Better Gym Photos and More...

Over the years I have received plenty of e-mails from photographers asking for hints about how to shoot better photos in the gym. There are tons of photographers out there photographing bodybuilding and fitness people and to be truthful, I really do think much of it ranges from bad to abysmal. Sadly it is also the fault of the model and the audience because they really don't know what a good photo looks like. It has been a dumbing down. The magazines and websites very often accept it too, because it is cheap or free.

But to answer the questions I get about improving gym shooting and more, for starters here is a photo I shot that I consider right on. First you have to start out with the right person in the photograph and the right person here is my good friend and fitness fabulous Amy. You can't argue about Amy's devotion to fitness, she is a Mom of 6 and a Grandma!

First things first, you have to shoot a good photo to begin with then no overly heavy handed fakery in "photoshop". The fitness world, especially when it has come to women, has been following an over-processed "photoshop" look of heavily blurred and smoothed skin that is so obviously fake as to be the joke of photography. 

Some quick good practice steps...

1. Good makeup and hair, very few models can do this for photography, it is different than going out on a Saturday night. Find yourself a makeup artist and hairstylist and use him or her on every shoot with a woman.

2. No over done stupid glamour poses. I always call it the "back end in the air, elbows in the sand" look. Boring and amateur. Look at posing in magazines like Vogue, Vanity Fair, Flaunt and others, especially the European versions. You will see much more interesting and creative work.

3. Lighting, learn it. Yes you can shoot with just your flash on the camera, but to get that to look right is even more difficult than complex studio lighting. So learn and experiment.

4. Wardrobe... You might think a g-string in the gym with boots is cool but to make that look good is going to take some real posing techniques and some smart modeling beyond what most subjects can pull off. Go with good and a little sexy gym clothes on the girls and basics on guys. Work on shooting good photos first.

5. Tanning... Competition tanning looks too odd in the gym or anywhere off stage. A darker than normal tan is good. NO BABY OIL. An amateur mistake. Just a slight spray of water in the gym can get the job done. Glycerin and water is also a good choice. Your MUA can help you with that.

6. Slow down and focus! And get your "white balance" right. And then slow down and focus! Did I say slow down and focus?

That's all for now. Any questions, leave me a comment!

Thanks and keep coming back if you "Wanna See More...?"