On SEEING, A Journal #540

A Jumping Forehand: J.J. Tauil

August 29, 2023

Tennis is a magnificent sport played by humans of virtually any age.

On a professional level, tennis is from another planet. Explosive speed and power added to flexibility, balance and precision seem other-worldly.

One of the many incredible feats by pros is accomplished by leaping when they hit a ball that is about to bounce out of an optimal range, so that it can be returned with power at waist high, a level.

A talented New York City tennis pro, J.J .Tauil came to the studio to work with me to create an image of a powerful jumping forehand.

J.J. is a native New Yorker who was coached by his father and trained at various Elite Jr. program facilities as a prized Junior, which led him to the Captain of his tennis team at Fordham University. He was part of the top 25 NCAA Division 1 recruiting class and graduated from Fordham with multiple Atlantic 10 honors. J.J. has a passion and gift for coaching and teaching tennis. He was a perfect subject for our endeavor to explore, experiment and discover the creation of images of “A Jumping Forehand.”

I worked with many ideas and from different angles, and in my attempt to record and study it photographically even used a net to “catch” the ball so that J.J. could hit the ball “for real”.

I utilized two main lighting methods of exploratory work. One the use of ambient (available) light to demonstrate the “streak” of the stroke as in these two images.

And, secondly, the utilization of multiple stroboscopic flash.

I experimented to see the stroke and not the player—there were many “results.”

Of the many images with “Jump,” I am still uncertain whether there is one “better” than another.

And other points of view:

It was a fruitful, rich, enlightening and wonderful experience.

I asked my friend, Brad Harrington, a highly respected and gifted professional tennis coach in Western Connecticut to write a note about the images. I was interested in what someone at a top level in tennis would think when looking at them.

“The tennis athlete knows it’s not just hitting a ball; it’s the touch, tempo, rhythmic changes, volume and countless other variations that matter.

“These photographs show us the explosive nature of the tennis stroke while at the same time its fluidity and control. The raw power of the tennis athletes’ body with the smoothness and gracefulness of its movement is comparable to the movement of a ballet dancer.

“The photographs show how the body synchronizes with the mind and the eyes. One sees the arc of the swing, the subtlety of the racket face control, the twist and turn of the body and the explosion of the legs all at once.

“The images give us insight into finite moments. Leaping into the perfect position, balanced and in control before, during and after ball contact, to paint with the racket perfect shape and speed across the ball. Only a small percentage of elite athletes have been able to train their brains and bodies to achieve this.

-Brad Harrington