Wes Shelley
In 2014, after a seven-year artistic shift from music to photography, I began a book project documenting the careers of three professional fighters from Zuma Martial Arts: Alexi Argyriou, Ryan Janes, and Sarah Kaufman.
In this project I attempt to capture a side of the fight world that very few people are privy to; a side that is full of beauty, comradery, fear, celebration, sacrifice, and defeat. Utilizing black and white film, I present the work with a rawness and grit that almost agrees with the public perception of fighting, but my challenge to the viewer is to look past the surface aesthetic to find the depth that exists in each captured moment.
Photograph taken by Bryan Shih © 2013