The lighting is perfect, it implies this sort of anger and pride in the subject at center. It makes me feel somewhat threated by him yet simultaneously intrigued.
I didn't know how I'd react, but I really liked it. In fact, I found myself wanting to box!
Because of the low light and my slow lens, I had to shoot in the grainiest ISO setting (1600). The pictures are not the best quality and a lot are blurry, but the composition of many of them (like this one) is great.
Boxing and kickboxing are fascinating to me. I don't enjoy them second hand, but being there is... there's an odd, brutal beauty to it. The pride the boxers take in their skills, the drive to win... its a fascinating sport.
I think the grainy appearance just enhances the moodiness of the image.
You're right about the graininess...as I looked at the photos today, I realized the graininess perfectly captured the mood that night: a crowded and loud basement venue (a church, no less), the primal energy of the sport, and the predominantly working-class crowd. The photos may not appear polished, but neither was the original scene.
Just sailing through - via Single_101, to see who you were as I thought you gave some sage advice in a couple of your recent comments :)
I like your other photos too, but this one in particular moved me as he does my martial art! He is not actually a kickboxer :D The bands on his arms (called kruang ruang) mark that he is a Thai boxer - although most American gyms call it kickboxing, Muay Thai is something different from kb - and a kickboxer would not wear those - traditionally, they serve the same purpose as a grading belt does in kickboxing. MT has its roots in a particularly distinctive and elegant Thai martial art tradition - a lot of what we do, such as knees and elbows and certain kicks, are banned if we fight under kickboxers' rules (weaklings!) so you might not have seen him in full... well, butt-kicking mode. Now, I rambled on about all that because your photo just conveys Muay Thai to me - he looks fierce yet calm and where he needs to be mentally; something Muay Thai puts a lot of emphasis on as it is the sport form of what was originally a battlefield melee martial art!
I just can't put words to how much I love this image. Very few professional photographers manage to capture such intangible things - you have. I love practicing MT with all my heart, and this photo of yours just sums up why. You couldn't mistake him for anything but a nak muay - his posture is that mixture of ferocity and pride that underlies our training.
And your unintentionally grainy quality almost lends the atmosphere of some of the fighting venues in Thailand, which is rather cool :)
Sorry for waffling, but I just had to have a bit of a martial artist's fangirlish moment over this.
My goodness, I had no idea there was so much behind what I unknowingly called "kickboxing"! In fact, the tickets said there was Muay Thai and amateur boxing, which would explain why I saw a lot of knee action during the Muay Thai bouts. I am glad you like the photo, and thank you very much for the education.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-12-08 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-08 01:08 pm (UTC)Oh, and that photograph? Its fantastic!
no subject
Date: 2007-12-08 03:10 pm (UTC)Because of the low light and my slow lens, I had to shoot in the grainiest ISO setting (1600). The pictures are not the best quality and a lot are blurry, but the composition of many of them (like this one) is great.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-08 07:23 pm (UTC)I think the grainy appearance just enhances the moodiness of the image.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-09 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-08 05:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-13 09:19 pm (UTC)I like your other photos too, but this one in particular moved me as he does my martial art! He is not actually a kickboxer :D The bands on his arms (called kruang ruang) mark that he is a Thai boxer - although most American gyms call it kickboxing, Muay Thai is something different from kb - and a kickboxer would not wear those - traditionally, they serve the same purpose as a grading belt does in kickboxing. MT has its roots in a particularly distinctive and elegant Thai martial art tradition - a lot of what we do, such as knees and elbows and certain kicks, are banned if we fight under kickboxers' rules (weaklings!) so you might not have seen him in full... well, butt-kicking mode. Now, I rambled on about all that because your photo just conveys Muay Thai to me - he looks fierce yet calm and where he needs to be mentally; something Muay Thai puts a lot of emphasis on as it is the sport form of what was originally a battlefield melee martial art!
I just can't put words to how much I love this image. Very few professional photographers manage to capture such intangible things - you have. I love practicing MT with all my heart, and this photo of yours just sums up why. You couldn't mistake him for anything but a nak muay - his posture is that mixture of ferocity and pride that underlies our training.
And your unintentionally grainy quality almost lends the atmosphere of some of the fighting venues in Thailand, which is rather cool :)
Sorry for waffling, but I just had to have a bit of a martial artist's fangirlish moment over this.
Anna
no subject
Date: 2007-12-13 09:34 pm (UTC)