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Me I don’t remember where I first read it buzkashi. Played in central Asia, the game is thought to have originated during the time of Genghis Khan. It involves large groups of men on horseback trying to grab the headless body of a goat and control it long enough to drop it onto a marked line. There are no teams, it’s individual, and games last six hours.
My work is often engaging climb the racebut when I decided that I wanted to go back to the basics of light and tone and create a black and white series, this study seemed to fit together. Most of the buzkashi pictures I found were from Tajikistan, so I went there, and hired a local organizer to help deal with the situation because word of mouth about the time and place of the game tends to spread by word of mouth a few days in advance.
The first game I went to was huge – about 300 riders at peak. Tajikistan it is 93% mountainous, so matches are played in plains, or in dry rivers where there is a natural environment for the game. However, it doesn’t really happen, and the spectators often disperse as the riders move through the crowd. The “goal” lines can be the length of two football fields apart, with the team changing each time someone scores. Those who score get a prize, and the price increases as the game goes on – I’ve seen people say carpets, camels, even a car, so as the game goes on, more players join them.
My personal projects pay for myself from my marketing work, and I try to plan what I do for my clients. At one game, I shot the back of a truck inside the stadium – the pack passed within meters, allowing some visceral images. Buzkashi is a very brutal game, but my goal was not to eliminate violence – I was drawing something rooted in Tajik culture.
It struck me that the riders were trying to maneuver through the absolute chaos to find what they were looking for, and that’s what I was trying to do with my photography. In the larger shots, the scene allows for cinematic effects, with clouds of dust from the horses’ hooves and smoke from the spectators’ charcoal fires creating a dramatic effect.
I also visited the farms where some of the riders came from and took pictures of them alone or with their families – they were very hospitable. For this shoot, I went to the field with three horses and their riders. It was a beautiful day and in the background there were big snow mountains. I was meeting with my assistant when the organizer said: “You’d better get down…” I turned around to see the fog swirling towards us.
It is important to be able to react to the situation. As the background cleared, the work of Richard Avedon jumped into my mind. I had my assistant stand on the left side of the frame holding the light above the horses. I had another flash next to the camera, trying to get the horses to line up with each other as I sat down and photographed them.
Sometimes they would get too close, and I would have to run backwards and kneel down. I have great pictures of me riding my ass – but that picture is a perfect snapshot of a moment in buzkashi. The white background makes the tension of the horses feel clear, and the visible tension created by the many riders being pushed down tightly to the edges of the frame gives a good look to the match where space is at a premium.
Todd Antony is the winner of the Sport in category Sony World Photography Awards 2026. The next show is on Somerset House, Londonuntil 4 May. Guardian readers can use code GUARDIAN15 (valid until 4 May, 5pm) to redeem 15% off exhibition tickets.
Todd Antony’s CV
Born: New Zealand, 1975
Above: Sony World Photography Awards. But in terms of shooting, there was both a tall and symbolic mountain when I was in Bolivia shooting at the top of Huayna Potosi and the amazing Cholitas Escalaodras.
Top tips: Before you pick up a camera, ask yourself one question: What does this really mean? Not what it looks like, but what does it mean? That’s something that is often glossed over, especially now, when the equipment is very good and the tests chase aesthetics everywhere. Story-driven work does not mean neglecting art. It refers to the use of art in the service of something. Write one sentence about the job before shooting. Not a description, a goal. That sentence supports your editing, your lighting, your lens choice.
