Fight UK were back at the Hermitage Centre in Whitwick on Saturday with some stellar talent on the card. I was very much looking forward to this event, having photographed a fair few of Fight UK’s events but missed the previous one so I was excited to get back out there. More after the jump!
Lions MMA opened it’s doors to the Sikh community of Wolverhampton with it’s grand opening at the Sedgley Street Gurdwara this past Saturday. On hand to give youngsters their first free taster session into the World of MMA were fighters Subaig Singh, Indi Singh and MMA Factory from Smethwick.
Indi (left) and Subaig Singh at Lions MMA Opening in Wolverhampton
Sprawl n Brawl returned to action this past Saturday after a long hiatus over the New Year period and I sure have missed it. The Irish Centre in Birmingham was the venue for this event, different from the past few “SnB” shows. I did enjoy the Tower Ballroom, I think it’s an excellent venue for combat events but I’m sure there were valid reasons for the move. The lighting was certainly a lot more photographer friendly at the Ballroom and the venue was larger overall but the insane atmosphere from the crowd on Saturday at the Irish Centre more than made up for it and it’s a night I’ll remember – all for good reasons – for the rest of the year at least. I have a notoriously bad memory.
Packed house for Sprawl n Brawl: Relentless at the Irish Centre in Birmingham Continue reading
Frasier Opie defends his Fight UK MMA Light Heavyweight Title at Leicester’s Athena.
Uploaded Fight UK 6 from the back-catalogue. One of the best events I’ve ever photographed / attended. I think only one fight, maybe two, went the distance? Was awhile ago now but yeah – great night! Never a bad Fight UK show though to be honest.
Sprawl n Brawl 8 took place on 10th September 2011 and featured some insane fights that went down inside a cage for the first time in Sprawl n Brawl’s history.
Tower Ballroom in Edgbaston. Great venue.
Chris Rice returned to the cage to take on the always entertaining Shaun Lomas. Jeff “The Snowman” Monson returned to action Continue reading
So, Urban Knights 7 was this past Saturday at the Syn Nightclub in Derby. Different venue for Urban Knights. Shame really as The Roundhouse was badass for photography but I’m not totally against nightclub events. Lighting was alright. Not quite as good as Liquid or Oceana – the only other two nightclubs I’ve photographed at – but I’ve had a lot worse and each place has its quirks. I’d kind of made the decision I wasn’t going to worry too much about motion blur and slightly unexposing in order to get all of the action shots perfect.
One of my favorite pictures from the shoot (pictured above) – is a big no-no with the out of focus hands in the “pro world” but there’s certain times when I just think “fuck it” and do things my way.
Speaking of doing things my way, I was reinspired recently to go back to doing some more black and white images. There was one point at college where I would turn almost every image to black and white and probably 70-80% of the time I thought it looked better like that. Now – not so much – I like a lot of vibrant colours also. Contrast slider is my friend for sure. But I’m also back on the hunt for the dramatic black and white! Be afraid!
Nice guys at G-Matt sorted me out with a ladder to photograph from on top of so I had a birds-eye view into the cage. Why anybody would hire a cage from anyone else other than G-Matt is beyond me. Top dogs for sure. Not totally sold on the ladder business to be fair. I like the artier stuff that you can get from shooting through the cage, up into the lights and from weird angles. It’s kind of just taking shots at what’s happening when you’ve got the best seat in the house. Having said that, my knees aren’t shot to bits from kneeling down all night on the hard floor and you can capture the action shots a little easier from up there. So…. 50/50 on it, maybe I need more practice on the ladder and while I’ve got the chance, I’ll be up there because it doesn’t come often. But right now, personally, I reckon I get better shots from the ground.
Speaking of better shots, felt it weren’t my day Saturday. For the first 5 or so shows I did, I always walked away thinking they’re a pile of shite. Now – not always. For some events, like Fight UK 6, I’m happy throughout the night and I KNOW I’ve got some good ones and I had a good night for myself at that point in time in my “career”, yada yada. And I’ve had a few of those lately. But, I dunno, weren’t “feeling” it this Saturday as I was rattling off the pictures. Maybe it was the new venue, being on the ladder for the first time again in a while, my insanity perhaps, who knows. I got some good shots and really liked a couple after going through them on Sunday but not as good as some recent shoots I felt. If I’d caught the dubious spine(was it?) kick on camera it might’ve changed my stance but I didn’t and it just didn’t feel like I was on it that night.
The fights were great. I enjoy when there’s a slight change in there and Urban Knights seem to do it regularly. MMA is by far my favorite sport but having a boxing, thai boxing or kickboxing fight mixed into the card just elevates the live event a tiny bit for me. Craig Turner put on a great fight with Shaun Lomas – as expected. Always look forward to seeing his fights. Photographed 3 of Craig’s fights now and that was my 2nd Lomas fight and they’re always good guys to photograph. Quality. Really enjoyed the night.
Other randoms
Photographs from the event can be viewed/downloaded/purchased through the photography section of our site // Urban Knights 7 Gallery
Alternatively, here’s the slideshow:
Complete set of images from BAMMA 9 held at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena on March 24th, 2012
Alternatively, BAMMA 9: Marshman vs. Watson Gallery