After I finished photographing the finals of the AVP Charleston Open this Sunday, I was standing on the court talking to Stein Metzger when Mike Saia (Communications Director of the Family Circle Cup) grabbed this photo. Stein and his partner, Mike Lambert had just won the tournament, their 7th title together. 
Stein Metzger just couldn't contain himself any longer. When he and his partner, Mike Lambert won the AVP Charleston Open Sunday afternoon, he absolutely EXPLODED with excitement! As the underdogs going into the finals, this was a strong win for these two.
Misty Mae-Treanor has totally DOMINATED the women's pro beach volleyball tour for the past 7 years! In fact, she recently surpassed Holly McPeak (also at this tournament) for the all-time victory leader. Add to THAT a victory at the inaugural AVP Charleston Open! Misty and her partner, Kerri Walsh, ran away with the final, making it their 8th tournament victory in 2007. In fact, except for the season opener, they've won EVERY tournament they've entered so far this year! Talk about dominating the field!!!
As part of our assignment to photograph the AVP Charleston Open this past week, Cami and I got to photograph the view from ABOVE! Mike Saia is the Director of Communications at the Family Circle Cup, where the tournament was being held. He had arranged for four of these world-class athletes to play an exhibition match on the deck of the USS Yorktown...and for us to photograph it from a small Cessna airplane. Having done some aerial photography before, we knew what to expect and had a great time photographing from this unique perspective. On the flight back to the airport, we also flew over the stadium to get this shot of the tennis court that had been converted for this week's professional beach volleyball competition. We had used Jim Ellison of Flying High Over Charleston the last time we did aerial photos. So it was great to work with him again. He's such a southern gentleman and provides a first class experience!
I'm on assignment at the AVP Charleston Open this week. It's the inaugural year for this professional beach volleyball tournament on the tour. So I'm honored and excited that the AVP contacted me to cover it for them. Of significance is the fact that this year is also the last year for one of the greatest volleyball athletes of our time. With three Olympic Gold Medals, at 46 years old Karch Kiraly is retiring at the end of this season. Here he is with his famous pink hat spiking the ball for a clean winner.
The last few wedding's I've photographed have included the presence of strong colors that caught my attention. At Lindsey & Brannon's wedding, I found myself drawn to some really strong Black & White images! Sure, there were TONS of beautiful colors with flowers everywhere and stained glass windows glowing in the warm colors of the setting sun. You're welcome to see all of those in their Online Gallery. But I thoroughly enjoy the simplicity and strength of a good Black & White. So I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you from their wedding. Black & White images hold their strength in lines, textures, emotions, and contrasts. I think these qualities come through in each of these moments. If you just pause for a second at each image, you'll see that you will truly find yourself "in the moment" because each one tells it's own story.
I've enjoyed watching the French Open this week and following some of the exciting stories. I was sad to see Roger Federer miss another opportunity to win the "Federer Slam". But at the same time I'm always impressed with how tenacious Rafael Nadal is on clay. The Women's Final wasn't all that great a match. But it was between two of my favorite players on the women's tour! I've always been a huge fan of Justine Henin because her style is built around an all-court game that includes power, precision, and finesse. After having photographed Anna Ivanovic at both the Bausch & Lomb Championships and at the Family Circle Cup, I knew she was "rising star" in the making. And her strong run to the finals at the French Open proves that she has what it takes. I think we'll see a lot more of this young lady in the years to come...
