Exploring Fitness Photography
I’m in the process of updating my portfolio, and during this endeavor, I realized that I’ve never had the opportunity to photograph anything related to fitness. To rectify this oversight, I reached out to Jasmine, a talented model I’ve collaborated with on other shoots, to see if she would be interested in participating in this project. Thankfully, she agreed, and from that moment, the shoot preparation began.
The Mood Board
It was important for me to be on the same page with Jasmine regarding our expectations as we approached the shoot. We share a passion for finding inspiration and aligning our creative ideals, so once we agreed, I utilized Milanote to create a mood board. This mood board played a pivotal role in my planning process, as it provided me with a clear visual reference and a great starting point to guide us throughout the shoot.
Finding a Location
After finalizing the photography concept, I needed to find a suitable location. Living in the Inland Empire, I preferred to stay local for this personal shoot, although I don’t mind making the trip to Los Angeles for the right setting. Fortunately, I discovered a great studio in Pomona on Peerspace, which features a clean white seamless background along with various amenities that would enhance the shoot. The host was accommodating and there was ample parking which is an underrated luxury. Based on my experience, I highly recommend this Pomona studio as an excellent option for your next photography project.
Shoot Preparation
Per usual I brought too much gear, but the important items were my main camera the GFX 100s with the GF 35-70mm lens and as a backup the X-H2 with the XF 16-55mm lens. For the majority of the shoot the GFX was tether to my computer and the pictures were imported into Capture One. Capture One is my tethering application, but I primarily use Lightroom to process my pictures.
Lighting wise I used an AD400 and AD300 in various modifies ranging from the Wescott 45-Degree Deep Focus Reflector, Glow EZ Lock 12x36” Quick Softbox, Westcott 7’ Umbrella with Diffusion fabric, and two V-Flat World V-Flats.
The Shoot
All of the preparation before the shoot made the shoot a breeze. Knowing what I wanted to accomplish allowed me to focus on my photography. Working with Jasmine made the shoot flow. Jasmine was a professional and a joy to work with. She handled her styling , make-up, and even selected the soundtrack for our shoot that played through the studio provided bluetooth speaker. The carefree nature of this shoot led to us creating four different looks inspired by the fitness theme.
FIRST LOOK
SECOND LOOK
THIRD LOOK
This look was an audible, but I was not going to leave the studio and not incorporate this fantastic mural into some pictures. These became some of my favorite pictures from the day because they possess the energy we were getting from Kendrick’s album.
FOURTH LOOK
This look is fun but created with no time to spare. It was either time to pack away my gear or try and squeeze out another look and I picked the later and kept shooting. I’ve always wanted to experiment using gels and create the triple color effect with the red, blue, and green gels.
Conclusion
This shoot turned out to be a worthwhile experience, and it felt amazing to collaborate creatively with Jasmine. My primary goal was to produce something valuable to add to my portfolio while also exploring a genre of photography that I had not previously ventured into, and I am pleased to say that those goals were accomplished. I came away with some fantastic pictures, and I learned so much throughout the entire process. Thank you, Jasmine, for being an exceptional model and a wonderful team player. These pictures would not have been possible without your hard work, dedication, and pleasant demeanor. I would also like to extend my gratitude to my wife, Shawntee, for her invaluable assistance and for capturing behind-the-scenes moments for me.
I am looking forward to my next shoot, whatever that may entail, but I appreciate you taking the time to read my journal and share in this journey with me.
