Farmers Classic 2011 | Los Angeles Photographer

This past year I was asked to cover the Farmers Classic hosted by UCLA at the LA Tennis Center. I didn’t know what to expect since I had never been to the venue or shot tennis much. My only experience with tennis was one game at Georgia Tech, but I always accept the challenge. There aren’t really many shots you can get that require to be on deadline, it seems as though most images appear to be stock. But since the ball moves so fast, timing is crucial to change an average shot to an extraordinary shot. I was able to cover the games leading to the final, where I Ernests Gulbis won the tournament. Here are the shots that I found most interesting throughout the tournament, with a little bit of experimentation. Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) during his match against Mardy Fish (USA).

Mardy Fish (USA) serves during his match against Igor Kunitsyn (RUS).

Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) during his game against Mardy Fish (USA).

I was trying to figure some different ways to shoot the games, so I decided to attempt multiple exposure shots. These are hard to get exact since I was attempting to hand hold the camera. Mardy Fish (USA) serves during his match against Igor Kunitsyn (RUS).

I loved the lighting on Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) during the game against Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA), which usually gives improper exposure or a dramatic effect.