Poker Photography in a Different Light....

One of my favorite pictures I have ever taken, Tom Dwan cracking up just before the start of the One Drop.

Note: There are a lot of photos in this post, to see any larger, just click on the photo.

I don't claim to be the best photographer in the world. As a matter of fact, I am far from the best photographer in the poker world alone.  There are some amazing talents in our industry and I am proud to have the pleasure to not only have worked with most of them, but also learned from them.

In the poker industry, there are a limited amount of different shots you can get. Experimenting with different shots has become my new passion.  I know, personally, I don't need to see another picture of a guy sitting at a table with chips.  While there is always going to be a need for those shots in our industry, branching out for new, unique perspectives is what keeps our work fresh.

Phil Ivey

For a few years now, I have focused more on landscape shots as opposed to portraits.  Not only does this give us a new way to look at our favorite players, but tends to be more "blog" friendly.  The emotion on somebodies face can tell you more than a picture with their chips.

That is what we, as photographers, are supposed to be doing, right? Showing the feel of the moment, the vibe of the poker room, the tension in air, the emotion of winning or losing a big pot; these are the things that make a picture a photograph.  A moment of time forever captured for the fans to witness.

Sometimes those pictures are tough.  Like this photo I took this summer at the World Series of Poker just moments after Phil Collins was eliminated from the Main Event.  The pain of elimination still on his face while the ESPN cameras close in on him....

The best shots aren't set-up.  In the picture above, I just happen to be at the right place at the right time.  Crouched on the floor trying to stay out of ESPN camera lines when Phil just happened to walk in my direction after busting.  I hate that he is looking at me.  He saw me, he knew I was trying to capture the moment.  To his credit, he took his elimination well and never said a word to me.

To be honest, I almost didn't even post this picture during the summer because of the emotion in it.  But I did, because that is what we do.  Hopefully I will be able to get Phil on the other end of the spectrum soon.

Another example of capturing the emotion of the moment is this photo that I took of 2012 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Merson after he won the $10,000 No-Limit Six-Handed event for over $1,100,000.

Little did anyone know that this was just a precursor to what he would do in the Main Event.  Overcome with emotion, Merson sat quietly in tears after he was awarded his first bracelet.  

I have also tried to portray moments away from the table. Some of the most candid shots take place while players are up walking around between hands.

The two photos to the left are prime examples of this.

In the first one, I love this shot of Daniel Negreanu and Kevin Pollak talking in between hands at the WSOP Main Event Feature Table.  This dynamic is so much better than just showing them at the same table together.

The second one is a rare case when we can see the lighter side of Tom Dwan.  While the photo at the top of the post is my absolute favorite of Tom, this one is a close second.  Tom jumped up from the table after watching Mikhail Smirnov fold quad eights during the One Drop event.  

Fact is, you don't even need to have players in the shot to capture a moment.  The atmosphere of the room can sometimes be a character in itself.  

I sometimes find myself posting photographs that I personally like, not taking into account what the fans might want to see.

I don't know if it is the best way to go about doing poker photography, but I want to do something different.  I feel like if I am not trying to do new things, then I am not doing justice to those who I am fortunate enough to have follow my work.

Luckily, I essentially work for myself, which allows me the flexibility to make creative decisions with my photographs that I normally might not have.

The downside to that is I don't make a lot of money being an independent tournament reporter.  But, that is the sacrifice I have decided to make in order to do what I love.  I work my gigs, pay my bills and go home feeling very proud of the work I have done.

I know I'm not the best photographer in the business and I am constantly impressed with the quality of work that the more skilled of our craft consistently produce.  In the meantime, I will continue to try and bring some new, fresh perspectives from the poker room to you.

Hopefully, you enjoy checking them out as much as I enjoy taking them....