Half-court

This project shows an inner London basketball court and the players who make up this close and welcoming community. I have tried to capture my experience of being on court. The emotions, the politics of the players and the game, the light and the environment.

Some players are locals and lifelong friends, others have heard about the court and turn up to play for a single session. They each have their own movement characteristics, and I love seeing and comparing the same actions being performed by different men and women. The game serves as an outlet for emotions on court and disagreements over the rules often result in confrontation. There is also kindness and a helping hand for falls and accidents on court and encouragement and coaching for younger or newer players.

As the project was mostly shot in the summer months, the light plays a large part in the images. Recording the experience through a lens has provided unexpected gifts and setbacks. The timing and unpredictability of the actions have resulted in missed shots but have also provided unexpected random compositions. I have worked with the natural evening light source and the images are as shot without manipulation. That has been quite important to me in forming the project.