David Finch began shooting judo photographs in the early 70s, a time when “judo photographer” would be considered a rather quaint phrase. Now, with 10 Olympics under his belt (and a black one at that) and already in his 70s, David's still going strong. Actually, Rio 2016 should have been his 11th Games but he missed out on Montreal 1976 because he applied for accreditation too late. He speaks to JudoCrazy about shooting the Olympics and what it was like in Rio.
Are the rule changes good for photographers?
The banning of leg grabs has resulted in more upright judo and more frequent as well as bigger throws. So, in that sense it's better for us photographers although it must be said that some of the biggest throws used to be te-gurumas and kata-gurumas which are no longer allowed because they involve grabbling the legs. There is another aspect of the rule change that has impacted judo photography, for the better. In the past there used to be a referee and two corner judges on the mat. With so many officials on the mat, sometimes crucial shots get obscured. The current system, which has just one referee on the mat and video judges sitting at a table away from the mat, is a good thing as it gives us a better view of the two mat areas. Remember, we don't always run from one mat to the other. Sometimes there simply is not enough time and we have to shoot the other mat from a disance.
Was having only two mats as opposed to three or even four mats, a relief for you?
Well, it’s better if they had just one mat throughout like they used to in the old days before the Olympics had such participation. It's much easier to shoot when you've got only one mat to worry about. But of course I understand there are so many more competitors these days so there is no choice, they need ot have more mats.
David's 10th
Olympics
Text: Oon Yeoh
Pics: Paco Lozano