Capturing Live Art, Aikido

I was amazed during an Aikido demo the other day and just had to take a couple of pics. These guys make it look so easy and effortless to throw another like a rag doll. I do not know if this is a sport or art but it sure was great to watch them go full speed.

The following pics are the few pictures I took during the Demo. I was their more to test out lighting conditions, shutter speeds, light angles etc... I am getting ready for a full blown photo shoot of these guys and I think a few more want to be included now of there art that they are so passionate about.

I personally have not seen very many shots of Aikido nor any other martial arts that are done well. They are usually just snap shots. This made it difficult to come up with different shots to capture the core essence of this art. Since I am ignorant when it comes to the different throws and how they are done, I had to ask my best source and best friend Stace. Since she is a black belt, i figure it would be a safe bet she would know something about the background of this art.

Thanks Stace, these pictures were made with your help ;=)