Raw. Real. Remarkable.
I am one of the race photographer’s for the World’s Toughest Row - an endurance challenge spanning the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The participant’s journeys are documented by the media team at the start and finish. When Lara Vafiadis, This Girl Rows mentioned to me that she found it hard to look at her Before & After shot because of the emotions it brought to the surface, I began thinking about whether the rowers value the photographs of the flare finish most, or facing the change reflected in their eyes?
The flare photograph
It would seem that a photograph of the “greatest moment of my life”, the “highest of highs”, and a time of “overwhelming emotion, pride and relief,” would be most cherished by the close to 1,000 men and women who have pushed themselves to mental and physical extremes to row thousands of miles across the wildest seas on earth.
The rowers, battered but triumphant, some in tears, some biting back emotion, stand tall on the tiny craft they have lived aboard for at least a month, sometimes over three, holding their burning flares high above their heads, roaring their pent up feelings, searching for glimpses of their cheering families, reaching out to each other with their eyes, sometimes hands too, with the deepest gratitude: cementing the end of a journey only they will ever truly share.
The gallery below shows a random selection of flare photo’s taken at the 2022 race arrivals in English Harbour Antigua. (Click on images for slideshow).
“That flare photo is the goal I’ve had in my mind for two years.” Darryl Thole, Team Two-Inna-Row, 2022.
the before & after shots
For CEO and Race Director Carsten Heron Olson, it is all about the eyes. “2023 marks 10 years of hosting transoceanic premium events and, to me, it is all about the change that happens between leaving the shore and reaching land on the other side. I look into the eyes of the rowers just before they take their first stroke and I’m the first person to greet them on arrival.
“There is always unfathomable change. Deep. Life shifting. And it’s incredibly moving.
“I wanted to capture the change, and so in 2013, together with master-of-his-trade, race photographer Ben Duffy, and Precious Media’s MD Peter Christiansen, we conceptualised the Before & After photographs.”
Ben explained his creative thinking: “I chose a prime lens, natural light, a shallow depth of field and I tend to come in close to the rowers so their eyes are the key point of the portrait. Putting the images side by side is very impactful.” Carsten loved them, and they have become an integral part of the race.
(The press find them interesting too: This is what rowing across the Atlantic in 42 days will do to your face.)
In the last couple of years, I have shot some of the “After” photos and, to me, the best part is having a brief opportunity to talk to these wonderful humans very soon after they have stepped off their boats. I try and clear my mind and listen as hard as I can. Some people are easier to read than others, and I often feel a sense of overwhelm from the rowers, but sometimes I think I can see what Carsten sees.
The gallery below shows a random selection of images taken from recent years where I see a new light in the subject’s eyes. All of the “Before” images have been taken by Ben, and a few of the “After” portraits are my work. (Click on images for slideshow). The first portrait in the gallery is of Rob Hamilton, Atlantic Titan, 2020 who was injured recently in a mountaineering accident. Sending positive thoughts Rob.
So. Flare photos? Or Before & After shots?
From my side, through my lens, I adore the drama and excitement of the arrival: I love the emotion, exultation, the speed of the media boat, bumping across the water, the inspiration of these amazing humans and trying through all the excitement and movement to capture it all.
And then all goes quiet, and I concentrate on searching out the meaning in what they have just achieved, despite never having rowed an ocean myself.
What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear from you.
Note: A HUGE thank you to Ben Duffy Photography for his input and letting me celebrate a small part of his incredible contribution to the race over the past decade, and Atlantic Campaigns and Ocean Rowing Stats for collaborating on the blog.