Drew Lynch Funny Bone West Des Moinesnovember 16

"Want to go photograph a Pro Wrestling match Thursday evening?" I asked Sito Colón as I walked into Overland Photo Supply to grab some film.

Who could say "no" to that? Well, Sito didn't.

I gave him the logistics of the deal, that it's at Kanza Hall in Overland Park, the fourth dimension, and proceeded to tell him the back story.

Sterling Riegel comes to the aid of his blood brother Logan, in full headlock by Death Threat Army during a Journey Pro Wrestling match at Kanza Hall in Overland Park.

The Riegel Twins (the pro wrestlers) are sons of friends of mine from school and this was my 2d fourth dimension photographing them. I grew upwardly with Ted Riegel and Kim Glasgow. He was in my grade, and we were cracking friends, and Kim, who was a year behind usa, lived a block from my firm. They were loftier school sweethearts who later married and gave nascence to twin boys who would somewhen become Pro Wrestlers, amidst other things, I'm sure. Simply the story goes further back than that. Kim's Dad, Gary Glasgow, and my dad worked together in Kansas City in the 60s and were friends. It's because of Gary (and some other events) that we ended up moving from Kansas City to Lamar. Information technology's ever prissy to see Gary ringside for the bouts.

I also explained that each team has a schtick.

Last time I photographed The Riegel Twins they took on the Buddha Brothers who started each bout past meditating on yoga mats, and they take "Namaste" stitched on the backside of their trunks. I'm not making this up. I told him near the wrestler who owns a winery up north and his deed is that he'due south a "sophisticated gentleman" and he talks trash on all the lower class members of the audition, which, in his eyes, is everyone only him. He drinks wine in the band. He took on some pretty boy who looks like Freddy Mercury, oiled up and wearing brilliant colors, who pulls lolly pops out of his trunks during the lucifer and force feeds them to his opponents…or the referee, if need be. Seriously…I'one thousand not making this upwards.

Sito was hooked at this indicate and we met just before the matches started.

"I said 'Sure!'" Sito shares, adding that "Images started going through my caput and I could only imagine some of the shots I might be able to get…smokey bar…dim lighting…missing teeth…people with obvious emotional bug…"

"Yeah, I think I tin piece of work with that," Sito connected.

If you've not been to a Journey Pro wrestling match, it'due south pretty colorful, and non just in the ring. The fans are faithful and know the wrestlers by proper noun and history. Similar watching an one-time melodrama, when the villains come on they boo…and when the hero comes out they cheer. I can't think of any other event where the whole audience, in unison, would chant "Impact his dick…affect his dick…touch his dick…," only I witnessed it with my own eyes and ears, with a little chanting of my own, I might add.

And like what you would see on Tv set with WWE, wrestlers practice randomly jump into the ring to "shell the crap" out of a team they may seek revenge on. These matches, similar soap operas, oftentimes acquit over from 1 month to the adjacent as the faithful fans get to see their heroes annihilated one month, then do a surprise revenge assail the next, all to hearty jeers and thank you.

Equipment Check

Nosotros hadn't talked about what cameras nosotros were going to shoot beforehand, and then I thought information technology interesting that we both brought Four Thirds cameras for the event.

"The atmosphere was already pretty electric," Sito said. "I put a 24-80 2.8 lens on my Olympus EM-1 and checked my exposure.  Lighting wasn't likewise bad for a bar, but nonetheless had to crank my ISO to 8000 to go the shutter speed to about 1/500 – figured that was fast enough."

If y'all're not familiar with Four Thirds, it was a system of lenses designed by Kodak and Olympus specifically for digital SLR cameras. The main (or maybe only) players using the system are Olympus, Panasonic (Lumix), and just a LIIIIIITLE BIT of Leica.

One reward is the lenses can be swapped among the team members. My first Four Thirds camera was an Olympus E-PL5. It'southward TINY and perfect for traveling. The lenses are also small, which for a traveler like me, is perfect because of how much equipment I can fit into my haversack. I could have this photographic camera and a couple of lenses skiing, fitting easily in my pockets. I tin't do that with a Catechism 50D and a single lens. The E-PL5 shoots RAW, has decent speed and resolution, and proved to be a "good enough photographic camera for what it did." I'g non in LOVE with it, but it was perfect for its size. And all the lenses I purchased for it work on my Lumix GH5…and vise versa.

Sito and I could also have shared lenses that dark if he needed one of mine, or if I wanted to nick his fancy niggling zoom lens.

You tin can really see the noise, or grain, in this photo. It's fine for this type of photograph, but if these were senior pics and the peel looked similar this, I'm sure there would be some raised eyebrows.

