Scott Lesh
The professional wrestling landscape is exploding with opportunities at the moment. It's not just the performers who are benefiting though, all of the ancillary artists that help to produce these shows & capture the iconic moments are also seeing a boom in opportunities. One such artist is New York wrestling photographer Scott Lesh.
Speaking to Pario, after shooting the historic AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam event in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Lesh talked us through his journey with photography. He also detailed just how gruelling, both physically & mentally, these lengthy events can be for photographers.
For Lesh, his journey with wrestling photography began as a fan with a disposable camera as a way to capture memories. It wasn't until he started to gain some recognition online that he thought 'Maybe I should learn how to do this for real & actually put some effort into it.' According to Lesh though the biggest factor which drove him to really educate himself on the technical aspects of photography was the gratitude & appreciation for his work that he was receiving from independent wrestlers.
"I always wanted to do something in the wrestling business, but I never saw myself as being a wrestler," Lesh explained. "I'm too shy to be an on-screen person, so photography became the way for me to connect my interests & build a career."
Being a lifelong wrestling fan has some added advantages for Lesh as a photographer. Firstly, it's very easy for Lesh to get motivated to go to work, which is particularly important given the often lengthy events he is shooting.
"Some of the AEW PPV's or longer Dynamite tapings can be 5-6 hours," Lesh explained before revealing the physical toll this can take. "After a show, I can get numbness in my finger."
It's not just physically taxing though. According to Lesh, there's also the "mental grind that we put ourselves through as artists... I'm not going to lie occasionally you do miss the shot & as a photographer, if I miss a big shot I get inside my head for the rest of the show."
On the technical side of his craft, Lesh's wrestling fandom also helps. Unlike other photographers who may be unfamiliar with wrestling Lesh can anticipate moves before they even happen.
"As a long-time fan, you can see how the wrestlers are positioning themselves & anticipate where they are going to go so you can capture those moments."
In terms of how Lesh transitioned his passion from a hobby into a career, he ties it all to Cody Rhodes & the rise of All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
"My journey all ties in with the formation of AEW really," recalled Lesh. "I got really lucky in that Cody Rhodes took a liking to me & my work. He then started sharing my work more on social media & got me into AEW All Out with a photo pass. From then on magazines, promoters & companies like Highspots have all reached out to me with work. So it really only takes one person to see something in you, & Cody was that person for me. I feel like I owe him so much because I wouldn't be here without him."
Working so closely with AEW has also allowed Lesh to have his work featured on the packaging of the Chris Jericho AEW action figure & inside the illustrious Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) magazine. While he is happy to have been featured inside Lesh has made it a very public goal of his to have one of his photos featured on the cover of PWI.
Having his work used in prominent places is obviously special for Lesh. But as he told Pario perhaps something that is just as special is being afforded the opportunity to shoot some of his favourite wrestlers in incredible venues such as Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"Shooting inside Arthur Ashe was definitely a highlight because it was the biggest show I'd ever shot," said Lesh. "The atmosphere & location was really special. Then the people on the show were incredible. How can you compete with an opening match of Bryan Danielson versus Kenny Omega... Nothing seems like a dream anymore, everything seems possible. We're in a crazy world of wrestling right now & I hope everybody appreciates that because who knows how long this will last."
Although Lesh says nothing feels like a dream anymore he does have a few matches that he would love to shoot & tick off his bucket list.
"In terms of dream matches to shoot that I don't think will happen anytime soon it would be Kenny Omega versus Matt Riddle... Another one would be CM Punk versus Bryan Danielson because I grew up watching Punk & Bryan on the indies, so to get to shoot them again at this point in their careers would be pretty freaking cool."
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