The Referees

Shot in a break between rounds. Two officials—one in the ring, one just outside—pass the scorecard without a word. The exchange is procedural, yet visually precise. One hand extends up, the other down. The gesture anchors the frame.
I placed myself at shoulder height, slightly off centre, to keep the ropes intersecting cleanly across the image. The ring’s horizontal lines break the vertical repetition of the gym’s back wall and audience. Geometry does the work—no crop needed.
Lighting was mixed. Industrial overheads with a cold cast, ambient spill from the crowd, spot highlights off the shirts. Monochrome strips it back. No distractions. Just action and structure. ISO 1600 to hold shutter at 1/250s, f/2.8. Grain held well in shadows. Highlights controlled on the white shirts—no blowout.
Focus locked on the exchange. Depth of field was shallow but enough to keep both referees in plane. Background softens naturally. Audience rendered as rhythm—blurs and silhouettes, not identities. The fight isn’t seen, but its framework is.
No post beyond a slight curves adjustment to separate midtones. Kept contrast low. This wasn’t about drama. The image is about routine: the mechanics that govern combat. No fighters, no sweat, no violence—only the rules, and the men enforcing them.