Backyard Fights

A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Brian Finke received a BFA in photography. He is the author of several books, and his first monograph, 2, 4, 6, 8 (2003), was named one of the best photography books by American Photo magazine. Earlier in his career, Finke was one of 12 artists nominated for the International Center for Photography’s annual Infinity Award, and he won a prestigious New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. His work is in nine museum collections in the U.S. and abroad, and he regularly shoots for editorial clients like National Geographic, M magazine, and The New York Times, as well as commercial clients, including Delta Airlines, Uber Eats, and eBay. In addition to photographing his long-term personal projects, Brian is a guest teacher in photography at the International Center of Photography in Manhattan and FotoFilmic in Vancouver.

For five years, photographer Brian Finke documented StreetBeefs, an underground fight club in rural Virginia founded by an ex-con named Scarface. Tired of seeing his community ravaged by preventable violence and drug-use, and fueled by the distrust and failure of the prison system, Scarface began hosting fights, inviting anyone anywhere to come resolve disputes with their fists, not guns. Thousands of fights later, The Yard has grown into a cult destination and supportive community. It’s a positive space not only for conflict-resolution, but also an outlet for recovering addicts and ex-convicts, amateur fighters, the young and bored—or anyone needing to relieve stress by punching someone in the face.In Backyard Fights, Finke captures the personalities, drama, and grit, dancing between the use of his signature hyper-realistic style and a softness that captures the unsuspected grace of each moment.