Photo Analysis and Infographics

This is a picture of tennis champion Rafael Nadal winning his 16th Grand Slam title. When you look more closely at the picture, you can see the kids of several cultures, one hand on the flag and one by their side, holding our Nation’s colors, as well as one girl holding a Spain flag, Nadal’s home country. All the children are wearing Polo-sponsored collared shirts with red, white, and blue stripes across the polo. This photo was taken last Sunday, September 10, 2017. There are red, white, and blue streamers on the ground, covering the court, for celebration.

Tennis champion Rafael Nadal winning his 16th Grand Slam title                                       When you look closer at the picture, you can see the kids of several cultures                           Nadal is the main focal point                           The lighting is such that Nadal’s hot pink pullover and infrared sneakers really pop. Nadal is known for his flare, and style he brings to the court and his choice of clothing comes as no surprise. The reds, the whites, the blues, yellows, pinks, all are brought out in spectacular form with the shadows.               Nadal was wearing a watch. I personally was not aware tennis players are allowed to wear a wristwatch during the match.                   Nadal biting one end of the trophy                 The upper part of the photo is mostly black, with the flags disbursed. The bottom half of the picture show the streamers and Nadal’s lower body               The net can be considered the middle ground. Notice how Nadal is central to everything else that is happening in this photo   His affect is ecstatic.                                                              The tournament began on August 22nd, and ended September 10th, 2017. The US Open broke its record of most fans in attendance on opening day, totaling 61,839 spectators. The final is always held at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and is the biggest standing tennis facility on Earth. This is arguably the biggest of the four Grand Slams and players, sometimes, even take off a couple weeks prior to the big tournament for additional rest. In the 2016 US Open, Nadal lost in the fourth round to Frenchman Lucas Pouille, and that was his best finish among grand slams. He suffered a wrist injury in May, but didn’t walk away to recover until June. He returned this January of this year, but he jumped right back into form upon his return. His performance in August was enough to have a remarkable tournament, and effectively beating Kevin Anderson. People consider Nadal to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tennis players to ever play. This victory certainly helps solidify that.     http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2017-08-28/2017-08-28_us_open_sets_opening_day_attendance_record.html
              When you first look at the picture, it is relatively overwhelming. The children holding flags, the streamers at Nadal’s feet, and the black background cause this photo to look “busy”. Despite everything going on, the photographer made it a priority to get Nadal in the center of the photo. The top of the flags, the peak, including the bright red, white, and blue give the reader enough to look at to begin with. There is a lot going on in this picture whether you take a quick glance or you really analyze it. The streamers on the ground, the net, the children holding the flags, none of it stands out more than Nadal. He is standing at the front of the photo, so to speak, and dead center. You can’t help yourself from him being the first entity you look at. The match was played in Flushing Meadows, New York, to over 23,000 fans. The need for lighting is due to the match being played at night. One reason for the pink is for the lighting because the color is brought out more in the night as opposed to in the day. Another reason for wearing the bright color is because that is his signature, and he is wearing one of the four color shirts he is advertising for his line with Nike. He is being paid to win, but he is also being paid to wear this clothing. Unlike the traditional clothing worn somewhere like Wimbeldon, the US Open the display of the most modern equipment, and clothing. https://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pw/mens-tennis-clothing/1mdZ7puZ8r0?ipp=60     In other sports, technology inside the confines of the game are strongly prohibited. However, players are encouraged to sport wearable technology to aid their game. It is another chance for Nadal to advertise. Each top tennis player works exclusively with watchmakers. For  example, Roger Federer is paid to wear Rolex, as Serena Williams wear Audemars Piguet. Simply, athletes are walking commercials. They are advertising clothing and items on every inch of their body and in a sport like tennis where there are few commercial breaks, it is essential for the top dogs to don their sponsorships. Sponsors are willing to do this because they have fans who associate with them and want to wear the same clothing that their favorite athlete wears.  http://stylefrizz.com/201509/top-tennis-players-and-their-watches/     Tennis players who are fortunate enough to say they have one more than one major, there is typically a tradition they hold when winning. Part of Nadal’s brand, for the picture, is biting the end of the trophy. A major element of being an athlete is building your brand because it is not just about winning and losing, but maximizing your potential outside of playing. There is a contrast between the background and the foreground. The background is black. This is because he and the flags are the foreground of the photo. He is being emphasized because he is the winner of the match. The flags are being emphasized because this is the US Open. There are six flags in the picture; 5 American and 1 Spain for Nadal.