Federer too smooth for the lens | Thebigtip

How many photos do you have to take of Roger to get a good one? Answer: A Lot! Smooth as melting chocolate on a hot day, the Swiss tennis wonder makes playing the game look so easy you are hard pressed to get a dramatic moment. Gliding around the blue hard court with the fluidity of a gazelle, he seems always to be in the right place at the right time.

Emotional outbreaks are rare, temper tantrums non-existent, and even under the sizzling Australian sun, he barely dampens his shirt. While this is admirable from a human standpoint, great photos it does not make. We like the wild ones, Rafa, the hair, the muscles, Gael Monfils dripping sweat, defying gravity, flying and diving, sleevless shirt showcasing sineous arms. Marat Safin who holds the all time record for breaking racquets in an ATP season was always good for a show and great photos. Pat Rafter, not a bad boy, but wow, one photo of him was all you needed to make female hearts pound and eyes pop around the world.

I look on shooting Mr Federer as a challenge. Who is going to win this match with the camera? The boring I've seen this a million times photo, or Cynthia, the stalker of interesting imagery? Like Roger, I'm relentless, will not give up until the opponent of ordinary is overcome. I want to be like the the six time Wimbledon Champion. I want to win this contest of imagery with style and grace.

I'm playing this game like the Swiss. Change it up, move from one side of the court to the other, watch for my chance. Always alert. Always in the moment. Ready when opportunity presents itself. Always wating for that split second that something eye catching happens. Show the viewer what it's like to win or loose in front of a full stadium of fans. How it feels to hit a tennis ball100 plus miles per hour. How to keep going and not give up no matter what.

Watch the light and shadows, make this horrible contrasting situation work for me. Keep my job interesting. It's so easy to fall into a routine of shooting forehands and backhands. Nailing off shots at 9 frames per second. Think about it, you have two guys in a confined area doing the same thing over and over for hours. A Chimpanzee with an auto everything camera could get a photo. Or a robot, yep a robot could do my job unless I make the effort to do something special. Something that takes more than just looking through the viewfinder and pressing the shutter. Like the champion on court, I'm going to put my personal stamp on my photos. I'm going to win this battle. I'm going to come away with at least one image that I like.

Three hours and four sets later, I load my images onto my computer. Yes! I have one. A photo I feel good about. A moment showing a tiny crack in the armor of RF. A moment after he lost a big point, arm covering his eyes, shadow of his hand on his shirt., profile etched on a white sleeve. This is what I was looking for. A way to make the strong black and white light work for me. I'm a happy photographer right now.

Cynthia
When your heart stops,
Click the shutter
http://cynthialum.com/