LaurenA is the ATP Queen! ;-)

First time trying this, so definately ideas for improvement (see notes at bottom) and thanks Lauren for being a great Pickleball Model!

I was fortunate to be asked to sub in for a "Front Court" game from 10-12 on Monday, 3/16. It was a ton of fun playing with Lauren, Tyler, and Glenn. Since I had taken pictures of their "regular" James recently, I mentioned I'd bring my camera gear and maybe we could do some "posed" ATP shots, especially since we are on Front Court and wouldn't bother nearby courts.

We ended up having GREAT GAMES ... and so much fun that we skipping the photography shenanigans. Afterwards, Lauren seemed interested in getting a picture of her to share with friends/family ... and since I noticed two (not as serious) players doing singles, I said what the heck, lets ask if we can just do a semi-quick setup/shoot on the edge of the court while they play.

They were nice enough to allow us to do this ...and even tossed a few balls for us to hit at the end ... so when I left, I made a contribution to their "beer fund" (LOL they won't be old enough to drink for several years) to recognize their good karma.

This was the FIRST time I've done this ... so there is definitely soom room for improvement ... plus since players were on the court, I was trying to minimize our intrusion and rushed things. The results weren't too shabby.

Pictures taken with a Canon 7DM2 at F/2.8, 1/250s, and ISO800. Off-camera Flash at 1/16 power setting with a diffuser. This was originally at ground level, but didn't have enough time to angle properly, so it was making the court surface "hot" ... so put it on a tripod.

Ideas for next time are maybe (!) make shutter speed something like 1/1000s so no paddle/ball blur ... albeit this shows motion. Try moving the flash further back so more even light ... albeit I like the player highlighted. Maybe use a second flash to light balance the back wall if I go for higher shutter speed and/or lower ISO - 400 should be doable using mostly flash for light. Maybe shoot from center back of court (I was at back edge since people were playing) for more angle. Try to capture more of the LOWER part of the image (so you can clearly see the foreground court). I started with the 17-55 lens, but I think that was a mistake because the focus isn't as fast/precise as the 17-55 ... and 70 should be doable if well placed to maximize pixels on target. Consider mounting on a tripod ... albeit low angle is almost always good.