Jonathan Fennell’s Kick Butt Photography

Jonathan Fennell recently got the opportunity to do a promotional photo shoot for a local San Diego Aikido dojo.  Being based out of San Diego himself, Jonathan’s location and distinctive shooting style made him perfect fit for the job.  After meeting with the owners and sketching out a basic idea of what they wanted to see, Jonathan got to work.

One critical shot that Jonathan spent a lot of time trying to perfect was the image of someone getting body slammed onto the mat.  The owners of the dojo themselves were to be the subject of this shot.  “When I first met them, I was a bit leery because they were sort of subdued and soft spoken.  When they started fighting, though, they became totally different people,” Jonathan recalled.

Trying different lighting and angles, Jonathan subjected his willing participants to over fifty body slams in an effort to get the ideal shot.   Throughout the shoot, they were also photographed performing other fighting techniques such as wood sword combat.

The final images ran online and as print advertisements in various martial arts publications.  And the owners couldn’t have been happier with the final product.  “I’m glad they like it because, frankly, they could have kicked my ass if they didn’t.”

For more of Jonathan’s awesome action and sports photography, check out his FoundFolios portfolio.