Even though the media world doesn’t pay as much attention to doubles as they do singles, I LOVE doubles. So I decided to cover the doubles final of Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova vs Vania King and Michaella Krajicek. Fortunately, somebody else thinks doubles is still an important part of the sport as well. Tennis Magazine used my photo of the four finalists in a nice article on their website. Click Here to check it out!
“Game, Set, Rock!” was a HUGE success this year at the Family Circle Cup. The match between John McEnroe and Jim Courier couldn’t have been any better. With John showing his deft touch and Jim showcasing that raw power, both champions obviously still “have it”! The match was tightly contested, ending with McEnroe prevailing in the third set tiebreaker. Following that, Anna Kournikova and Monica Seles joined the boys for some mixed doubles. At this point they all put on wireless mics and really had fun with it, making jokes and keeping the crowd entertained with their running commentary. It made for a late night, but I’m glad I got to stay and cover it from my premier seating on the court. J (More at www.chrisandcami.com/blog.)
Part of the big “Celebrating 10 Years in Charleston” promotion at the Family Circle Cup included special appearances by John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Monica Seles, and Anna Kournikova. Before they went on court for the “Game, Set, Rock!” event, these four celebrities stopped by a VIP dinner party to say a few words, sign autographs, and allow guests to get portraits with the champions!
Here are a few shots from that event along with a photo showing my setup for it. Since I was basically rushing from photographing a tennis match to shoot this, then rushing back to cover “Game, Set, Rock!”, my portable wireless lighting setup was the best solution. I used a pair of 8-foot Bogen Manfrotto stackable lightstands, two SB-800 strobes, each powered by an SD-8a battery pack, and firing through my favorite Westcott 43” collapsible umbrellas. I used my D3 with 24-70 f2.8 and SB-900 attached. The SB-900 acted in commander mode only, with the remote strobes set manually to 1/8th power. The whole system was triggered by RadioPoppers and gave me a working aperture of f5.6 at 1/100th. It took my about 10 minutes to set up and do a test shot, and about 6 or 7 to tear down and get out the door when it was over!
On Semi-final Saturday at the Family Circle Cup, I got to be the exclusive photographer covering John McEnroe’s VIP clinic sponsored by Dunlop. As a tennis enthusiast, it was pretty exciting being able to just “hang out” with the legend! More at www.chrisandcami.com, www.familycirclecup.com, and www.wtatour.com.
As soon as I got back to the Media Tent after shooting Caroline Wozniacki’s match against Vera Zvonareva in the Quarters at the Family Circle Cup, I was bombarded with “DID YOU GET IT?!?” Here are the three key frames out of about 10 in the sequence. I truly feel horrible for Caroline. She’s such a sweet girl and was definitely my hope for our next Champion. I hope the injury is minor and she can recover quickly. I believe she has what it takes to reach number 1 in the world!
More images at www.chrisandcami.com, www.familycirclecup.com, and www.wtatour.com….
WOW! I wasn’t sure we could top Thursday’s action. But Friday really was AMAZING! In spite of a vip sponsor assignment downtown and a few off-court shoots, I got to see a lot of great tennis today. By the excitement of the fans, I think they’d probably agree! Here are a few picks from the today’s shooting. As always, head over to www.chrisandcami.com/blog, www.familycirclecup, and www.wtatour.com. Plus a few players like Vera Zvonareva are using some of my shots from the Player Party on their Facebook pages if you happen to be a “fan” of theirs. J Fun…
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…
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…
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.”
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!
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…
