional tennis tournament there every spring, just sent me this note:  “Check out the WTA home page: www.sonyericssonwtatour.com.  Wait for the Flash to move to More News!”  Turns out the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour is using my image of Samantha Stosur, last year’s champion, on their main page.  I love it!!!

Family Circle Cup Wrap-Up

It’s been over a week since the Family Circle Cup, and I’m FINALLY feeling fully recuperated.  J  This year’s tournament was a AWESOME. 

Sam Stosur literally CRUSHED Vera Zvonareva to win her second (and biggest) WTA Tour Championship.  She had an amazing 36 winners in the 6-0, 6-3 final that was the fastest in the history of the tournament!  Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova were able to hold on to capture the Family Circle Cup doubles title, beating Vania King and Michaella Krajicek in straight sets.  King & Krajicek were playing together for just their second tournament.  Huber, the #1 doubles player in the world, normally plays with Cara Black.  This was her first time playing with Petrova! 

Aside from the great tournament action, there were tons of off-site player appearances and VIP parties to photograph.  But most would agree that the Game, Set, Rock event with legends John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Monica Seles, and Anna Kournikova was the big hit of the week! 

Mike Saia, Communications Director of the FCC, did a great job keeping all the media organized.  My former colleague, Doug Cunningham, retired last year.  But it was nice to see him come back to assist on some of the VIP events.  The super talented Alice Keeney took his place.  She really stepped up to the plate, did a great job filling some big shoes, and was wonderful to work with.  I’m already excited to see what NEXT YEAR has in store!!! 

Published in Tennis Magazine

Most folks know I’m one of the Official Photographers of the Family Circle Cup.  I’m also an avid tennis player with a USTA 4.5 ranking.  So naturally I subscribe to Tennis Magazine.  Last night I was about half-way through the new April issue…turn the page…and staring at me as a full-page add is one of my favorite shots of Caroline Wozniacki from last year’s cup!!!  With this year’s tournament only a few weeks away, excitement is building.  I think we’re going to have a FANTASTIC event this year!

As last year’s runner up puts it:  “The 2010 Family Circle Cup is my time to shine.  I came close to the title last year and now I’ve got my eye on the prize.”

Action News Magazine Cover

A few months ago at the big annual Professional Photographers of America (PPA) ImagingUSA Conference, I had the honor of having one of my images displayed on a huge banner at the entry to the convention center.  (Check it out at  https://chrisandcami.com/blog/2010/01/09/welcome-to-nashville-2/.)  At the end of the convention, they even gave me the poster!  Here it is on display in our garage…the ONLY place in our house it would even fit!  🙂

Well, a few days ago (on my birthday in fact), the new issue of SEP’s Action News Magazine arrived…featuring that same image on the COVER!!!  J  They also wrote up a really nice article about Chris & Cami Photography with some of my other images from the many professional sporting events we cover throughout the year.  We’re very excited!!!

ESPN Charleston Classic

“The second annual Charleston Classic is in the books, and Miami has bragging rights. Led by James Dews (22 points) and Dwayne Collins (17), the Hurricanes outlasted South Carolina 85-70 in the championship game. Collins, who also grabbed 15 rebounds, was named MVP of the tournament. Miami outscored the Gamecocks 11-5 in the final 2:25 to clinch the Charleston Classic crown, won by Clemson in the first year.”

Here are a few of my shots from the finals as I documented the event for ESPN…

PGA TOUR Nationwide Championships at Daniel Island

Matt Every, the former University of Florida All-American, posted a 5-under 67 Sunday to outlast Michael Sim (teeing off on the 17th), who has had the most dominating year in the 20-year history of the Nationwide Tour! This win at the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at the Daniel Island, was his first since joining the tour last year.

“I’ve always felt I’m talented enough to win,” Matt said. “I couldn’t have waited any longer to do it though, I’ll tell you that. I’m going to enjoy it.”

Matt and Michael join 23 others to make “THE 25”, the top players on the money list at year’s end. Chad Collins finishes the year No. 2 on the money list. And Blake Adams (chipping out of the sand trap on the 12th hole) finishes the season No. 3 on the money list with a Nationwide Tour record for the most money won in a single season without a victory.

I had a great time photographing the action this year. Many thanks to Kathleen Cartland and the Charleston Sports Council for sponsoring me and helping bring the Nationwide Tour back to Charleston! And thanks to Mike Saia and the entire team at the Family Circle Cup for the help in organizing the event!

US Women’s National Soccer

Soccer was “my sport” growing up. I think there was a period in high-school when I slept with my soccer ball! 😉 I played at Kalamazoo College and Spring Arbor University before injuries sidelined me and the Tennis bug hit me. But I’ll never loose my love for “The Beautiful Game”! So it was with pleasure that I got to photograph the US Women’s National Soccer Team in their 1-0 win over Canada at Blackbaud Stadium, their last home game before heading over seas this summer.

USA Eagles Rugby World Cup Qualifying

The USA Eagles rang in America’s birthday with a clutch 12-6 victory over Canada in the first match of a home-and-away Rugby World Cup Qualifier series at Blackbaud Stadium on July 4th. It was a privilege being one of the photographers again. I got a taste for the raw violence that is synonymous with this sport last year when I photographed the USA Eagles’ defeat by the French. I wouldn’t want to play the sport, but it’s a lot of fun to photograph! 🙂 For more on the USA National Rugby Team, visit www.usarugby.org.

Charleston Sports

Though we’re mostly known for our creative wedding imagery, I thoroughly enjoy photographing a number of professional sporting events every year. This is the latest newsletter from the Charleston Metro Sports Council. Check out their brand new website at www.sportscouncil.org !

I just wanted to thank Kathleen Cartland for the AMAZING job she does in bringing these high caliber sports to Charleston. Without her, I wouldn’t have these amazing opportunities to photograph world class athletes, Olympic champions, and sports phenoms! I also want to thank her for the kind write-up in the newsletter!

“An award winning team, Chris & Cami offer a deep assortment of products and cover a wide variety of subjects. Notable sports assignments include; Family Circle Cup Tennis, Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika, World Cup Soccer USA Women vs Mexico, The Miracle Match (Pete Sampras vs Jim Courier), AVP Charleston Open, Bausch & Lomb Championships, SoCon Basketball and Baseball Tournaments, Charleston Battery Soccer, Sr. PGA Championships, and many more.”