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Hello. Hola. Bonjour. Привіт. Szia. 你好. Na nga def. Қалай сен. .سلام

I’m Justin Hoch and this is my new newsletter, The JHoch Journal. Welcome.

A diptych from my series Matches, which compared wrestling in the United States with laamb or lutte traditionnelle sans frappe, an indigenous style in Senegal.

What:

I plan on sharing photos, discussing my work and my process, and commenting on things happening in the world where I feel like I have something meaningful to add. I’ll be writing a lot more than I have in the past, and publishing more of my images, too.

I’ll be giving more behind-the-scenes views of what happens at big international tournaments and sneak peaks of works in progress. I’ll publish investigative pieces and interviews. There will be video and other forms of media.

And I’ll venture beyond the wrestling world to some of the other work I do and things I think about.

I hope you’ll join me.

Us. I hope you’ll join us.

Team Mensah-Stock at the 2021 Captains’ Cup event in Coralville, IA. Tamyra Mensah-Stock (l. to r.), Alisha Howk, Abby Nette, Xochitl Mota-Pettis, Dymond Guilford, Amy (Fearnside) Mason, and Afsoon (Roshanzamir) Johnston.

Why:

The reasons I’m launching this are many, but the two biggest are:

• I’m not enthusiastic about the social media options. They’ve become the primary method of getting one’s work out into the world, especially for photographers, and I find them all lacking. I want a more direct relationship with an audience and more flexibility in how I present my work.

• I need more control over my career and how I make a living. The reality is that the journalism industry at large is more difficult than ever, and the niche of wrestling journalism, where I spend most of my time, has never been a viable option for freelance photographers.

I’m hoping this platform will provide a more sustainable path and enable me to expand the kind of work I do. I’m already making work in the documentary, commercial, and art arenas. I want to do more of it and get it more directly to people who are interested in it. I want to spend more time doing research-based reporting, as well.

Beyond the client work I do for companies such as Rudis and Adidas, the events I photograph for Beat the Streets NY and Wrestle Like a Girl, I have a number of personal projects as well. The Fire Inside Project is my ongoing collective portrait of the wrestling community. Matches was a diptych series that paired indigenous wrestling in Senegal with collegiate and freestyle wrestling in the United States.

The Dream Project is the newest focus and the most ambitious, seeking to answer the question: What does the Olympic dream look like around the world? I began the project in 2020, right before COVID shut the world down and I’m actively raising funds to complete the work over the next four years. Read a lot more about that here.

A collage of images from The Fire Inside Project, a collective portrait of the wrestling community, which consists of more than 3,000 individuals from dozens of countries.

When:

I’ve already populated the Journal with images I’ve posted and stories I’ve written elsewhere so you can get a sense of what I think about and give you a feel for what you will get from subscribing. (Which you can do here if you haven’t already done so:)

I will keep adding articles as we head into the Olympics, where I will be covering the wrestling competition and reporting from Paris. There will be a lot from there.

I won’t have any of the posts behind a paywall at this point as I try to build the audience, but please consider a paid subscription now anyway. If you’ve ever wondered how you can support the work I’ve been doing for the past decade or want to enable the work of the future decades, this is one way. You can also buy prints from The Fire Inside Project, hire me for your photographic needs, or become a Benefactor.

How:

For those not familiar, this platform, Substack, allows you to access things in several ways. You can certainly get here via the website. They also have an app with lots of great features. Additionally, you can receive emails of new articles directly to your inbox. So if you’re not interested in adding a new site or a new app to your life, these posts can come right to you. Mix and match, pick and choose. Whatever works best for you.

Thank you:

I’m excited about having a central place for my thoughts and to be able to share my work in new ways. I want this to be interactive and I want to hear from you. You can and will influence the type of things I post. You can ask me questions about gear, photographic approach, or for tips and tricks.

Like how to say various things in 40-ish languages.

I look forward to it and I appreciate you taking the time to read.

Jordan Burroughs walks out into the arena, caped in fog and fluorescent lights, for the 79 kg gold medal final during the United World Wrestling senior world championships at Štark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia on Friday, September 16, 2022. Burroughs won, securing his 7th world or Olympic title, breaking a three-way tie for the most by a United States wrestler in any style, man or woman, and moving into a tie for 6th place all-time among men's freestyle competitors, as well.