Thursday Thunder at the Family Circle Cup

There were some heavy hitters attacking the courts on Thursday.  Thunderous forehands, stinging backhands, and crisp volleys came from impossible angles and all corners of the clay.  Here are just a few fav’s from the day.  Visit www.chrisandcami.com/blog, www.familycirclecup.com, and www.wtatour.com for more…

What is Today?

What is today?  Oh yeah, it’s Wednesday…er…Thursday…nope definitely Wednesday!  J  Being one of the official photographers of the Family Circle Cup means loooong hours of non-stop “go-go-go” shooting.  Before you know it, one day just runs into the next.  But it sure is gratifying and is an amazing way to see the INSIDE life of some of the world’s greatest tennis players!  Here are a few shots from today…both on and off the court. 

Family Circle Cup Action

Day two of the Family Circle Cup brought a ton of action.  Here’s a variety from throughout the day.  Head over to www.familycirclecup.com and www.wtatour.com to see even more.  Enjoy!  🙂

Let the Tournament Begin

Day one at the Family Circle Cup has come and gone!  With lots of off-court player appearances by the top 8 seeds, I didn’t see a ton of action.  But here are a few shots from all over campus and throughout the first day…

The Family Circle Cup Begins

By Sunday most of the players competing in the Family Circle Cup had swooped into Charleston.  Saturday and Sunday had seen plenty of great tennis in the pre-tournament qualifying rounds.  But the MAIN event kicks off on Monday.  In celebrating all these elite women’s tennis players, the tournament puts on a great Player Party.  Held at Sacs Fifth Avenue downtown, it’s a chance for players, coaches, sponsors, and other VIP guests to just hang out, have dinner, and enjoy a good time!  Being an exclusive tournament event, it’s nice to be the ONLY media photographer there.  I don’t have to jostle for a position or vie for a player’s attention.  Plus everyone is relaxed, quick to smile, and primed for photo ops.  J  Here are a few from the party…

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!!!

The Banners are Up!

Driving across Daniel Island on my way to my tennis match in Mt. Pleasant today, I saw that the new Family Circle Cup Banners were finally up!  As the Official Photographer of this awesome tennis tournament, I always get a kick out of seeing my images draping the 4-story tall center stadium.  J  Besides last year’s Champion, Sabine Lisicki, there’s the 2008 Champion, Serena Williams, and the 2007 Champion, Jelena Jankovic.  Plus dozens of street banners are hanging from the lamp posts, depicting champions from all along the history of this long-running WTA Tour event.  This one is of Justine Henin, one of my favorite players…I’m thrilled to see her back out of retirement!

NEW Family Circle Cup Banner Announced

Only two more months until the Family Circle Cup!  As most of you know, I’ve been one of the Official Photographers of this amazing Professional Women’s Tennis event for many years now.  Each year, the best photo of the returning champion is selected for display on a 47-foot x 40-foot banner that hangs from the top of the stadium.  It’s been an honor to have had one of my images selected for the last few years in a row.  And this year…drum roll please…WE DID IT AGAIN!!!!  🙂   Mike Saia, the Communications Director at the FCC just emailed me a few minutes ago with the news and the final image they’ll be using.  I’m SO EXCITED!!!

On top of all the great women’s tennis action, this is also the Ten Year Anniversary of the FCC being located here in Charleston.  One of the longest running tournaments in WTA history, its former home was on Hilton Head Island.  To celebrate the milestone year, there will be guest apprearances from the likes of John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, and Anna Kournikova, plus many other special events and attractions.  So come on out…and make sure you say “Hi” to me while you’re there…04 Sabine Lisicki (Final)A

Welcome to Nashville!

Cami & I, along with our good friend and fellow photographer, Kate McKinley, finally arrived at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville. We’re attending “Imaging USA”, the PPA’s big national photography convention we go to every year for ideas and inspiration.

After we got settled, I went down to get the lay of the land so I know where we’re going for our seminars in the morning. I get down there and staring me in the face is this HUGE, larger-than-life display with one of my images on it! 🙂 It’s a photo of Rugby USA’s Team Captain breaking through the masses that I shot last year. A few months ago I got a call saying they’d like to use a couple of my images for some “displays” at the conference this year…I had NO IDEA it was going to be something like this! I’m SUPER STOKED!!! I’ll get Cami or Kate to take one of me standing next to it tomorrow…hehehe!

Welcome to Nashville!

Posted via email from Chris & Cami Photography

Anna Kournikova, John McEnroe, and Jim Courier

I’ve known the news for a couple weeks now, but the big announcement was just made official today:

“The Family Circle Cup announces Game, Set, Rock! Tennis. Amplified., an evening of music and tennis entertainment featuring John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Anna Kournikova and a fourth player, to be announced, participating in singles and mixed doubles action, as a new ticketed session beginning at 7:00pm on Saturday, April 17, 2010. This exhibition is designed as the keystone of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier Event’s week-long celebration of its 10th year in Charleston, and will supplement a strong player field highlighted by former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova and 18-year-old American standout Melanie Oudin. Marking the tournament’s 38th consecutive year, the Family Circle Cup is scheduled April 10-18, 2010 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in historic Charleston, South Carolina.”

Here’s a shot of Anna Kournikova I photographed in 2003…on FILM!!! I’ve been covering the Family Circle Cup waaaay too long. 🙂

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…