PHOTO BLOG

04/20/2012

Whenever I travel to a new locale I bring a list of cultural activities I’d like to experience. While visiting Chiang Mai, Thailand, Muay Thai kickboxing was near the top. As the national sport of Thailand, kickboxing is passionately followed and on any given night a match can be found in a local arena.

Because I knew very little about the sport, I knew even less about how to photograph it. If you’ve read some of my previous posts you know I’m a strong believer in preparation and how subject knowledge leads to better image making. So with that said, my expectations for recording a meaningful image were left at the hotel.

Upon entering the venue I determined the low light, fast action, and bad seats would make photographing the event impractical. But I also discovered a subject I know quite well; people and their emotional response to given events. I felt by photographing the faces in the arena I could gain a deeper knowledge of the sport, and if lucky, capture a few good images in the process.

This first photo reveals concern on the face of the trainer as she communicated with her fighter. The match wasn’t going well for him, and her eyes eloquently revealed such.

Concern

Gambling on kickboxing matches are common place and the frustration and exultation that comes with this could be seen on the faces of those who wagered. Judging by the look on this gentleman’s face (see below); it was apparent his fortunes and those of his fighter were quickly dwindling.

Frustration

Preceding the main event a hilarious skit was performed by local kickboxing teens. As the image below shows, even one of the more stoic Thais found it amusing.

Amusement

Throughout the course of each match, trainers passionately implored the fighters to follow their instructions. This particular trainer (see below) grew more animated with every round. I had no idea what he was saying, but I could relate to his passion and was eager to photograph it.

Passion

Processing in black and white; a creative choice.

In the age of digital imaging the process of transforming a color image to black and white requires little effort, and all too often little thought. As I’ve stressed many times, understanding your message is the prerequisite to utilizing the appropriate tools for communicating it. Whether this means leaving the image in full color, or converting to straight black and white, sepia tone, or duotone; the choice should be predicated by what you wish to convey.

To record each subject’s facial expression in the clearest, least ambiguous manner required the exclusion of distracting information. Color was superfluous to this message, so I removed it. As black and white imagery, the tonal transitions in their faces were more apparent and the clarity of their emotional responses more obvious. Though human emotions are never “black and white”, they’re better understood when presented in simplest terms.

04/30/2011

A question I’m occasionally asked is whether the image really looked that way. Or more specifically, are those the real colors? I understand why people ask the question, but have always felt in doing so they miss the point. A better question might be whether I intended the image to look that way.

It’s probably a safe assumption that everyone who has asked me the question owns a camera and has no doubt been disappointed with some of their results. And so it’s easy to see how their experience, far removed from my own, could lead to their skepticism. I could explain to them how my images benefit from professional optics, film and paper; or how I’ve cultivated years of experience to hone my eye for compelling compositions. And I could discuss further how lens choice, camera format and point of view affect realism. But in doing so, I would miss the point.

The simple truth is that for all the aforementioned reasons, a photograph can never perfectly represent the intended subject. But hopefully it perfectly represents the intended message. And therein is the crux of the issue. As an artist my aim is to create a meaningful image to communicate the desired message. To that end, my camera serves as a conduit to express a vision from the moment of capture through the final output. And for this reason, how closely the final image is to the original scene carries little significance.

And why should it? Why should color photography be held to a different standard than any other creative discipline? Shouldn’t a photographer be granted the same creative license as a painter? And from which, shouldn’t they be permitted to manipulate an image to serve their purpose? I’d much rather see a photographer print a blue sky, green, than attempt to record the scene exactly as he saw it. Because to do the later, you’re creating nothing, to do the former, you’re making it your own.

Of course all of this is well and good providing the photographer is truthful with their disclosure. And while there’s never an obligation to disclose, there is an obligation to be honest when doing so. This brings me back to the original question, “did it really look that way”? The answer of course, is it looks the way I envisioned.

Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask “how,” while others of a more curious nature will ask “why.” Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information. – Man Ray