Photographer in Perth, Western Australia
Martial Arts
First Tae Kwon Do’s recent grading examination in Perth saw eight members promoted to the rank of 1st Dan black belt. I only had a limited time to shoot at this event, but the first action photograph I decided to keep turned out to be the best. Below we see one of the candidates, a… Continue reading June 2016 action
Master Vernon Low and Chief Instructor John O’Brien visited Perth recently for another round of advanced instruction. Master Low spent a considerable amount of time on breaking techniques needed for promotion into the black belt ranks. The photograph below shows him explaining some adjustments to a student’s side kick technique. The foreground blur is from the… Continue reading May 2016 action
Below are some photographs I shot recently of one of First Tae Kwon Do’s Western Australian senior instructors in action. The sky was somewhat overcast and the sun was beginning to set, so the lighting conditions were excellent. Considering the very limited time for this photographic session (only around 10–15 minutes of actual shooting time), the… Continue reading February 2016 action
Master Vernon Low is the head of First Tae Kwon Do. He began teaching the Art of Tae Kwon Do in his native Malaysia in the early 1960s, and was the first instructor to introduce that martial art to South Australia later that decade. Earlier this month, Master Low visited Perth to teach an advanced class.… Continue reading Master Vernon Low
Despite the hot weather over the past few weeks in Perth, many martial arts students are back at training after their Christmas holidays. The following photographs are from the Beechboro Branch of First Tae Kwon Do. If you would like to find out more about First Tae Kwon Do, take a look at the official Western… Continue reading January 2016 action
Last month, I ended my long association with Rhee Tae Kwon-Do under Master Chong Chul Rhee. I am now associated with First Tae Kwon Do, which is based in South Australia under Master Vernon Low.
There were a few promotions to Junior Black Belt and 2nd Dan Instructor recently; congratulations to all successful candidates.
A kicking drill was my main subject for these training sessions in October. With a little practice, it isn’t difficult to capture peak action because there is typically a regular rhythm. Shooting breaking action is slightly more challenging, and trying to shoot sparring action is much harder. The lighting in the gymnasium is uneven, and… Continue reading October 2015 action
Here are some Rhee Tae Kwon-Do action photographs from August 2015. I shot these with a 70–200 mm zoom lens, which I’ve been shooting with recently, and a 50 mm prime lens, which I haven’t used in a while. To date, I’m thinking that a 135 mm prime lens might be the optimal lens for this kind of… Continue reading August 2015 action
Here are some Rhee Tae Kwon-Do action photographs from July 2015. Throwing and grappling are the main foci of martial arts such as Judo, Aikido, and Hapkido; most people probably wouldn’t associate these techniques with ‘striking arts’ such as Karate or Tae Kwon-Do. In the first three pictures, we see basic throwing exercises. The attacker… Continue reading July 2015 action