Master Vernon Low was in Perth this month on another teaching visit, and personally instructed First Tae Kwon Do senior coloured belt and black belt members on breaking techniques and combination techniques. He spent considerable time with the coloured belt members, instructing on a one-to-one basis as part of their preparations for their upcoming black belt grading examinations.
While shooting the proceedings, I had the opportunity to capture a spinning heel kick with a sequence of frames at 8 fps. This would have given better results if shot from a tripod, but the three peak frames from the sequence were pleasing, with the coloured belt member just completing his turn and starting to lift the kicking leg, then pulling the kicking leg towards the board, and finally piercing the board with the heel. I needed to do some colour adjustments in post-processing due to the fluorescent lighting, which changed between frames significantly enough that the differences were noticeable.
One of the disadvantages of shooting in large venues is that the lighting might not always be even across the entire venue. The next two photographs were shot during the same exercise, but the first was shot almost directly under a light (note the shadow of the hair of the instructor on the left; tracking back will give a rough indication of the primary light source’s location) while the second was shot a little away from a light—giving gentler lighting to the scene.
Shooting action photographs can often be a hit-or-miss endeavour, so it is pleasing to be able to capture peak moments of action every now and then. The side kick below was not posed, but executed during a sparring exercise. Note how the instructor’s body is lined up, focusing power down the long axis towards the striking point, which in this case is the right heel.
If the environmental conditions are favourable and the photographer is sharp, good photographs need minimal work in post-processing. The challenge is making the best of the situation despite adverse conditions, and this is certainly the case when shooting action under (relatively) low and inconsistent lighting. Thankfully, shooting RAW images gives one a lot of latitude.