how do i capture them? i breathe with them…

I breathe with them…

I am doing well with this photo thing. I found a passion in a world that I never thought to look at before. When deciding that I wanted to take photographs, I had my mind set on the cutesy teeny baby pics, the maternity photos everyone woman dreams of and the wedding pictures every bride would die for. I even bought props and things. 

But almost a year ago, our Sensei invited me to take a shot at photographing an MMA cage fight. Hm.. This should be interesting. I never did any type of fast moving event other than my kids running on the playground. And I knew nothing about MMA or what to look for when photographing moments. But I tried it, anyway. My goal was to look for the emotion. Look for those deep rooted moments, and take it from there. What happened – I LOVED It! Instant addiction. But were the photos good enough? Immediately after the fight I showed the photos to someone very dear to me. Someone I trust would tell me the truth. “OMG THIS IS YOUR THING” he said. Really? You think so? I knew I enjoyed myself. I knew I had a new addiction. But would this be MY THING. There was only one way to find out. Edit and pass the photos on… 

As I attend more events, and capture these legends in the making, I am humbled by the compliments I receive from people who know my photos. Who appreciate my work. Some of them even call it art. I never thought it to be art. But when I look at certain images… and when I think about the emotion they contain, yes I guess I can call it art also.

Someone once asked me… “How do you do it? How do you capture them in their moments?”

When I replied to the question, I think I confused the person who asked…. 

But for me it’s very simple… 

I am not just looking at them. I’m looking into them. 

I’m not just watching them. I’m breathing with them.

Before a fight, there’s a very special transformation that happens to a fighter. It’s something in their eyes. Everything becomes dark. They have a different walk. Their posture changes. Their demeanor grows. They’re different. I can’t describe it as accurately as I can photograph it. But it’s a very personal deep cored journey for them. And I’m somehow able to spot when it happens and photograph it. I don’t know how I figured that out. But, I’m ever so grateful for it. 

During the fight, there’s a rhythm each fighter has. It’s their pace. It’s their stance. It’s their carriage. Once I grab a hold of it, I can grab a hold of their breath… and again, I can’t describe it as accurately as I can photograph it. But it’s simple. I begin to breathe with the fighter. Literally, I follow their breath. By knowing their rhythm I can feel their adrenaline. I can feel their pain. I can feel their power. I’m moving with them. I’m thinking with them. I’m silently talking to them. That’s what allows me to snap the photos that I do.

Breathing with the fighter allows me to try to predict their next move. Even allows me to predict their falls. While looking through my camera the noise from the stands is drowned out and I’m listening intently to their corner. I can feel the passion from their coaches. The excitement and even disappointment. Just by listening I can tell when things are going as planned or when things are falling apart. I can also tell when to focus on the fighter, the background, the ref or the team. 

Photographing these events is not just a visual journey. It’s an emotional one. It’s an internal dialogue. It’s about looking beyond what’s in front of me. It’s about reaching deep into their soul and trying to pull out all their thoughts, emotions, and excitement and pushing it into my camera. It’s about helping them to remember, win or lose, this is one of the most amazing journeys they will ever encounter and they should be proud from the moment they said ‘yes I’ll take this challenge’.

It’s a privilege for me to photograph these people. And the photos that result from their battles are my very small token of appreciation for allowing me to be there with them.