US Open Golf at Bethpage Black Course.
July 1st, 2009
David Smail, of Hamilton, New Zealand, walks the path to the 17th green.
The 17th green at Bethpage Black.
In mid-June, John and I traveled to Farmingdale, NY to photograph Xerox customers who were attending business meetings and lectures in the conference center of our hotel. The sweet part of the deal was that after their meetings, the customers were invited to view US Open action at the Black Course in Bethpage State Park. One customer group also was treated to a New York Mets game on Friday night at Citi Field.
I had flown to Long Island to start the job on Tuesday with Megan Grumley, an account exec with Roberts Communications, photographing the golf course and players during their practice rounds. We really got lucky with the weather, as these first two days were the nicest days of the week. Wednesday night, the rain came, drenched the golf course, and created a real challenge for the maintenance crews and golfers. The final rounds of the tournament were delayed for a day so that the course could dry out.
James Kamte of South Africa makes his second shot on the 4th.
My next couple of days were spent in the hotel, photographing at the meetings, presentations, and receptions while the rain came down outside. John had arrived Wednesday evening, and joined up with Megan to take pictures of the customers during their time at the Xerox hospitality tent at the golf course. They had to slug through the mud each day, and even got the minivan stuck in a soggy parking lot!
All of the pictures we were taking this week would be organized in such a way that Xerox could later present their customers with personalized hardcover books, filled with images from the events that each individual had attended. The books were to be published on a Xerox IGen 4 printing system.
Robert Allenby knocks it out of the bunker on 17.
Of all the photography I did during the week, the most interesting came from the practice rounds of the tournament. I had played a good deal of golf when I was younger, and really love the game. For me, it was really exciting to be out on the golf course with a camera , choosing spots to photograph from that would provide nice backgrounds, lighting, and composition for shots of the approaching players.
Of all the golfers I photographed during the practice rounds, only Vijay Singh had issues with me and my camera! I think he was a little testy from a few “not so hot” shots, but hey, if you don’t get hollered at once in a while, then you’re not living life on the edge!
Camera: Canon EOS 1DS Mk 2.
Spectators along the 18th fairway.
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