ringsidephotos.net Blog

Their world…

2011-12-04T20:26:42Z

The below quote comes from an article written by Eric Alterman entitled “Money for Nothing” which appeared in the March 29, 2010 issue of The Nation magazine. The article talks about the broadcast networks cutting their news divisions. He relates a scene from the 1994 movie The Paper. Robert Duvall’s character says the below, after I read it it made me think of wrestling photographers and I think it is a bit appropriate:

“The people we cover, we move in their world, but it is their world. You can’t keep up. If you try to make this job about the money, you’ll just make yourself miserable. Because we don’t get the money. Never have, never will.”

4 photos in the PWI 500…2 even have my name!

2010-08-01T01:55:04Z

I picked up my copy of this year’s PWI 500 tonight and found not just 2 (as I was previously told) but four of my pictures included in it! It makes me happy to see that my past work is still being put to good use. Just a couple of inaccuracies though…two of the pictures are incorrectly credited to other photographers. No major biggie, as I know our friends at PWI are swamped with wrestling photos every month and it’s easy to lose track of who took what.

First the two photos that are correctly credited:

#485 Malachi on page 135, and #364 Ritchie Steamboat on page 118.

Now on the incorrectly credited photos:

#377 Kirby Mack on page 121. Click on the first thumbnail to see the entry and click on the second to see the original photo, which I took on 21 June 2007 in Waynesboro, VA at the Shenandoah Valley Fair for Hermie Sadler’s UWF promotion. Kirby was dropkicking Christian York.

#435 Slim J on page128. First the scanned photo from the 500. Then the original taken on 16 June 2007 at NWA Anarchy in Cornelia, GA. Slim J vs. Patrick Bentley.

Anyway, congrats to all the friends of ringsidephotos.net that made it in this year!

Almost 6 months…

2010-07-20T01:01:30Z

It has been almost six months now since my retirement announcement, and people are still asking “don’t you miss it…will you come and shoot my show…will you sell me your camera…you retired?” The answers are: yes…for the right kind of money…NO…uhh, yeah.

Another big question: “Are you coming to the Fanfestthis year?” Sadly, the answer is again no. It will feel a little odd that weekend not being there among the super Fanfest Fans, the Legends, the talent and a whole load of friends. To quash any prattle before it starts – I have no “heat” with the Fanfest or its promoter Greg Price. I wish him and the Fanfest the best of luck. Greg was always a gentleman to me and always made sure I was taken care of for the entire weekend, plus he gave me admission to spend time with wrestling stars.

I have not completely crossed wrestling off my activity lists though. Since I’ve retiredI’ve been able to just go to shows, buy a ticket and be a fan. It’s been fun, I’ve been to SWA in Forest City, APW in Spartanburg, HVW in Hendersonville, RCW in Cherokee, FMW in Fairview and shot the Anderson Bros Tag tourney in Monroe back in June.

A couple of days ago, I posted an status update on my Facebook page that said: “What’s that I see in the autumn of 2010? A possible return of ringsidephotos.net? Hmm, could be….” It could happen…I haven’t decided yet. I do realize now though that wrestling has gotten into my blood. It’s easier to sympathize with these guys who I see return, because I think it may be me. I’m going to do some housekeeping on the site – and I may add a new gallery of some snaps I’ve taken while retired. Thanks again to everyone for the emails etc! Stay tuned!

Turn out the lights…the party’s over…

2010-01-31T16:14:32Z

31 January 2010

To the fans, wrestlers, promoters, friends of RSPDN and others,

Of course you’ve all noticed that I have been on an extended break. The last show I shot was NWA Anarchy on 19 September 2009. Since that time I have been doing a lot of thinking and I have reached a decision. It has taken me over four months to reach this decision because pro-wrestling has been a very important and large part of my life since 2004. March 2010 would be my sixth anniversary of taking wrestling photos.

I have decided though, it’s time for me to hang up the camera. I’m not going to say retirement, because you retire from a career, and I think the word “quitting” sounds so negative, so… I’m stopping. I’m not saying that you will never see me at ringside again but for now I am done.

First, thanks to you all that helped make all this possible. You’ve helped make a childhood dream become reality. There are too many to list, but I’ve thanked them before and I do so again.

In the past years I have given up a lot to be a part of wrestling, those of you involved understand. At the time you focus on getting to the next show. I have realized though that during this time I have neglected much in my personal life; friends, family, my career, etc.

