Photo Assignment 7: Stop-action Photography
- Ruby Moley
- Oct 14, 2025
- 3 min read
During the Texas A&M Collegiate Level Competitive Tennis Tournament, I took this photo of my teammate, Alina Morales, as she competed in an intense matchup. The tournament ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the George P. Mitchell ’40 Tennis Center in College Station, and I took photos between my own matches. Alina was our designated singles player for the day, and I wanted to capture her focus, energy, and drive in the middle of an intense rally. To get a better angle, I stood on the highest row of benches overlooking the court so I could shoot from above and include more of the background.
What I did right: I think this photo captures a strong moment of movement and concentration. I captured Alina right before she made contact, her correct tennis form balancing out the ball appearing to come towards her. The bright green of the court and the pop of the tennis ball draw attention to the subject and action, while her blue top stands out clearly against the darker fence. The lighting was direct and bright, allowing me to get a proper exposure. The shadow adds dimension to the action piece, showing Alina lifting her body off the ground to gain more power. Overall, the composition feels balanced, and the shot gives off a sense of intensity and motion that fits the moment.
What I did wrong: If I could change something, I would’ve adjusted my framing a bit. The space behind Alina feels slightly empty, and I think moving my focus point could’ve emphasized the ball’s path more. I wish I had picked a subject on the stadium courts, which had stands extending high above the courts. These would give me a great downward view that would show only the court and no fence, greenery, etc. I would have also loved to shoot closer to my subject, a problem that might’ve been fixed with a zoom lens. More raw emotion and focus on the player's face would add more action to the piece.
How I fixed it: All photos were shot at fast shutter speeds to make the ball and rackets clear mid-photo. I changed my perspective often when shooting these pictures to avoid background clutter and secure an angle that would capture both the subject and ball in the frame. I stood on top of the bleachers or got down on the ground, only two inches off the sideline. These angles also allowed a full range of form. To fix framing, I cropped more than I normally would to tighten the composition and eliminate distractions. I tweaked the exposure and upped the contrast in post-processing to compensate for the harshness of direct light.
Overall, I’m proud of how this photo turned out. I’m happy I could use a sport I love to complete the assignment and provide images to my teammates for their own use. Shooting a live tournament helped me practice reacting quickly, only pressing the button when I knew the shot was right. Since I play the sport, it made it easy to know when to shoot, like when the wind up is most dramatic, when contact is meant to occur, etc. I appreciate the art of sports photography, and I am excited to try again.
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