Saturday, June 27, 2009

Local Marietta Teen Causes Upset at Wimbledon


Melanie Oudin of Marietta has advanced to the fourth round in her first Wimbledon by upsetting former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-2.


One never knows when someone you've photographed in the past will make headlines. I was just reading through some of my news feeds when I came across this news article. The name sounded familiar and then my memory clicked. I remember photographing a charity match for the Elton John AIDS Foundation last October. Here was this up and coming tennis player playing in an event with Andy Rodderick, Anna Kournikova, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and of course Elton John. It was a great experience to photograph. There was a press conference, an auction followed by the tennis matches. All sorts of different styles for shooting. What I observed, was that all of these players are very grounded despite their celebrity status. Melanie show great style, poise and competitive spirit. Yes it was a charity event, but these are professional athletes, so competition is in their DNA, but still having a lot of fun.

The image above is from this event during the mixed doubles match. It's one of my favorites, because it shows off her intensity. Congratulations Melanie! You're going to continue to do great things.



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