Shooting fitness images for a modeling portfolio
September 25, 2009 by Joe Edelman
Filed under Recent Articles, Shooting Portfolios
Nothing burns me more than opening up a portfolio and seeing a shot of a pretty girl holding a tennis racket rested on her shoulder and she is looking at the camera and smiling from ear to ear.
Or the volleyball pictures where the girl is just holding the ball under her arm while she stands with a cute – non-athletic posture and smiles at the camera.
How about the girl who is actually a few pounds overweight and has clearly not been to the gym in a while, posing with weights?
How often do we see images like this in advertising? Rarely! So why put a shot like this in a modeling portfolio?
Remember a modeling portfolio isn’t just about showing how pretty the girl is. The goal is to show her ability to act and to convince a client that she can be believable as a given character.
When planning a portfolio shoot I make it a point to explain to the models that fitness shots are some of the hardest shots to pull off for several reasons.
1. These are images that are based on an activity that requires a specialized skill set.
2. These are images that require a lot of acting because if you ever actually watch athletes in almost any sport – their facial expressions are not very flattering – but they are also not looking at the camera smiling all the time. The challenge is to come up with an expression that looks real, has intensity in the eyes but is still flattering to the model.
3. Sports is one of the hardest categories for photographers to shoot because of its fast pace and need to capture that fleeting moment.
So how do you come up with fitness shots that are engaging, flattering and look believable?
PLANNING, PREPARATION and CHEAT whenever possible.
Make sure you are being realistic about the fitness activity you have chosen. Look at magazines and advertising for that sport or activity. If your body type and build doesn’t fit the activity – DON’T shoot it.
Make sure that both the photographer and model have a clue about the right way to do the sport that you are shooting. I can’t tell you how many times I see yoga pictures and the yoga pose is being done completely wrong. I am very aware of that one because early in my career I did a set of yoga poses with a model and the first booking agent she met happened to be a part-time yoga instructor. The agent crucified her book because all her yoga poses were wrong. The moral here is that we don’t want the model to be judged for the wrong reasons.
If you are not sure – do your research – go online and find some images with poses that you can duplicate – print them out and take them to the shoot with you.
KISS IT! Keep It Simple Stupid – Sometimes it is easier to composite the image so that you are not trying to do too much at once. Generally if I am going to shoot a very active skill sport like tennis or volleyball I will do the shots without the ball and shoot the ball separately and add it into the final image. This technique allows my model to concentrate more on her physical movements and expressions without having to worry about also hitting a ball.
Click to enlarge the above images
If I am doing this technique in the studio that means that I am not only going to shoot the ball separately but that I am also going to be adding the background later, so the original shots are done on a solid color background. (I use neutral gray)
If I am using this technique outdoors I will try to find a fairly simple background that I can let go out of focus so that I don’t have a lot of detail to deal with when adding the ball to the shot.
Click to enlarge the above images
If I am doing a running shot I will only have the model run for about 15 feet and just have her repeat process several times. I will give her a specific point in the distance to look at (never at the camera). I will tell her to always begin running from the same spot and with the same foot (this makes it easier for me to pick up her rhythm and catch the peak moments in her stride)
Most importantly I coach the model about her facial expressions. I will explain to her that she needs to look like she enjoys her sport (hence she is in a pleasant frame of mind) but of course she shouldn’t be smiling as she does it.
I have never figured out why but you would be amazed how often a model will begin running with her mouth closed. When is the last time you saw a magazine shot editorial or advertising and the runner had their mouth closed? Who could actually run like that anyway? It is the little details that make the photos work so you MUST pay attention to these.
Last but not least, for photographers, let’s talk about composition. Remember that we want to make it look convincing but we are selling the models ability to act. Don’t be afraid to crop tight. I often shoot running shots with no feet and you can still tell the girl is running. This allows me to get closer which makes her face and her expression bigger and more obvious. If we shoot a girl from the knees up – it’s a pretty safe bet she has feet – we don’t need to show them in every shot.
Also don’t be afraid to tilt the camera. Diagonal lines add energy and flow to a shot. There is no law against tilting a camera. Try it sometime.
