When photographing a weightlifter, watch for some of the most powerful facial expressions you'll see in any sport.
Powerlifter
strains to lift the barbell during a competition in Tewksbury, Ma. (© Michael
Maher, The Lowell (Ma.) Sun).
The Photo:
When I shot
powerlifting for the first time, I expected to photograph big, muscular
competitors holding barbells over their heads.
What I found, however, was that close-ups of them straining to lift the
heavy weight made the best photos.
Therefore, throughout this event, I focused on shooting the athletes as
tightly as I could, showing only the bar in their hands, excluding the weights
on the end of the bars. I also
concentrated on photographing while they were lifting, not after they were
finished with the barbell over their heads.
This lifter had a great expression, and almost seemed to stretch his
lower lip over his top as he labored to lift the weights.
3 Tips:
1) Weightlifting does not provide
fast-moving action to photograph.
2) The best photos are of the
contestant’s face showing the strain or concentration of lifting the heavy
load.
3) At times
you may want to show the barbell and weights, but other times the facial
expression is all you need.
