This week's challenge brought some nice memories to my mind and made me remember all the field lessons I learned while documenting Lucha Libre in my country. Somewhere between late 2018 and early 2019, Melissa and I had the sublime opportunity of getting closer to this sport.
Sunday at 18:00, a private parking lot was transformed into a space dedicated to Salvadoran wrestling. Fighters were divided between “rudos” and “técnicos”, and on special occasions, they joined forces to achieve a common goal. Lights went out, music started. Taxi drivers, market vendors and maquila workers disappeared; villains and heroes emerged. A proper catharsis for removing stress from anyone.
And then…
During those weeks, I got two basic lessons about capturing athletic endeavours; and they both have to do with social stuff rather than photographic variability.
First and foremost, arrive early so you can get familiar with the environment and the lighting conditions around and within it. Second, be transparent about your intentions and communicate with those athletes and organizers before even turning your camera on.
As a documentary photographer, I've picked the tools that work best for me in terms of budget, quality, and inconspicuousness. My optical options are equivalent to 28mm, 35mm, and 50mm. However, from my experience, I can tell that having a monopod, a decent telephoto-zoom lens, and high-burst capabilities is a must for freezing action from afar.
Photo of the Week
This sharp portrait was first shared in the aforementioned challenge on athletic endeavors. And as we look closer, we get in touch with absolute athleticism. Vigour and fitness, all tightly packed in the body of a pup! Freezing such intense energy requires some acute visual skills! Kudos Patrick, and thanks for sharing such a lovely portrait with us!
Weekly Photography Challenge Digest
Thanks Tersha and Dahlia for pushing our creative boundaries one step forward every week!
For more visual imagery, check out the 696th original challenge post!
A Highlight on the Latest Activity at our Community
Rob went imaginative and triggered a throw-down around Bluetooth photograph transferring from the camera without the hassle of stuffing around with SD cards. The conversation went sideways, and bumped into other mildly infuriating inconveniences like battery charging and similar. So, join in and vent your dislikes about current technology's limitations. He also asked about the community's interest in video.
Marty found a punk rocker of the insect world, and Rob collaborated with some digital polishing to bring out the details in the shadows:
I hope you’ll enjoy these shots of a monster insect I shot yesterday feasting on a Texas thistle taller than I was (at about 6′ high). Pretty scary looking, I love its punk haircut. Warding off predators? 😀 I’m currently waiting on a bug ID from the experts at davesgarden.com.
Daniel asked for some help on DOF, he thinks he knows how to fix it, but maybe you can share some further suggestions with us!
Patrick found an album cover on the wild:
Speaking of wild, Marty got a wayward self-portrait! Did you notice the hook?
And Tersha shared some nice web bokeh:
Last but not least, if you want to make out the most of your LightStalking user account, make sure to check the latest posts. Also, don't forget to swim the Mobile Monday Challenge!
We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts
Our Feedback Forum is a fine place for all those people wanting to grow fast as photographers. Here, you'll get your work reviewed by friendly photographers, but you'll also have the chance to comment on the work of others. We believe in the power of feedback, and here are the latest shots shared in the pool:
- two birds one stone – toy photo being reshot tonight
- One view of Parliament House, Canberra
- nets and floats
- Rocket
- lines of chairs
- Burning technique on budding poppy
- Light-Painting
- Narabeen
- Cropping for best composition
- Tour de France trials
- nets and floats
- PAX
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- No Idea What You See?
The Shark Tank is a great place to learn and to discuss, but please read the instructions to get a better experience. Share your comments, opinions, and doubts on any or all of the images above. We would be delighted to see some of your own images. Remember all comments are given to the photographs; not the photographers.
Also, don't forget to participate in our current challenge on Decay and Resilience: The Abandoned Structure!
