At this year’s U.S. Open, thousands of photographers from thousands of photos from around the world stood out at the New York State Tennis Grand Slam.
The slight imbalance of the seventh seed Jasmine Paolini and the ruthless and steady hand made photographer Ray Giubilo nail a million shots on the grass in Flushing this week.
Paolini calls it “maybe a photo of the year”, but the whimsical image taken during the first round of the Italian player’s encounter with Australia’s Destanee Aiava may be a grander champion than this.
Tennis photography is not known for its sense of humor. These images are usually clean, sharp and strong, but rarely interesting. The nanoseconds after or before will present a completely different framework and miss the pure comedy value behind Giubilo’s image.
Half scary, half sublime, the image is captured by the full Fluke. Giubilo told Guardian that he had “waited for a long time” and that he knew what a great image he had shot when he saw it behind the Nikon Z9.
The only way Giubilo can arrange the lens perfectly is to keep balanced as Paolini completes the forehand stroke. “She just moved the racket in a way she didn’t usually do that,” he said. When he tried to capture the same image the next night, another frame could not be copied.
Paolini is so obsessed with shooting, she picks out Giubilo the next time she plays the second round in court to show her admiration.
“After the game tonight, she won, I sat under her box, she ran to the box, smiling as usual, I thought she would go and hug her coach. But she came to me and gave me five, she gave me five and said, ‘Great photos’.”
Before becoming a professional photographer Giubilo, he was an agent of a tennis apparel company in Australia. His passion was always photography, and with the help of John Newcombe and John Alexander, he began shooting local competitions. Thirty-seven years later, he travels on the Tennis Tour for seven months a year, filming 20 games a day, after a tough 14-hour shift.
Patience, creative flares and impeccable technical abilities define an excellent sports photographer. Stay still for a few hours while watching the game after the game while keeping the laser focused on each hit. “You have to be patient, you have to be fast, you have to be healthy,” he said.
Health & Wellness Contributor
A wellness enthusiast and certified nutrition advisor, Meera covers everything from healthy living tips to medical breakthroughs. Her articles aim to inform and inspire readers to live better every day.
