I recently undertook a fitness photography shoot working with a model in the gym. During this commercial photography shoot we utilised several area of the gym and various bits of equipment, including skipping ropes, punchbags and weights.
The main idea behind the shoot was to get some tough, gritty shots, showing my model working out and working hard.
This first image was the main image I planned to shoot on the day:
I initially envisioned shooting the model front on, facing toward me but looking past and above my low position, as if watching herself skipping in the mirror. I wanted the image to look ‘real’, rather than posed, so I also had my model wear headphones.
After reviewing the photos I decided to try some more shots with the model side on, and I much preferred these shots. I also knew from the outset that this was going to be a black and white shot.
Next I wanted to showcase my models physique and strength, again making the shot ‘real’. For this we tried various poses with the barbell from squatting to lunging, shoulder shrugs, and others. This was my favourite of these images:
This time I placed the model in front of the mirror, just as would happen in real life, and asked her to stare intently into the mirror just as we see people doing in the gym.
Finally, my model asked that I capture something more conventionally sexy shots, modelling to camera. We went to the punchbags to capture this image:
I love photographing exercise and fitness and am currently looking for opportunities to photograph yoga and pilates. Please contact me if you are interested in a yoga or pilates photoshoot.