Our theme for Day 7 of Photography 101 was “Landmark”. We were supposed to take multiple photos from different points of view of some landmark. I decided to focus on the Indian Wells Tennis Garden where the BNP Paripas Open tennis tournament is held every March at Indian Wells, California in the desert near Palm Springs. We have visited there several different times and really enjoyed it, and these are some of the photos which I captured that show various aspects of this famous venue.
The BNP Paribas Open is the largest professional two-week combined ATP (men) and WTA (women) Tour tennis tournament in the world with 96 players in the singles and 32 teams in the double draws. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden features the second largest stadium in the world next to the US Open which includes 16,100-seats and 44 luxurious stadium suites and a new permanent Stadium 2 with 8,000 seats, as well as 7 additional outer stadiums.
Stadium 1
Stadium 1 is the largest where all the best matches are played. This was a shot from the upper deck before the first match was scheduled to get a general shot of the stadium.
This shot was taken during a mid-week watch so not as many people were there at night.
This shows the stadium after the lights come on.
Other Stadiums
Here’s one of the outer stadiums, which are more intimate since you’re closer to the players.
Here I tried zooming in for a closer shot of this women’s match.
This shows the desert mountains in the distance which surround the tennis venue, so the views are great when you look beyond the stadium. Also, you see the lights and flags over the stadium. In this men’s match, we were sitting at the end instead of the side.
Grounds
Here is shot of the grounds outside the main stadium. There are many concessions, activities, and entertainment available within the complex which make it very pleasant between matches, or just relaxing in the shade to get something to eat or drink.
We love tennis, and thoroughly enjoyed this experience. In fact, I’m looking forward to going back again soon, maybe for the next one during March 9-22, 2015.
I enjoyed seeing all of your different views of the tennis stadium. The organization I work for has multiple tennis courts/complexes and hosts national and international tournaments. It’s fascinating to see how other tennis complexes are designed. Like the angles you selected for your photos.