Muay Thai

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, October 12, 2010 | 4 photos

The images I present to you tell the story of a country’s thousand-year culture.
Muay Thai, commonly known as Thai Boxing, is Thailand’s national sport and is seeping in tradition. The sport is so highly respected that championship fighters become instant national heroes.
This martial art inspired boxing is legendary around the world and known as the ‘science of eight limbs’ because fighters can use not only their hands and feet, but elbows and knees as well. However in a beachside bar on the island of Ko Chang in the far east of Thailand, where I captured these images, an intense yet friendly tournament began amongst the locals, to most spectator’s excitement.
Due to the low light conditions and the contestant’s quick movements, I embraced my f/1.4 lens and photographed the subjects with a more intimate and dramatic approach, which the contrasting shadows and highlights and low depth of field hopefully convey.
After graduating from college in Melbourne, Australia, I travelled throughout Southeast Asia with my camera, trying to capture and experience as much of the beautiful land and it’s people as possible. Now residing in London, I have a huge passion for travel; discovering new places and meeting new people and an adoration and appreciation for taking photographs, which I one day pray I can say will be my day job.
I know however that I have much to learn before this dream can come true and I feel this travel photography scholarship to Bhutan would be an ideal opportunity to develop my skills further, nourish my appetite for travelling and most importantly, through the guidance and mentoring of Jason Edwards, master the ability to take a photograph that tells a thousand words and bring home a powerful story for the world to see.