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NEVER OUT OF THE FIGHT - PERSONAL PROJECT
What motivates fighters to get in the ring is a subject I find endlessly fascinating, especially on an amateur level where fight purses are pretty much non-existent. ’Never Out of the Fight’ is an ongoing project I started in 2018 and so far I’ve shot over a hundred portraits of boxers and kick-boxers in the seconds after their fights. After a match, a fighters adrenaline is still charging, emotions are raw and without artifice - and for me the power of a portrait comes from it’s ability to capture that emotion as authentically as possible. There is no make-up here, all blood, sweat and tears are the fighters own.
I’ve travelled around the south east of England since starting the project in 2018 shooting in casinos, nightclubs and leisure centres. Setting up small studio of about six foot square, sometimes by the ring amongst the audience themselves. The lack of shooting space has been a useful exercise in being disciplined and stripped back in terms of lighting. When the fighters step in front of the camera it's usually the first time I’ve met them, and the time available (usually no longer than a minute at most) means clear communication and creating a rapport needs to be done on the hoof. It has had it’s tense moments, with the odd fight kicking off in the bleachers, and a couple of near misses with my lights, but I’ve learned a lot through the process, and had a blast doing it. I’ve experimented with different backgrounds and limited lighting scenarios, and worked with a couple of talented digital artists (Diego Angarita, Matt Brewin and James Digby-Jones) who have brought their own different influence to bear on the grading.
It’s an ongoing passion project and a great opportunity to develop as a photographer and artist, and I like to think I've made some life long friends amongst the boxing community along the way.
