Photos and Reflections: BNP Paribas Open – Day 12.
I’m here in the terminal in the Palm Springs airport, in the middle of a long delay that was just announced when I got here at 4:30 this morning. I can already feel my tan fading, and it seems like I’ll be welcomed back to Boston later tonight with a fresh dusting of snow.
Since I have some downtime now, I wanted to take this opportunity to post my photos from all the championship action yesterday, and to reflect a bit on my experience over the past two weeks working as a photographer and videographer for the 2013 BNP Paribas Open.
Yesterday was a crazy day, but a thrill to be on hand to shoot those final points and player portraits with the trophies. I’m particularly happy with the images I got of Rafa as he won championship point. I definitely chose the right spot to be in.
Overall, I worked harder, longer hours at this tournament than at any other one I’ve done in the past. One guy covering an entire Indian Wells Tennis Garden’s worth of courts was a grind, particularly during the early rounds when there were so many matches going on. You’ll never hear me complain about warm weather, but it gets hot out here in the desert when you’re lugging all the photo gear up and down stadium steps all day.
I was brought here to work hard, though, and I wouldn’t change that for anything. I loved every second of it, even the crazy moments where it felt like I had to be in four places at once. After all, it’s a privilege to shoot for one of the biggest and most important tennis tournaments in the world, and to meet and work alongside some of the world’s most talented photojournalists that I’ve admired for a long time.
As I’ve recently said quite a bit, I’m making a big push this year to improve my video skills, and this tournament was a fantastic experience in conceiving a concept, shooting it, then editing it sensibly and concisely under tight deadlines. Just from the past two weeks, I feel a lot more confident in my abilities as a video journalist, and I’m proud of most of the pieces I produced. My videos and photos also landed me some nice bylines, included in both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
Finally, and most importantly, it was wonderful to re-connect with old friends and colleagues, and to meet so many new ones. Over my whole career, I’ve been extremely lucky to work for and learn from the best in the business, and the BNP Paribas Open was no exception. I owe a huge thanks to Matt Van Tuinen and Jeff Watson, the MVTPR stars and masterminds behind the BNPPO media operations, for giving me this opportunity and for breaking me into unfamiliar territory. Also, thanks to the rest of our team – Nick McCarvel, Pete Holtermann, Fred Sidhu, and Craig Gabriel – for their creativity, tennis expertise, and help throughout the tournament.
Last but not least, thanks to you all for reading! Sorry I cluttered your news feeds with posts over the past two weeks. I’m off to find some breakfast.