I’m not getting any younger – and though I’m only 34 years old (I know, most of you thought at least 40!) I wish I had gotten involved in my early 20s, not 30s.

In my short time I have seen a lot of great talent – men and women who eat/sleep/breathe this sport – who strive with every fiber of their being to “make it.” To them I wish the best of luck! Many of you deserve it. Then I’ll be able to say “I knew _____ back when!”…Then maybe I could make big money on their old photos!

I’ve also seen my share of folks who are just happy to go out and entertain the fans who showed up at the local show, and are good at it. More power to you guys, you make it real for the local fans…What else have I seen? Those poor souls who have no training, no clue, no gimmick, no personality, no chance. In the word of a friend, ‘take two weeks off, come back and retire.” I’m not going to name any names but there are plenty out there.

I never expected to make a living doing this and all told, I’m way in the hole, but that never bothered me – I was having too much fun. I had one goal – to get published in Pro Wrestling Illustrated – and I did! A handful of times, and I’m not ashamed to admit I have at least 3 copies of the magazines my photos appeared in.

Anyway, I’ve gone on long enough. Again thanks to everyone who supported us – financially, or by just saying “that was a great shot.” It was all appreciated. For now, I will be content to buy a ticket and sit on the other side of the barrier; it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do that.

Blake Arledge

In which Blake is taking a break…

2009-10-29T14:20:33Z

Like the title says…I’m taking a break. My last show was NWA Anarchy on 19 September. I think I got some pretty good shots that night, but I could tell I was off my game- my timing wasn’t as good and I just felt really really tired during the entire show. I took more photos than I usually do at a show that night, and the majority of them were deleted.

To be honest, I am in a total burnout as far as wrestling is concerned. It’s no one’s fault, and actually I believe it is natural for most folks. I went pretty strong for a couple of years (strong for me anyway!) and I’m now catching up on other stuff in my life.

Someone asked, “so are you done completely with wrestling photos?” The answer is no…not yet. Right now I have one show planned for November, and one in December. Thanks to everybody who has stuck with ringsidephotos.net, and I encourage you to keep checking the site for any updates. I am working on an idea for next year that I think some folks may like.

Our favorite GA fans…

2009-10-07T13:33:55Z

…and their convenient cup holder!

Yes, since you are seeing this it means I am working on the pictures from NWA Anarchy on 19 September. Ringsidephots.net has moved into a new office (and new home) over the past couple of weeks, so the site has suffered a bit. I’m going through the pics now and hope to have the site updated by tonight or tomorrow. Thanks to everybody for your patience!

In which Blake does a quick Fanfest review…

2009-08-13T15:14:02Z

Fanfest ‘09 is over and I’m finally getting around to blogging about the experience.ER and I arrived about 4pm on Thursday and went to work at 7. Well, I went to work. Q&A with Harley Race and Ric Flair.

Afterwards I did a little over 100 photo ops with them and the original NWA World’s Title belt.

After this was the Jim Cornette Q&A at 10pm. There is a great clip on YouTube with just a sample of what we were treated to. Plus, you can see me sitting over to the side.

Friday was Horseman day! I started photo ops with them at noon. It was a great pleasure to be a witness to this reunion. These photos were a little more difficult to get as it was such a large group. Other Friday photo ops: Bugsy McGraw, Angelo Mosca Sr & Jr, Rock Riddle, Harley Race, Tommy Rich, Abdullah, Paul Jones, Sir Oliver Humperdink, Jim Cornette, Jimmy Hart, JJ Dillon. I took about an hour break and was back down for the Hall of Heroes banquet. Some emotional moments and great stories. It wrapped up about 11pm or so and I crashed.

Saturday started at 9am. Photo ops: Mark Lewin, Kevin Sullivan, Humperdink, Bugsy, Moscas, Chris Cruise, Rich Landrum, Abdullah, Dave Brown, Lance Russell, Bob Caudle, Jackie & Don Fargo, the Fantastics, Jimmy Hart, Judy Martin, Susan Green, Ole Anderson, Baby Doll, Rock Riddle and Paul Jones.

Closed at 6pm – rested until 7pm. First night matches started at 8pm (well, 8.30 ish). Steve Corino used me as a step to get in the ring during his match with Zac McDaniel (yes, it was actually the son of Wahoo), no worries though-we trust Steve. No sleep this night – my legs and back hurt so bad I could never get comfortable.

