Trinity College Rowing
In the sport of rowing, strength is important, but not as important as disciplined technique.
A three part series of photo essays originally published in 2019.
Charter Oak Boxing Academy
Five nights a week and most weekends, in what looks like an old garage sitting on the edge of the Parkville section of Hartford, Connecticut, dozens of boys and girls - men and women - check into the Charter Oak Boxing Academy to practice, study and spar.
In a room made humid by perspiration, there are the sounds of jump ropes snapping on the floor, punches landing on heavy bags, the snorting of shadow boxers and the squeak of shoes shuffling across two rings, as fighting friends practice the art of hitting without being hit. For all the sound the place is quiet, because boxing takes concentration and as much as success in the ring builds confidence, absorbing a punch infuses humility which removes the impulse to brag over momentary conquest.
This is a two-part series of photo essays originally published in early 2019.
There has always been a link between boxing and black and white photography. The photo essay I titled COBA-Classic is an homage to that pairing.
Men At Work
For professional athletes the play is work.
There is a routine. There is consistent practice. Before a game there are hours of preparation that have similarities to the rhythmn of any work place. There is conservation of energy for the moment of truth. In the case of the Hartford Yard Goats, a minor league baseball team, the moment of truth could be a key pitch, a clutch hit, or the perfect throw to second base.
All summer long the young men of the minor leagues come to work, perfecting their craft with an eye toward winning the next game, and their chance to take the field in the major leagues. Batting practice is where the work gets done before most of the fans arrive.
Jump!
At a small airport in Ellington, Connecticut - a town long known for its dairy farms - members of a skydiving club have been jumping out of planes almost hourly since 1970. As soon as one group lands, another is launching in a cycle that takes about twenty minutes to complete from take off to touch down.
I was invited to give it a try, but decided to keep my feet on the ground.
