The 2011 US Open through Photos

"2011 US Open men's singles champion Novak Djokovic (SRB)(1) poses with the US Open trophy atop the Empire State Building in New York City Tuesday, September 13, 2011."
"2011 US Open women's singles champion Samantha Stosur (AUS)(9) poses with the US Open trophy in Times Square Monday, September 12, 2011."

I’m currently on the Bolt Bus on my way back to Baltimore from New York City after an amazing two weeks working as a photo editor and photographer for usopen.org at the 2011 US Open. 

My main responsibility was to work alongside a photo team in editing images of US Open matches and events shot by our team of photographers. This involved cropping and resizing, as well as adjusting saturation, levels, sharpness, and curves. I also built organized, created, and produced a large collection of photo galleries. We were told last night that we had uploaded over 3, 300 photographs over the two week period. Given that high volume of photos, the work was monotonous and hectic at times, but after working for a website that gets approximately 35 million page views worldwide on each day of the tournament, I leave feeling very accomplished. 

I also got to shoot more photographs than I anticipated, which I’m thrilled about. In the hours I wasn’t working, I spent my time on the courts or around the grounds, making pictures and adding to my portfolio. Life as a photographer can be pretty exciting sometimes. As you can see, yesterday I was in Times Square with the women’s champion, and this morning I was on top of the Empire State Building with the men’s winner. 

That being said, the daily grind of the tournament definitely took a toll on me. Traveling an hour and a half to and from the National Tennis Center on the subway every day was grueling. I worked the night shift, which kept me there until midnight or later just about every night. 

I was tired at times, but I’ll remember this experience most for the people I was around. I’m grateful for the incredible usopen.org staff for their help, advice, and inspiration. I was able to make lots of new connections, and got a taste of the New York City media lifestyle. I’m also thrilled to have met up with so many friends I haven’t seen in  awhile I was there, and I’m glad to have yet again worked alongside Ben Snyder for another media adventure (also, thanks for the NYC pad!).

Tonight, it’s back to work at the O’s!

Below is a list of galleries comprised of photographs I took:

  1. Monday, August 29, 2011, Day 2: USTA Serves Night
  2. Wednesday, August 31, 2011, Day 3: Ivanovic/Zimonjic vs. Chan/Fyrstenberg
  3. Thursday, September 1, 2011, Day 4: A walk through the Grounds
  4. Sunday, September 3, 2011, Day 6: US Open From The Ground Up
  5. Monday, September 5, 2011, Day 8: Around the grounds
  6. Monday, September 12, 2011, Day 15: Olympus Photos of the Day

Below is a list of galleries I created or contributed to: 

  1. Thursday, August 25, 2011, Qualifying Round: Nadal Tennis Clinic
  2. Thursday, August 25, 2011, Qualifying Round: Draw Ceremony
  3. Tuesday, August 30, 2011, Day 2: Night Matches on Ashe
  4. Wednesday, August 31, 2011, Day 3: Sharapova vs. Yakimova
  5. Thursday, September 1, 2011, Day 4: Djokovic vs. Berlocq
  6. Thursday, September 1, 2011, Day 4: Azarenka vs. Dulko
  7. Thursday, September 1, 2011, Day 4: King vs. Gajdosova
  8. Friday, September 2, 2011, Day 5: Blake vs. Ferrer
  9. Friday, September 2, 2011, Day 5: Roddick vs. Sock
  10. Friday, September 2, 2011, Day 5: Kirilenko vs. McHale
  11. Saturday, September 3, 2011, Day 6: Ivanovic vs. Stephens
  12. Saturday, September 3, 2011, Day 6: Tsonga vs. Verdasco
  13. Saturday, September 3, 2011, Day 6: Stars at the Open
  14. Saturday, September 3, 2011, Day 6: Djokovic vs. Davydenko
  15. Sunday, September 4, 2011, Day 7: Murray vs. Lopez
  16. Sunday, September 4, 2011, Day 7: Lisicki vs. Zvonareva
  17. Monday, September 5, 2011, Day 8: Federer vs. Monaco
  18. Thursday, September 8, 2011, Day 11: Federer vs. Tsonga
  19. Thursday, September 8, 2011, Day 11: Court 13
  20. Saturday, September 10, 2011, Day 13: Quarterfinal: Kerber vs. Stosur
  21. Saturday, September 10, 2011, Day 13: Semifinal: Murray vs. Nadal
  22. Saturday, September 10, 2011, Day 13: Men’s Doubles Final
  23. Saturday, September 10, 2011, Day 13: Semifinal: Wozniacki vs. Williams
  24. Monday, September 12, 2011, Day 15: Stars at the Open
  25. Monday, September 12, 2011, Day 15: Men’s Final: Nadal vs. Djokovic
  26. Monday, September 12, 2011, Day 15: Men’s Final Goes Into the Night