We go 'behind the lens' with sports photographer Matt Palmer who explains some of the finer points of shooting Muay Thai fighters in the heat of battle.
This image of fighters Elliot Compton (left) and Jun Lee (right) was captured at 'Caged Muay Thai 3' in Brisbane in March last year. My documentation of Muay Thai started off as a 'one-off' personal project following a particular fighter in the lead up to a fight. The Muay Thai community loved the results so much I was soon being invited to document many of Queensland's top promotions.
As soon as I saw Jun Lee walk into the cage with his 'fanged' mouthguard I knew I wanted to capture a moment where it featured. For me, the mouthguard design and the impact of Compton's strike is what makes the image. A black and white treatment, which is now synonymous with my combat sports work, is also rare in the industry. I think it strips away the distractions and directs the viewer's attention to the expressions and the power of the moment.
It's a huge challenge capturing the 'decisive moment' of a Muay Thai fight. For much of the round, the fighters may be positioned in such a way that you can’t compose a good image. The referee, or even the ring ropes, can be in a position which blocks your perspective. The fighters are also faking shots to disguise what they are really going to attack with, so reading the fight is integral in building up an instinct for when to shoot, and when not to. The shutter needs to be pressed before you see the strike or you've already missed it.
The lighting is generally very weak and not positioned for the purposes of photography, so shooting at ISO 6400 – or even higher – is common. This particular image was also shot through a cage, which is the cause of some of the illuminated areas of bokeh. The 24-70mm f/2.8 IS USM II is a decent focal length for shooting through the ropes or cage, so it's my primary lens. This particular moment was captured at f/2.8, to let in as much light as possible, with a shutter speed of 1/1600s at ISO 3200. Because the Canon EOS 5D Mk III produces good quality images for print at ISO 3200,
I didn't feel too pressured to drop to ISO 1600, which would have halved my shutter speed.
Canon EOS 5D Mk III, 24-70mm f/2.8 IS USM II Lens, 1/1600s @ f/2.8, ISO 3200. Photo: Matt Palmer.
