Shorthorn photographer Erika Dupree said,

Senior tennis player Mindaugas Celedinas is currently undefeated in Southland Conference play. The Mavericks play in the SLC Tournament on April 27 and 28 in Nacogdoches.

Portraits - whether they are for a news, sports or features story - need to be clean, and simple.  Cluttered, messy backgrounds or poor lighting are what separate the amateurs from the professionals.

“I wanted to avoid it being high school senior portrait style with a net in front of him. I photographed him waist up instead of head to toe so that it was cleaner and closer,” said Dupree.

By using a telephoto lens, Dupree was able to clean up the already simple background.  Using artificial lighting from one side of the subject also created a more dramatic and intense tone that reflected the story - this player being undefeated in the conference.