Head kick

An oldie, but a goodie. From 2005

Flying knee

Upside-down

How to take photographs of fighters

There are a few easy rules worth remembering if you’re going to take photos of fighters. They are as follows:

Photos from Ringside

Jimmy asked me how I was doing with my photography last night at the Cage Warriors show. It’s something we always do between fights - chat shit and talk camera stuff.

“Getting any good shots mate?”

“Nope,” I said. “Fuck all.”

I wasn’t at the time, although things did get better later. The truth is that I was out of practice, and it took me a while to warm up again. Just like when you’ve had a lengthy period off the mat, it took some time for the cobwebs to disappear and for me to get into the rhythm of the fights.

Inspiration, big hits and odd-shaped balls

Rugby tackle? Double leg takedown? Take your pick.

I was browsing YouTube the other day watching clips of tackles and big hits from rugby. Though never a team sport lover, rugby is something I grew up with. Being born and bred in the Welsh valleys, it’s kind of impossible not to be exposed to it at some point. As far as contact sports go, rugby is one hell of a game. MMA fighters put themselves through fifteen or twenty-five minutes of on-off pressure, sometimes coming out banged up, sometimes coming out unscathed. Rugby players step onto the pitch and get roughed up by fifteen guys wearing boots with metal spikes for an hour and a half (with pretty much zero padding). And whereas top fighters maybe step into the cage or ring a maximum of three or four times a year, rugby players do it every single weekend for six months of the year. That is a lot of knocks.

Photog Blog - Muay Thai (part two)

Looking through my archives I discovered I had more Muay Thai shots than I first thought. And if you will allow me a moment to blow my own trumpet, some of them are actually quite good. With Muay Thai I’m under no pressure to deliver shots that are printable as I don’t use them in my magazine, so I allowed myself a little freedom by shooting some in the traditional manner and some in a more abstract way.

Check them out after the jump.

Photog Blog - Muay Thai

I’ll admit it outright. I’m not a huge Muay Thai fan. The music drives me crazy, I dislike how kicking is favoured over punching by the judges, and my inner MMA geek screams “takedown!” every 20 seconds or so. But MuayThai is one of the most entertaining (not to mention devastating) combat sports out there. I don’t follow Thai so much as have a passing interest in it purely on a visual level. I prefer watching K-1 MAX as I love the speed, kickboxing skill and athleticism. But I love taking photos of Muay Thai. Here are a few from local shows here in Manchester.

Highs and Lows

One of those days…

Everyone knows you can’t always be 100%.

But when you’ve been riding the wave for a couple of weeks, slaying people on the mat left right and centre, it’s hard not to feel like you’re pretty invincible. But it’s never permanent. Every high is balanced out with an equal or greater low. Peaks and troughs. That’s life, baby. Jiu-Jitsu is full of metaphors.

Amateur Hour

They’re not getting paid, but they’re by no means amateurs

Back when I first started going to live MMA events in this country, I was not much more than a fan. I had the eye of someone familiar but not intimate with the techniques and moves, but a few years of UFC videos had given me an idea of how fights should play out.