Photographing UKPW at MCM Comic Con London

UKPW is one of the larger independent wrestling promotions in the UK.

Alongside running its own shows, the company is regularly invited to bring live wrestling to much bigger public events—from American SpeedFest at Brands Hatch to shows on Brighton Beach.

In May, UKPW returned to MCM Comic Con London for its second event, and I was lucky enough to be asked to join the team as their photographer.

My main job was to cover the three matches taking place each day. I also offered to create portraits of the wrestlers, giving UKPW a mixture of live action and more controlled character portraits from across the weekend.

Setup and Build

My first day at Comic Con was actually the UKPW team’s second.

They had already spent a full day bringing everything into ExCeL and beginning to create their space for the weekend. It wasn’t only the wrestling ring. They also needed a temporary changing area for the wrestlers, a merchandise stand, a PA system and backdrops where fans could have photographs taken.

Getting everything into the venue and ready for the weekend was a huge job in itself.

I had been brought onto the team by Alex Gilbert, co-owner of UKPW—with a shout-out to Jack, who runs it alongside him. I felt very lucky to be working with them again and to be part of UKPW’s return to Comic Con.

I arrived on Thursday and parked beneath ExCeL before making my way into the venue. If you’ve ever been there, you’ll know how enormous the place feels. Walking through it while one of the country’s biggest comic conventions is being constructed around you really puts the scale of the event into perspective.

Thursday was ring-build day. I helped the team assemble the ring and finish preparing the UKPW area, but I also documented the work as it happened.

I approached it in much the same way I would approach unit stills or a behind-the-scenes project. Over the past five or six years, I’ve photographed everything from short films to documentaries, and I’ve always enjoyed capturing the work that happens before an audience sees the finished result.

While we were working, Alex shared stories about the ring and some of the differences between UKPW’s setup and those used by other promotions I’ve worked with. He also told me that the ring had previously been hired by WWE for promotional filming when the company had been working in the UK and Europe.

By the end of the day, the ring was standing, the UKPW area was ready and everything was in place.

The next challenge was three full days of matches, portraits and Comic Con crowds.

Comic Con Opens

Comic Con itself wasn’t new to me. I’d taken my kids there many times over the years and watched it grow into the huge event it is today.

It has always been a great family day out. Younger visitors get to meet versions of their favourite superheroes, the cosplayers bring the whole venue to life and there’s something happening everywhere you look.

This time felt completely different.

I wasn’t arriving as a parent or visitor. I was there to work— I was nervous and excited at the same time.

When I reached the UKPW area on Friday morning, Alex ran through the schedule. There would be three matches each day, taking place at 12pm, 2pm and 4pm.

We had a couple of hours before the first match, and several of the wrestlers were already there and in their gear. I used that time to begin creating portraits.

It was a good opportunity to settle into the day before the live wrestling began. The portraits allowed me to work in a more controlled way and focus on the character and personality of each wrestler.

At 12pm, it was time for the first match.

I photographed the action while working alongside UKPW’s video team, with a good crowd gathering around the ring for the opening match of the weekend.

The same schedule continued through Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday was clearly the busiest day. The crowd around the ring grew until people were spilling into the aisles behind the surrounding stalls. For a wrestling promotion appearing within an event the size of Comic Con, it was incredible to see that many people stop, watch and stay.

Delivering Images During the Event

Photographing the matches was only one part of the job. I offered UKPW images while Comic Con was still happening.

After each match, I offloaded the photographs, selected around 20 of the strongest images, edited them and uploaded the finished set to a gallery all before the next match started.

UKPW could then use those photographs across its social channels to show what had happened and build interest in the remaining matches. MCM Comic Con also shared some of the images, helping the photographs reach more of the wider Comic Con audience.

Then we did it all again.

By the end of each day, UKPW had approximately 60 edited action photographs available for its daily social-media summaries.

Once Comic Con was over, I returned to the complete collection and delivered the larger finished galleries.

This meant UKPW had strong images available immediately without the full set having to be rushed.

Looking Back

I’m not going to lie—waking up on Monday morning after spending four days working on something I love was a real back-to-reality moment.

Across the four days, I had clocked more than 45,000 steps. The weekend had been physically intense, with long days, three matches to cover each day and a lot of photographs to work through—I loved every second of it.

More importantly, the finished work was genuinely appreciated by the UKPW team. My photographs allowed them to publish a visual summary at the end of each day, sharing the matches and atmosphere while Comic Con was still happening.

It’s an event I’m incredibly proud to have been part of.

I’ve continued working regularly with UKPW at its own shows, and it remains a promotion I genuinely love working with.

This Sunday, I’ll be joining the team again as UKPW heads to Comic Con in Birmingham. I’m looking forward to stepping back into that environment, camera in hand, and doing it all again.

If you’re organising an event and need photography that can be shared while it’s happening—as well as a complete finished gallery afterwards—please feel free to get in touch.