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Rugby

Reviewed by Tom Leininger, published on Saturday, May 29, 2010

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Daniel D'Ottavio Rugby

Photographs by Daniel D'Ottavio

Silas Finch, , 2010. Hardbound. 64 pp., 32 tritone illustrations, 9-1/4x11-1/2".

Rugby Photographs by Daniel D'Ottavio Published by Silas Finch, 2010.

Rugby is a tough, violent sport where bodies collide with force. Highlighting the pushing, pulling, lifting and support of the team, Daniel D'Ottavio photographed the New York Athletic Club Rugby team at home matches in 2008, the year they won the Rugby Super League Championship.

Yet Rugby is not a simple chronicle of a championship season; a celebratory moment for a championship win is not to be found. Rugby goes beyond the specifics of an individual league or game in a lyrical manner that transcends the typical sports image. Team, desire, heart and strength permeate the book. The book opens with an image of a scrum and takes the viewer into a strange world where the background is white. This apparent scrubbing of distractions focuses the viewer on the strength and determination of the players in this unreal black and white place where meaty men fight for the ball.

Rugby, by Daniel D'Ottavio. Published by Silas Finch, 2010.

Nearly half of the 32 photographs show bodies intertwined in one manner or another. Bodies support each other in these images. Muscle thick limbs battle for the ball in violent groups. A number of images show players being tended to as blood runs down their faces. Being bloodied is a fact of the sport, which they do not shy away from. These are not the kinds of images found on the wires. Without the context of place (white backgrounds) or information (no captions) it is difficult to find the key plays (bread and butter sports pictures).

Rugby, by Daniel D'Ottavio. Published by Silas Finch, 2010.

Rugby is the kind of sport played by the passionate -- for the love of sport and team. D'Ottavio highlights the team action unique to rugby. Portraits of the players are made from a lower angle, elevating them into brawny athletic statues, which D'Ottavio does well, possibly too well. His background in advertising and fashion is apparent and I am reminded a bit of Abercrombie & Fitch advertising images.

Rugby focuses on a specific team during a specific season, but by removing the backgrounds and color of the situation, Rugby becomes a metaphor, telling the greater tale of a team’s reliance on each other to succeed. The graphic high-key images show the beauty of a team in action. —Tom Leininger

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Tom Leininger is a photographer and educator based in Denton, Texas. He received his MFA in photography from the University of North Texas. Prior to that he was newspaper photographer in Indiana. His work can be found at http://tomleininger.net.

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Daniel's Rugby book has some of the most powerful black and white photography ever put into print. As your eyes move through the photographs of this book you are taken on a journey inside the world of Rugby. Daniel D'Ottavio has a genius with his art of photograpy allowing the spectator to feel the powerful presence of the athletes, capturing their emotion, blood, sweat and tears. When looking at a D'Ottavio photograph be prepared for a seductive exposure of the study revealing a vulnerability rarely caught on film.

Posted By A Renna | June 11, 2010 at 1:01 PM

I recently received this collectors book and found it to be a beautifully crafted book.Daniel's powerful black-and-white work is iconic and masculine as the men he so clearly had a connection with during the course of his work. The portraits are complex, but direct, and the shots of action on the field are filled with a lyrical energy, camaraderie and passion. I have never seen sport photography shot in such a unique way.

Posted By Claire | June 10, 2010 at 12:32 PM

These are photo's are amazing. Daniel has a talent that is unmeasurable. Truly beautiful.

Posted By Sue Courtney | June 10, 2010 at 11:47 AM

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These are photo's are amazing. Daniel has a talent that is unmeasurable. Truly beautiful.

Posted By Sue Courtney | June 10, 2010 at 11:47 AM

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