About The JHoch Journal
A new publication from Justin Hoch | JHoch Photography
I have been photographing and telling the story of wrestling since 2010. Along the way I’ve covered eight world championships, dozens of international tournaments, and thousands of matches from 17 countries. During the pandemic, I photographed more wrestling than anyone else on the planet.1
For more resume details, check out my LinkedIn profile.
I belong to some organizations and have won some awards. See those here.
I’ve also done interviews and published things. See those here.
Before I started globetrotting to cover the highest competitive levels of the sport, I worked for Beat the Streets New York, a non-profit that aims to improve the life trajectories of NYC kids using wrestling as a vehicle for change. Through my work there, I arrived to a firm belief that nothing does a better job of beneficial youth development than wrestling. No other sport, no other activity. Wrestling. It’s the best. Quite simply, Wrestling Works.2
In large part due to that formative experience, my favorite parts of wrestling are the bits outside of competition. Wrestling is so much more than just a sport, with fascinating and wild characters, impressive examples of feats overcome, and lessons to learn. I want to focus more on those things than on the ledger of wins and losses.
There will be images of incredible athletic performance, of course, but my primary intent is to highlight the things you won’t see by watching a match replay on YouTube.
And because wrestling doesn’t exist in a vacuum, I plan to touch on how wrestling exists in the world - culture, politics, social norms. It all interacts, so it can’t be ignored.
This will also feature insights into the way the work is created. I’ll talk about the principles of photography and storytelling that influence my decision-making. I’ll post details about my workflow and what goes on in the world of professional photography.
And from time to time, I’ll post commentary on things I see in the world, fully independent of wrestling. I’ve long had deep conversations and online exchanges about things that are happening in politics and social dynamics, and this platform will be a way for me to share my perspective.
I would love for you to be a part of this next chapter. To receive new posts and make this coverage possible, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I appreciate you being here.
Why subscribe?
Covering wrestling isn’t exactly a lucrative business. Journalism in general is tough. By subscribing, you’ll be supporting my work and making it possible for me to document the international wrestling community and deliver insight no one else can.
In return, you’ll get award-winning photography, behind-the-scenes access to the most important events, and lots of extra bonuses and surprises that I have in store.
Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.
About Substack
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
I’m pretty sure this is a real thing. Here’s my reasoning.
I started using the phrase “Wrestling Works” as part of the 2013 end-of-year fundraising campaign for Beat the Streets NY. I’ve always been really proud of it. It’s succinct, all-encompassing, alliterative, and sums up the power of wrestling to me.
