Photographers go to the mat to capture powerful action

Whoever said, "A picture is worth a thousand words" fully understood the sport of amateur wrestling. Even the most knowledgeable, eloquent wrestling writer is not always able to do justice to a spectacular throw -- or the elation on a winner's face -- the way a truly talented photographer can.

Being a wrestling photographer has challenges all its own. It's not as glamorous -- or financially rewarding -- as being a fashion photographer, for instance. But when was the last time runway photographers felt a rush of adrenaline as a 285-pound heavyweight hurtled towards them off the edge?

RevWrestling.com contacted some of the top wrestling photographers in the U.S. to gain some insights into the art of photographing the oldest and greatest sport … and learn more about the talented individuals who work so hard to capture the excitement and essence of wrestling.

Steve Woods at the 2002 Dave Schultz Memorial (photo by Danielle Hobeika).

Danielle Hobeika -- Danielle brings a unique perspective to the world of wrestling photography from both on and off the mat. When she's not matside shooting the action, she is often in action as a freestyle wrestler. Her photos have appeared in a number of places, including RealProWrestling.com and at the AmateurWrestlingPhotos.com Web site which she helped establish in 2002.

"I was interested in photography since I was a young girl," Danielle recalls. "Starting around the age of 6 or 7, I would always ask my grandfather to borrow his Polaroid camera and I would snap away -- but at that early stage, it was mostly pictures of my family and pets."

"My freshman year of high school, I took my first real class: Intro to Black and White Photography. I mostly did artistic landscapes and portraits," says Danielle. "The wrestling photography came into play when I started wrestling my senior year of high school. My photography teacher hated it since he was used to artistic pieces and not sports action photography. But I continued to pursue both wrestling and wrestling photography in college, and covered the Harvard wrestling team for the Harvard Crimson student newspaper."

Chad Lamer during a photo shoot for Real Pro Wrestling (photo by Danielle Hobeika).

"I cover college wrestling the most because I'm usually competing at many of the freestyle events held in the U.S.," says Danielle. "On some occasions I will bring my camera to an international competition and try to photograph before weigh-ins or after I'm done competing, depending on the schedule of the tournament."

Danielle adds, "However, I think my favorite project was for Real Pro Wrestling because it not only involved the action photography aspect of wrestling, but also portraiture and more creative aspects as well.

"Since I photograph so many different styles of wrestling -- collegiate, freestyle, Greco, Real Pro Wrestling -- it's hard for me to choose a single image," says Danielle. "I have two favorites, though, both which capture the essence of the five-point throw -- the most difficult and most highly regarded move in international wrestling.

Frank Baughan of Army pinned Victor Destefano of SUNY-Binghamton at Valley-Central High School in New York (photo by Jon Malinowski).

Jon Malinowski -- From capturing the wrestling action at West Point to catalog shots for the wrestling retailer Wrestler's World, Jon Malinowski's wrestling portfolio covers a lot of territory.

"My late cousin, Sal DiMarco, was a pro photographer in Philadelphia, so I grew up appreciating great photography," according to Jon. "My father also enjoyed photography as a hobby and had good cameras in the house. So I naturally started shooting as I got older. For high school graduation, I got a Nikon SLR body, my first real camera, which I used in college for a bit of work with campus magazines."

Jon took a break from photography as he went through graduate school and embarked on his career. However, about three or four years ago, he started getting serious about photography again. "I found that I enjoyed shooting sports," says Jon. "I work at the United States Military Academy (West Point) and some of my colleagues were working as faculty representatives for the wrestling team, so I began shooting team practices and matches. I realized that shooting wrestling was something I was good at, so I began trying hard to improve my technique and introduce better lighting, and I started to gain some national attention."

In addition to shooting the Army wrestling team and his catalog work for Wrestler's World, Jon started his Web site WrestleToWin.com to showcase his dramatic images, and, as he puts it, "encourage others to bring professional techniques to wrestling photography." Jon adds, "I believe the wrestling industry is behind other sports in appreciation of good photography, and this is often reflected in our leading publications, which often run muddy, grainy photos that are not suitable for print. If we want the sport to gain wider acceptance in North America, our publications and marketing materials need to be professional and look like other sports."

When asked to recall any interesting incidents, Jon says, "So far, nothing really bizarre has happened. I've certainly been nearly crushed by heavyweights a couple times. When the big guys get ramped up, they don't stop for anything. I like to shoot low, as close as possible to the mat, so it's a bit scary when 500 pounds of wrestlers come crashing down on you."

Tolly Thompson picks up Steve Mocco with a double leg at the 2005 World Team Trials in Ames, Iowa (photo by John Sachs).

