Back in September there was a lot of noise coming from a warehouse unit only a few doors down from where I work. Upon investigation we learned it was a newly opened box or gym in Crossfit terms. I was wanting more out of the gym I was at but was not getting it there, and although the only things I’d ever heard about Crossfit was of a clown they called Pukey, or something like that, I thought I’d give it a try, I mean how bad could it be, plus this place was a walk over from my office. That day after exercising to what seemed to be one endless workout after another, sweating like never before, and gasping for air with every bit of strength I had left in me, I met Pukey face to face and blessed the walls of that gym with my lunch and drink I had only an hour ago enjoyed stuffing down my face. Never again will I eat right before a workout!

Fast forward a year now and I’m able to hold down my lunch. My relationship with my beloved coaches has grown both personally and professionally. Since last year they had just moved in, they were in need of promotional material to let everyone know they were now in town. Gyms like these thrive on attendees so after some discussions with them we scheduled out a date for me to photograph one of the coaches to be used in an ad. The result is one that I am very much proud of. The shot was taken indoors at the gym with a two video light setup in a way I wouldn’t normally photograph. Since I was looking for something more dynamic the lights were placed directly in front of each other sandwiching the subject. I wanted to make Jeff, the coach pictured in the ad, look invincible. So, I had lain down flat on my back shooting upwards at Jeff while he posed with the weight above him. During post processing I desaturated the colors and added contrast as well as expanded the frame to fit a wider format to give it this stylized look.

The concept behind the ad was to give the target audience a goal to shoot for. The viewer may look at the athlete and think there is no way they could do that now but could believe that the coaches at this gym understand extensively the movement and the form enough that they are capable of getting you there. The ad is now in circulation and can be seen in Fit Nation Magazine. It was a great piece that I’m proud to add to my portfolio.