Ane downfall of 4 Thirds is that, because of the small sensor, photos tend to have more noise (grain) and information technology's evident in many of my shots. For Pro Wrestling, I recall information technology adds to the fun. If these were portraits, I wouldn't desire the noise on the mankind tones…well, the models wouldn't, anyway.

Lumix GH5 Four Thirds Mirrorless camera with Olympus 17mm, ane.8 lens attached.

For the fight that dark I had my Lumix GH5 with an Olympus 17mm i.8 lens. That sounds actually wide angle, and it is, merely with the size of the sensor on the GH5 it really translates to the equivalent of a 34mm lens on a full frame 35mm camera…good plenty for the shut quarters of the ring. I won't get ALL the shots, just information technology'southward fine.

I'll add that I was so impressed with Sito's 24-80 2.8 Olympus lens that I commented on it later the lucifer. He told me there was a used one for sale at Overland Photo Supply where he works. I grabbed it the next morning.

I similar how I can bump the ISO of the GH5 pretty high compared to older DSLRs I've got. I was shooting at 3200 (I should have done similar Sito and pushed it higher).

The Eye of the Beholder

Now begins the story of 2 photographers, with almost the exact same equipment, covering the same event, yet creating two totally different, personally unique galleries…both being every bit impactful.

I love this about photography. When the person behind the camera finally finds that identify that makes the pictures his or hers, information technology becomes fine art. It's THEIR interpretation of what they see…or what they desire y'all, the viewer, to glean from what they saw.

Looking at our galleries you can meet that Sito and I chose to focus on the same subjects, within the band, but there'south every bit much going on outside of it. We could just as easily, without communicating, shot totally different things. Reaction of the fans, mayhap, or simply the wrestlers as they were being tossed over, or jumping through, the ropes onto folding chairs and tables. The bar is always buzzing as tenders attempt to keep upwards with the drinking needs of the fans and other patrons. It's a busy place on wrestling night.

Sito shot black and white. Equally he showed me his shots during breaks, I could tell he had a lot of keepers.

"Then I idea, practice I shoot color or black and white?" Sito explained. "Usually I shoot everything in color, and while editing catechumen some to blackness and white, merely for some reason only felt like putting the photographic camera on monochrome – I'd be shooting black and white, and also see black and white in the camera viewfinder. I just thought the photos would have a grittier feel without color. Kinda similar the wrestling I watched as a kid on my little 13" blackness and white TV…"

I, on the other manus, shot in color, every bit I didn't know what I was going to exercise, yet. Terminal fourth dimension I shot wrestling I did black and white. I had idea I would practice it again, every bit I liked what I got, just I didn't eliminate the option I would piece of work in color this fourth dimension. Anyone who has seen my stuff knows that for me to go color, it actually has to DESERVE it and add to the photos story.

One goal for my shots was to use the ropes as a central graphic symbol as much as possible. I wanted a point of reference and a framework for the shots…only more than than that, I wanted them a little more "in your face" than the last time I shot these guys

Same shot of Sito's blackness and white gritty old Telly feel pics compared to my comic volume, Marvel feel shots.

I shot an before match, earlier The Riegel Twins' came out, to become some practice on position and brand sure my cameras were giving me what I wanted. My focus after that was the match between The Riegel Twins and Tommy Vendetta & Aaron Orion, aka Death Threat Army. After I idea I was done shooting, I was chatting with Kim, Ted, and Gary when Kim nodded her caput toward the ring and said "At that place's a adult female fighting a human being in the ring right now…you lot may want to grab your camera and shoot that." And she was right!

After I downloaded the photos and sorted out the ones I liked, it became apparent to me that the action, facial expression, and costumes in these are over the acme. And so I decided to go over the acme with my adjustments. I wanted these to wait "graphic novel" or "comic book" or something from a Marvel movie. Using Adobe Bridge and Camera Raw Filter, I played with a few shots until I got the look I wanted, then swept through and adjusted the rest. I was pleased.

I think what Sito and I take disproved is the myth photographers perhaps hate hearing the most: "He has a good camera…he takes proficient pictures." Not that we didn't have proficient cameras for this, but the point existence that cameras don't accept pictures…people exercise. And it's what we see, choose to share, and how we share it that is the art of it…not whatever pixel grabber happens to be in our hands.

The Galleries

For those who similar stats, Sito and I shot surprisingly similar for the night. Sito clicked off 1996 shots and I totaled 1980. From that, Sito walked away with 92 "keepers" and I had 104 that I liked. Nosotros both posted our consummate "likes" to Facebook. For the galleries below, nosotros've pulled out our absolute favorites from the nighttime.

See for yourself. I nowadays first Sito'south gallery, then mine.

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Source: http://www.russellviers.com/tale-of-two-photographers/