John Sachs -- Some wrestling photographers are introduced to their vocation by a family member who competes in the sport … and a newfound interest becomes a passion. That was the case with John Sachs, whose work is on display at his Web site, Tech-Fall.com

"I was brought into the sport by my son, Albert, who wrestled at Santa Rosa, California," says John. "I was anxious to learn more about the sport -- and the athletes involved -- but was frustrated by how little information was available, especially photos that promoted the sport."

"As I was growing up, there was no shortage of photos and information about the star athletes I loved in baseball, football, basketball," John continues. "Through photos and stories, I was able to develop a strong connection to those great athletes. I felt that missing from wrestling, so I started my Web site, Tech-Fall.com, specifically to promote wrestling through photography."

John adds, "Once you spend time around the sport of wrestling, you begin to recognize the characteristics that make a good athlete great. I've been inspired by their drive, determination and diligence, and have worked hard to apply those same principles to make my photography better."

Sally Roberts (photo by John Sachs).

"Most people don't realize how difficult a sport wrestling is to photograph," says John. "Incredible action can happen at any time and in any direction. You really can't predict where on the mat or when the great image will happen. That's the real challenge for the photographer."

When asked what types of events he covers, John says, "I photograph wrestling at all the different levels of competition, starting with the 'eight and unders' up to the Olympic level wrestlers."

John shares a memory from the 2004 Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis: "The photographers' location was a sort of canal between two raised mats. On day one, there were some inexperienced photographers stationed there. During one of the heavyweight matches there was a flurry of action that carried them well out-of-bounds, with one heavyweight flying over our heads and landing on the other mat. The second wrestler ended up taking out a few photographers who were unprepared to say the least. Needless to say, there were far fewer photographers in the canal for the next session."

Mack Reiter before his match at the Iowa State Wrestling Championships, going for his fourth state title (photo by Wyatt Schultz).

G. Wyatt Schultz -- Wrestling photographers come into the profession for various reasons. For Wyatt Schultz -- whose work appears in The Predicament magazine and Web site that cover wrestling in the state of Iowa, as well as in Wrestling USA magazine and his own Web site, WyattSchultzPhotography.com -- it was a combination of factors.

"I started when my kids were in the sport," says Wyatt from his home in Cedar Rapids. "There weren't a whole lot of wrestling photos in the local newspapers. Once the kids left home, despite 'empty house' syndrome, I kept at it."

"I approached the original owner of The Predicament, Ron Seaman, about doing some photography for them. He was delighted. It helped expand the coverage of his publication. He was based up in Emmetsburg (in northwest Iowa), so it was hard for them to come to events in eastern Iowa. So I was able to help them expand their coverage."
That was about ten years ago. Now Wyatt is part owner of The Predicament, and still capturing wrestling action in Iowa, true to the publication's mission that he describes as being focused mainly on high school and college wrestling in the state. "We try to include anyone who grew up in Iowa. When they come back to compete in their home state, we cover it."

Two young wrestlers battle in Iowa (photo by Wyatt Schultz).

In addition, when possible, Wyatt follows Iowa homegrown talent that competes outside state boundaries, covering events such as the NCAA Division I Championships.

"We also follow the guys who competed in the Dream Team event -- the best national high school wrestlers vs. the best of Iowa -- when it was here a few years ago. We still cover guys on the national team like Troy Letters, Troy Nickerson, Steve Mocco, Ben Askren."

When asked to recount a particular high point in his wrestling photography experience, Wyatt had a number of stories to tell. One of the more moving was getting some of the recently-crowned Iowa state high school wrestling champs together for a group photo. "They were willing to drive up to ninety miles for a single photograph, and were very cooperative," says Wyatt. "And the looks on their faces! It was a real thrill."

Jeff Beshey -- If you visit TheGuillotine.com -- the Web site devoted to amateur wrestling in the state of Minnesota -- you've seen Jeff Beshey's work … and it's not just photographs. Jeff is a man of many hats for the Web site, as he explains how he got started as their photographer: "I was doing other things for The Guillotine, and the opportunity to take photos was there. It was just another aspect of covering wrestling."

There's plenty of wrestling action in the Land of 10,000 Lakes … and Jeff gets to cover it all.

"Since The Guillotine covers all levels of Minnesota wrestling, I have shot everything from youth to Olympic Trials," says Jeff.

Steve Larson wrestling Tyler Hemmesch at the 2005 Minnesota State High School Tournament (photo by Jeff Beshey).

When asked to name his best wrestling photograph, Jeff is both analytical … and modest. "I think there are two kinds of great photos. The first is a great action shot that everyone looks at it and says 'Wow!' The second is a great shot that tells a more personal story that maybe only a few people recognize. I think I only get a couple of each kind each year."

Thanks to the talent and efforts of dedicated photographers, wrestlers, their families, friends and fans everywhere can share in the thrill of seeing their favorite sport captured in powerful images.

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