I had this idea of photographing a tennis player with an old Queen"ish" type of dress on. My model had to have long hair, for the crown to look legit. I would title it Queen of the Court. Well, over the past year I've gotten to know several athletes and one of them was asked to help with my Athlete in a box project. Maria is a collegiate tennis player. She is very down to earth, friendly, and ambitious. And not to forget angelically-gorgeous. Anyway, I called around town, spoke with several costume companies, trying to find that dress I was picturing in my mind. Thanks to Cherry's Costumes Galore, my idea was brought to life. Cherry's provided not only the dress, but a royal purple robe (cape), a realistic looking crown, a goblet, and several necklaces. Maria kindly showed up at the costume place and tried it on. Everything fit. Now it was time to make it happen. We scheduled on a rainy day, so we decided to shoot in the studio. I got some really great images and made a composite from one of my all-time favorite images. Then we had to coordinate another session on a tennis court. Finally after a week of planning and rearranging our schedules, we got one. Early in the morning, with rain threatening, we started out shooting at 7:30 am. The Good Lord answered a prayer and the bad weather held off just long enough for us the squeeze in the session. The images were phenomenal. The one concept image I had in my mind for a while now, finally came to fruition. We were bouncing tennis balls, flashes were popping off, and Maria was being a trooper. She was a statuesque Queen of the moment. As soon as we finished, it started to rain. Here's a short video from the sessions. Personal projects, realizing your vision, and putting forth the effort to bring it into reality, is what I love about this craft. Creativity is only as good as your ability to make it happen. That's what sets apart creatives from those who just push a button and call themselves a photographer. I'm not there yet, but I sure am enjoying the journey. Thanks again, Maria, "stay gold".
Model: Maria B
Wardrobe: provided by Cherry's Costumes Galore
