You may recall that last month we introduced this new feature called "Behind the Lens: The Unsung Heroes" - a celebration and tip of the hat to some of the best photographers in the fight industry. For it is these guys and girls that help to accelerate the growth of female fighting, and they often go unnoticed as people. Our first photographer that we'll be taking a look at is Thomas Weber. If you missed the introduction article and are interested in reading it, you can see Part 1 and Part 2 on these links.
We should start by telling you how we know of Thomas Weber, and indeed what we think of his work. Well obviously we like his work because we're doing this article on him. In fact, we can go further than this - Thomas Weber can be classed as great photographer and we love his work. His images are unique, and this is something every photographer strives for and few achieve. He has a "fly on the wall" documentary style that captures the emotions of his subject. He photographs many subjects in different genres, and we when applies his techniques to female fighting, the outcome is often incredible - and always unique. We stumbled across his facebook page, and we still visit quite often! We urge you to go and "like" his page, as he is doing some great work for the industry.
So who is Thomas Weber? ...and what drives him? We threw him a few questions to find out.
He was born in 1979 in Lorraine, a traditionally industrial region in the East of France. These days he lives in Lyon, where he has been for the last ten years. The city of course is brimming with Muay Thai talent. Surprisingly Thomas never studied photography at university, he has taught himself. He has never been interested in photographic technique, but focuses more so on the emotion. His motto is
"If you're lacking some technique, then put in more heart!"
He started off in photography by chance, through meeting interesting people, especially photographer Leornard Cohade. We asked Thomas what it is about photography that makes him tick, he replied…
"Photography allows me to canalise my energy and reveal my sensitivity. Also, it allows me to question myself and bring new perspectives to others. I believe in spontaneous and instinctive pictures, but in a constructive and federative way. I like to believe that it's about delivering something even if all it is is subjective. Photography can be seen as truth, even if it remains only in part as a vision - it's an intended truth."
To hear more about Thomas and to see more of his amazing photos, go on to part two.
We hope that you have enjoyed this article decide to move on to part two. We urge you to visit his website – and more importantly, go “like” his facebook page, as an unsung hero he deserves it. There’s nothing quite like seeing one of Thomas’ new photos popping up in your news feed!
Facebook Page: Les Filles ne savent pas boxer et quelques plumes volèrent.
Thomas Weber Website
