Female bodybuilder photography
Capturing ‘Grit’
This is a personal project. Something I like to do in between paid jobs, where I look at my own needs for creativity as an artist and seek outlets to keep what photography first got me excited about.
I was looking to work with Emily and create some dark gritty imagery that spoke of her drive and determination in sculpting her physique for her upcoming competition. Capturing her 'Grit'. Her prep includes intense gym work alongside reducing body fat to a minimum to aid the complete look. With this single session, I wanted to capture her as a hard working athlete, highlighting all the things she needs to reach top physical perfection in a way photographically that suited the mood I had pre visualised. Hence, the dark shadows, sometimes silhouettes just showing her physique and her physical output. Most shots are mainly lit by roof windows and some strip ceiling lights. There is an intentional tone here, right from concept.
I always love working around top athletes, seeing them working on their bodies to reach their high levels of fitness. For the photography side of things, it was nice to capture her working extremely hard, using every bit of her strength, pushing the weights to failure. Photographing all the things nobody sees. We only see the results of the hard work. I wanted to capture the shots of pre push, extreme exertion and then the pain of the aftermath and recovery. As a bodybuilder she needs to focus on, her shape, symmetry and size of course. I wanted to also capture her looking at her work in the mirror, confirming her gym battles are on track and she’s reaching her goals. Always nice and a privilege to be allowed to be there during the process as athletes push to their limits.
This photography and its style in approach could of course be used in photo or video. To create moody promotion output for any athlete or any ballsy sports brand. If you are in the business of shaping a brand, you are part of the decision making process and want to create iconic imagery, give me a shout.
Athletes, the same applies. Why not tell your story…
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