US Open Time!

*In lieu of the so-called “Bolt” Bus arriving in Baltimore an hour late, and the so-called “Free Wi-Fi” they advertise not working at all, I’m posting what I wrote during that ride now that I’m settled here in New York.* 

I’m currently on Interstate 95 en route to 33rd and 7th Ave. in New York City, where I’ll be for the next three weeks. I was hired as a Seasonal Photo Editor for the usopen.org media team for this year’s US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York!

I’ll have a better idea of what exactly it is I’ll be doing after tomorrow’s orientation, but I know that I’ll be editing, correcting and keywording images shot by the US Open team of photographers. I’ll also be writing captions, creating galleries, and updating the tournament website every day.

I really don’t know what to expect. I’ve never been to this tournament before, I’m not familiar with the tennis media world, and I’ve been surrounded by nothing but baseball for the past several months. I also don’t know what I’ll be able to post on this blog throughout the tournament, if anything at all.

As you can see, I don’t know much at all. The only thing I’m absolutely sure of is that I’m ridiculously excited. This will be a great opportunity to make new connections, get more professional experience under my belt, and add to my portfolio. It’ll also be interesting to compare the professional tennis world to the more familiar world of professional baseball.

Here’s a frame I shot last year in California of world number one ranked Novak Djokovic, who I predict will be this year’s champion.

My work starts bright and early tomorrow morning, so, here we go!

*Don’t forget to vote for “Billie with an I.E.” for Baltimore’s Most Valuable Blog! You can vote once per day per computer or smartphone until September 9, 2011. Click here to vote! Thank you so much for your readership!*