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Cient: Marine Corps Community Services
Creative Firm: Marine Corps Community Services Marketing Branch - CA, USA
Creative Team: John R. Burgreen III - Art Director/Photographer
The practice of martial arts is popular for exercise and fitness, but at its core it is still martial-a system designed for hand-to-hand combat. The U.S. Marine Corps celebrated its tradition through a martial arts festival at the base of Mt. Fuji, and this photo spread, shot by John R. Burgreen III for Okinawa Living magazine, captures the beauty of this most ancient form of fighting. "Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) is responsible for the morale, welfare and recreation for the Marines stationed at Camp Fuji," says Burgreen. "Since this was a photo essay, the emphasis was on getting strong images that tell a story--in this case, the story of the warriors themselves." Designed with the intention of making the warriors appear as if they'd just walked off a movie set, Burgreen employed strong angles, dynamic poses and clean images.
The weather, however, wasn't as clean as Burgreen and MCCS art director Henry C. Ortega would have liked. Overcast skies, mud and rain ended up making for uncomfortable conditions but a vibrant palette enhanced by Burgreen's seven-shot bracketing, which Ortega then merged in Photoshop to create high dynamic range (HDR) images that span the entire tonal range to dramatic effect. "Having all of the highlight and shadow detail retained made the post production so much easier in the end," he says.
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