Taking Gym Photos

Posted on May 23, 2012 in photography

I have been going to the gym almost everyday for the past 8 years.  I rarely miss it, if I do miss a day I just don’t feel the same.  A couple of weeks ago, the gym heard that I did a little amateur photography and asked me if I would take pictures for the new website that they were putting up.  Seeing as a rarely decline the chance to take pictures I took on the project. We started yesterday and the first phase was taking portrait photos of all of the trainers against a white background.  They wanted a super clean look that they could use on the website and something that would be easy to layer text and trainer bios up over.  Photographing against a white background can be tricky and is actually one of the hardest things to do. To create a truly floating image you really need to over-expose the white background while getting the exposure on the subject just right.  I have tried various methods to achieve the look but my favorite at the moment is to use continuous fluorescent lights to brighten up both the background and the subject.  I have just found flashes to be too slow and do let me shotgun photos which I really like doing.  Photographing against a white background can be hit or miss but it definitely provides a clean and distinct look for websites.  Here is what I came up with for them.