Not going to lie, business is slow. But that's no surprise to anyone in this industry. One of things I've learned is that you must keep working, even when there is no client. You have to shoot because 'that's what you do, that's what you are', not because someone called or emailed you. I've really been itching to shoot something fun and as it turns out some good friends of mine were trying to raise money for their adoption. I saw this as a perfect opportunity to contribute something to the adoption of a child and possibly get to work on something cool. I was in luck. Crossfit Ft. Worth called and said they'd like a commercial shoot done for their gym and in turn they'd donate money to my friends.

I don't usually shoot athletes in action because there are a bunch of guys out there that are doing and it's THEIR THING. So, I decided to shoot it my way. First, I wanted to avoid the two edge light one beauty dish f22 look that is so popular now. Not to disrespect anyone, it's a great look...but it's already being done well by others. Why not see if I can shoot it a little different. My approach was to shoot it like a body line or figure study with heavy light and shadow contrasts.

Another lesson I learned, from the awesome photographer Jeremy Cowart, was that sometimes you light the subject and they do their thing. Sometimes they wander out of the light or into a different position. It's interesting to see what happens when they do this. It doesn't have to perfect as long as it's interesting. Other photographers I worked for would stop the shoot and re-light or reset the subject as soon as the slightest change occurred. That's great for them, but I'm afraid I'd miss if I didn't let it flow. So, this shot isn't exactly as I had in my head when I started but I really liked what was happening. More importantly the client was loving it. Look at the feet of the subject, how they disappear into the black. I could have stopped the shoot and re-lit to make sure everything was being lit equally...but I loved how the image seems to be appearing out of a ball of energy in the middle of the room...much like a fireball. To me, it makes it more mysterious not having it completely grounded.