The Veteran’s Fight Club story was shot for Maxim last fall. It is about a Mixed Martial Arts class for veterans in San Diego. A lot of the veterans are recovering from injuries and PTSD, and the group provides a crucial structure for the members to connect with each other, feel safe, and release some of the anger and aggression that they are feeling. A lot of them have been through the VA’s treatment for PTSD, which consists primarily of drugs, and they were all adamant that that system doesn’t work, and this club does. Visually, the two stories are very similar, and the veterans story helped me a lot in approaching the Billy Corgan story. I did shoot only one wrestling event, so it was good to have an idea of what to expect going in.

This was my first assignment for GQ, and Jolanta Bielat, the editor I worked with, was great. She gave a lot of freedom, and her main direction was to capture Billy Corgan in his element. It’s such a rich story, and I was a huge Smashing Pumpkins fan when I was 15, so I was really fired up about the shoot.

The whole shoot took place at one event in a barn outside of Chicago. Everyone involved was super welcoming–it’s a small, home-grown kind of thing, which I think is what attracts Billy Corgan to it and the fans are insanely passionate.

I know virtually nothing about Pro Wrestling, but I like to think I learn quickly. The moves the wrestlers were doing were pretty amazing, though. I gained a huge amount of respect for it.

I don’t remember exactly how many images I shot (and I’m on the road right now), but it was certainly well over a thousand. A shoot like this becomes almost athletic, and I slip into a rhythm that mimics that of the wrestlers as they move around the ring, so I shot a lot. My edit was large, too–maybe around 150 pictures–because there were so many people and situations to photograph. I generally submit large edits, because I trust my editors and they also have a better understanding of how the story develops. I’m always grateful for a fresh set of eyes.