As the year comes to a close, I begin to look forward to photographing the Family Circle Cup in the spring. Here’s a shot of Sabine Lisicki I photographed last year that has just been featured on the official Sony Ericsson WTA Tour website at: http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/page/OffCourtNews/Read/0,,12781~1892475,00.html
Melanie Oudin
The young, talented, and fearless Melanie Oudin from Marietta, GA, will be playing today as she advances to the second week of the US Open. Earlier this year at the Family Circle Cup I had a quick private photo shoot with the 17 year old tennis sensation. She is as sweet off the court as she is feisty on the court. Catch the action on ESPN and cheer her on!!!
A New Champion is Crowned
It’s been a GREAT week covering the Family Circle Cup again this year! It’s always the most exhausting week in my calendar as I’m constantly pushing full-speed ahead, 9-days strait, often 9am through midnight, no breaks, in multiple locations all over the city.
As the Official Photographer, I’m not only required to cover the action…but also the fans, activities around campus, images for sponsors, behind the scenes appearances by players, and VIP events all week…resulting in somewhere around 20,000 images! It’s a HUGE task. But I enjoy the opportunity to test myself, stretch my versatility, and come up with creative images under pressure.
I have to say this year has been one of my favorites as I like to think I found a rising star. When I photographed a portrait of Sabine after her second round match, I felt like this could be her year to break through. After her defeat of Venus, I knew she had the game. And by the time she beat Marion, I realized she had the maturity to go all the way. Here’s my portrait of the NEW Family Circle Cup Champion. Take a good look at that smile…I believe you’ll be seeing a LOT more of it as Sabine continues her rise to the top!
For more photos, visit the galleries at the Family Circle Cup and the Sony Ericson WTA Tour website. I’m thrilled to say my images made the front page of the WTA Tour every day this week…a first for me!
Family Circle Cup Finals
Family Circle Cup Day 6
Caroline Wozniacki gets last-minute instructions in the tunnel from Tour Supervisor, Pam Whytcross, while Elena Dementieva stretches in the background.
Caroline Wozniacki’s tumble during her quarterfinal against Elena Dementieva didn’t slow her down a bit.
On The Bench
Between sets us photographers have to entertain ourselves. Here’s a fun one of me with Leslie Billman, shooting for Wire Image, and Alice Keeney, shooting for the Associated Press. Leslie is a pretty good player herself. She and I paired up to win the annual Family Circle Cup Media Tournament two years ago, a friendly competition between all the writers, photographers, TV crews, and other media personnel. Alice must have been having a bad hair day…trying to hide behind that hood and her cell phone. 😉
Family Circle Cup Day 5
Photographing the Family Circle Cup
Family Circle Cup Day 4
Julius “Dr. J” Erving
Dr. J, the legendary NBA basketball star, was in town to watch his daughter, Alexandra Stevenson. He got in a little golf the morning before her match and I was invited to tag along for a few shots. Born out of wedlock to freelance writer Samantha Stevenson in 1980, Alexandra only recently re-connected with her father.
Family Circle Cup Day 3
Patty Schnyder goes airborn during her powerful serves as she’s outlined by the long shadows of her late afternoon and tough three-set match.
Pure luck gets me a glimpse of Patty’s eye through the throat of her racket.
Elena Vesnina sprints for a drop-shot.
Fans relax on the Grand Lawn of the Family Circle Cup campus.
Family Circle Cup Media Center
Here’s me goofing off in the Media tent. Grace from the Post & Courier was playing with my Nikons (they use Canon at the paper) and snuck this shot off. This is where I frantically ingest CF cards and edit images for the FCC and WTA. That’s my friend Douglas on the other side of me, Mike Saia (Communications Manager of the FCC) standing behind us, and Mic Smith (of the Associated Press) in the white hat.