About the Image(s)

Last month within the group we touched on the photo that you think is a great one but no one else does. The Bloodied Warrior was a photo I took at the completion of a hard hitting rugby game in a local suburb. Michael the man in the photo had been through an incident when he was struck in the mouth by an opposition player. Michael, translated name to English is of Tongan dissent and he typified the nature of many Tongans, happy go lucky always smiling even in the face of pain. The photo was entered in 3 competitions all portrait/people. Judge 1 did not like the photo as the bloodied mouth was a distraction, judge 2 second competition, said it was only a snapshot, (must believe that only people photos can be taken in a studio with controlled lighting). Judge 3, I never heard final assessment as it was an international competition, Non Acceptance.

The photo is probably not human interest as the context is not very clear unless you understand rugby and the clothing he is wearing. Have also included a second photo to provide perhaps more context, with another player.

Canon 70D Lens Canon 70-200mm, shot at 200 mm, 1250/1, F2.8, ISO 500. Processing Lightroom Auto. Cropped to remove other players.