For Immediate Release
April 15, 2012
NEW BOOK TEACHES PROFESSIONAL TECHNIQUES FOR TENNIS PHOTOGRAPHY
Written by longtime tennis writer and photographer, guide helps other photographers, parents, coaches and fans make better images on court.
NEW YORK, NY — A new book by longtime tennis photographer and writer Chris Nicholson offers techniques for making professional-quality tennis photos. Photographing Tennis: A Guide for Photographers, Parents, Coaches and Fans (ISBN: 978-0-9835038-1-1) will be released by Sidelight Books on August 14, 2012.
Nicholson, a former editor for Tennis magazine, has been photographing and writing about the sport since 1995. He has covered a wide range of major tennis events, including the US Open, Australian Open, Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and more.
“Tennis photography is a tight niche of the industry, and therefore little has been written about it before now,” Nicholson says. “Because of that, anyone who wants to get into tennis photography has pretty much been on their own. Plus, it’s not an easy sport to shoot. That combination of facts is a recipe for a lot of frustration for anyone who brings their camera to a tennis match.”
The pages of Photographing Tennis offer a breakdown of everything the photographer needs to know before heading to court: how to choose the right gear, how to choose positions to shoot from, strategies for composing photos, techniques for timing, how to capture the ball and freeze motion, and more.
The information in the book is directed toward established photographers who want to learn a new niche, parents who want to improve photos they take of their kids on court, coaches who want to better document their students’ technique, and fans who love bringing their cameras to professional tournaments.
“Tennis is such a different sport than most others, and therefore photographing it is different, too,” Nicholson says. “I’ve shot everything from football and basketball to wrestling and mud volleyball, and I still find tennis the most challenging. The timing is different, finding clean angles is harder, and so on. It’s not an easy sport to just step into and shoot, so the book helps a photographer new to the game get a few steps further in.”
Nicholson also wanted Photographing Tennis to be a valuable tool to help parents make better photos of their kids. “Countless children play tennis, which means countless moms and dads are at the side of courts taking pictures,” Nicholson says. “These are the most important people in these photographers’ lives, and I hope my book can help them make their photos even better — images they’re proud to post online or to send to Grandma.”
Tennis coaches can also benefit from the book, as many use the camera as a tool for recording their students’ mechanics and technique, or for supplying images of top junior talent to agents and college recruiters.
“I think the book effectively serves all four types of reader that it’s written for, but one I’m particularly excited about is the tennis fan,” Nicholson says. “No matter which tournament I’m at, I always see fans who’ve brought their cameras. And that’s a great idea, because tennis is one of the few professional sports where the fan can get really close to the action — especially at a big event, like the US Open. For them, I wanted the book to provide information on how to maximize their experience, so they could go home with some truly great images.”
Nicholson has worked in tennis since 1995. His photographs and articles have appeared in Tennis magazine, USTA Magazine, Tennis Life, Tennis Buyers Guide, Tennis Industry, Racquet Sports Industry and other tennis and sports publications throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. His photos have also appeared in the US Open program and the coffee-table books US Open Unmatched (2002), Open Season (2006) and Unmatched (2011).
Photographing Tennis: A Guide for Photographers, Parents, Coaches and Fans is being released by Sidelight Books on August 14, 2012. It will be available on Amazon.com and through other booksellers in physical and electronic form.
Title: Photographing Tennis: A Guide for Photographers, Parents, Coaches and Fans
Author: Chris Nicholson
ISBN: 978-0-9835038-1-1
eISBN: 978-0-9835038-0-4
Website: www.PhotographingTennis.com
