Fitness Photo Session in Cleveland
Today’s post is a fitness photo session in Cleveland that I did some time ago. To this day, this is one of my favorite photo sessions in Cleveland for a variety of reasons. The first and most important is that the subject, Keri, was a good friend of mine and my next door neighbor for a period of time. She, literally, transformed her body and her life and wanted to document this with professional pictures. Secondly, it was a very cool example of an urban photo session that made the location and the surroundings and integral part of the photos. Lastly, we created true art, in my opinion.
Sculpting a Work of Art
Up to that point, Keri and I had been friends for, I think, about 4-5 years. We were neighbors for about 4 years and I had recently moved to the Cleveland area, so I hadn’t seen Keri in a while. I had seen some of her social media posts that showed that she was involved in fitness. Boy was she!! She had lost in excess of 80 lbs on her way to becoming a fitness competitor. Like a bodybuilder, a fitness competitor focuses on lean, well defined muscle. Unlike bodybuilding, a fitness competitor does not pack on muscle mass. Keri had contacted me because she was in peak shape and ready to compete in her first competition. She wanted professional pictures and I was honored that she allowed me to do the job.
Unique Photo Location in Cleveland
I wanted to find a unique photo location in Cleveland. One that mirrored Keri and her physique. I was thinking bricks. I was thinking mortar. I was thinking the Cleveland warehouse district. I know its a cliché but I want the pictures to reflect rock hard muscles hence bricks of a building. But also rock hard commitment and determination. It took that in abundance to make such a drastic lifestyle and physical change as Keri did. I admire her greatly for that.
We arranged a location that used to be an abandoned warehouse but had been converted into a photography studio. For my style, it was perfect. A lot of open window areas for natural light. Good contrast in shadows. A LOT of textures. It was perfect for what I had in mind. One huge bonus, there was an elevator shaft. I could have spent the entire session around that, but, there were so many other cool areas and I wanted to make sure that I accomplished what Keri would need. She was game for anything that I had in mind and I feel that we created true art for this photo session.
Cleveland Photography
As a professional photographer and artist, I always want to best represent my clients while creating a works of art. If I am photographing a wedding, I can properly document the day while doing so artistically, but I have to be mindful of the simple images that are super important on a wedding day. But with Keri, or any fitness competitor or bodybuilder, I can focus solely on the art of what I do. To me, their bodies are a work of art. A human sculpture that was crafted with their effort, their tears and their sweat. When they reach an age that they inevitably can’t compete anymore, I want them to admire their photos as they would a precious piece of art. The art being the photograph AND their bodies.
Here are a few favorites from our fitness photo session in Cleveland.
