Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling & Japan's National Sport. Sumo is more than 1500 years old and the rules are simple : the wrestler who first exits the ring or touches the ground with any part of his body besides the soles of his feet loses.
There are no weight restrictions & matches take place on an elevated ring aka dohyo.
Overall view of Sumo Arena Image captured with iPhone Xr
I have been a huge fan of Sumo for more than 20 years now but never had the chance to witness it live until now.
I attended the 2nd & 3rd day of the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament held in Tokyo' Ryogoku district on September 9th & 10th 2019
On the 9th , I was sitting at the Ringside Seat (~SGD$150 per day)
On the 10th , I was sitting at the Boxside Seat (~ SGD$70 per day)
The MAKUUCHI (Strong) Division of Sumo wrestlers during the ceremony at 3:40pm
Captured with the Nikon Z 6+Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AFP combo
Each tournament day has the following itinerary:
8:00am opens
8:30am JONOKUCHI Division starts
2:15pm JURYO Division starts
3:40pm Ceremony of entering the ring of the MAKUUCHI (Strong) Division
3:55pm Ceremony of entering the ring of the YOKOZUMA (Strongest) Division
4:10pm Makuuchi Division starts and ends at 6:00pm
HARDWARE USED
To photograph all the action , I used the following :
1. Nikon Z 6
2. Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E ED VR PF (80% of the time)
3. Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E VR AFP
CAMERA SETUP / TECHNIQUE
1. Hand-Held
2. RAW
3. AF-C (AF Tracking)
4. Shutter Speeds between 1/640s to 1/1000s
5. Aperture : f5.6
6. ISOs between 6400 to 10,000
7. No flash used (media photographers at the immediate ringside area did use flash)
LESSONS LEARNT
1. Shutter Speeds need to be at least 1/2000s to best freeze Sumo Action
2. Best focal lengths were between 80-400mm focal lengths
3. Best seats were those in the MAIN section , I was seated in the WEST section.
Presenting my Sumo image highlights in both color and Black & White. To me both series communicates a different feel yet they are equally attractive. I hope you will enjoy both series.
SUMO PHOTOGRAPHY HIGHLIGHTS - COLOR SERIES
SUMO PHOTOGRAPHY HIGHLIGHTS - Black & White SERIES
Hope you like the images shared.
I will definitely be going back for a 2nd Grand Sumo Tournament experience next year and hopefully will improve on my sumo photography even further then.
Till my next blog.
Cheers,
Andrew