Sunday started at 7am – up for Bill Watts’ worship service at 8am. Got a few shots of him. Photo ops started at 9: Magnum TA, Danny Hodge (who looked as though he was having the time of his life), Bill Watts, Susan Green, Judy Martin, Paul Jones, Rock Riddle, Corino and Bill Alfonso. Matches started at 7pm – 5 matches and we were done.

I must be getting older or more out of shape, as this year I felt wiped out every night. Don’t get me wrong though, it was an enjoyable time. I consider myself still lucky that I get to do this. In some cases I got more face time with the guests than the fans did. Talks with Jimmy Hart, Bill Watts, Susan Green, Steve Corino, Baby Doll and others make each of these F.F.s unique times for me.

Great to see familiar faces at the event; Joe, Travis, Indy Ron, the Mid-Atlantic Mafia, Mark, Emily, Patsy, Vickie etc etc – I don’t get a lot of time to talk with everyone but it’s quickly becoming like members of a family. This is our big family reunion every year.

Thanks to Chris & Heather in the photo room – your new system worked quite well I think – Kudos!

A big thank you to Greg Price, for once again letting me be a part of a historic event. To my roommates: Shut up, I’m trying to go to sleep…and Micah, next time no nude sleeping.

Go ahead and mark your calendars now! Fanfest 2010 will be August 5-8, tickets go on sale 1 September at www.NWALegends.com

read a faster blogger…

2009-08-10T17:07:21Z

We got a mention in the update over at the Mid-Atlantic Grapplin’ Greats blog:

http://mid-atlanticgrapplingreats.blogspot.com/2009/08/few-fanfest-fotos-ill-cherish.html

I’m getting settled back in from the 4 day weekend at the FanFest, be back soon with a review…

In which Blake made the book…

2009-07-05T15:11:52Z

Camera is still in the shop – no pictures for several days!

We highly recommend the new book: “Ten Pounds of Gold” by our friend Dick Bourne and Dave Millican. I’ve read my copy and it is a real treat for fans of the original NWA World’s Heavyweight title belt. I’ve been able to see this belt up close and it is a beauty, I can attest that having this book is the next best thing to actually being in its presence.

Plus, I have a photo in the book! Thanks to Dick and Dave for letting me have a small part in this piece of history. Order it now, great gift; great coffetable book; great for your own library.

I quickly looked at the site stats this morning and including the United States, we have had recent visitors from fourteen different countries: U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Algeria, Spain, New Zealand, Italy and Belgium.

In which Blake recounts a great match…

2009-06-22T00:49:22Z

Went to HVW in Hendersonville last night…there I took pictures of a match that rates extremely high on my list…the first singles match between Kirby Mack and Adam Jaxon…semi main-event…ER was the corner man for Kirby, Mr Exodus in Adam’s…nothing against Mr Exodus, but this match started out as just a good time between four friends who had not been in/around the squared circle with each other in a long time. A few comedic turns by Kirby against Adam, ER jaws with the crowd and paces the ring…a slow escalation in maneuvers with the two cruiserweights…personally for me, I blanked the crowd out for this match, it was great to see these two guys wrestle…the crowd was enjoying the good natured jabs going back and forth.

In an instant though, I saw a drop of blood on Kirby’s chest, I saw no obvious injury to him, so I knew Adam was bleeding…probably nothing major…ER and I both noticed then the smear of blood on Adam’s right arm and shoulder…for a few minutes I could actually not tell where the blood was coming from but then we saw – he had split his lip. From this point on the perception of playful conviviality between these two disappeared…it became a brutal bloody display…there was a palpable aliveness from the otherwise apathetic crowd…they could tell that this bout had changed.

During the summer, wrestling shows seem to generate incredible amounts of heat, enclosed buildings with antiquated or no air-conditioning, multiple bodies (at times carrying the grime and grit of the day) packed in next to each other, and overhead lighting all contribute to the rise in temperature. This crowd had a slight reprieve from the heat with a chill through them when they witnessed the back and forth of these two bloody figures. The blood, spit and sweat were all flying, as now Kirby was also bleeding after suffering a nasty bang on the bridge of his nose.

The crowd collectively let out that “ahh…ohhh” that you make when you watch a bad car wreck or the newest morbid video on YouTube. Adam won the match, rolled out, helped up and then walked on his own out. Kirby and ER conferred in the ring. I am hoping that the pictures I took of this match do it justice for what these two men presented to us.