Alex In-Studio

[DanOstergren11]

I was recently hired by a bodybuilder to photograph him while he was in peak condition. He hopes to go Pro with his upcoming competition.
I hope these make some homophobes extremely uncomfortable. Aside from making beautiful photographs, that is always my number 1 goal in life.

Anyways, these were mostly lit using a three light flash setup. Main light was modified using a 3x4ft softbox with a grid. The two edge lights were modified with 1x4ft strip boxes, with grids and color gels. The grids were used to make the light more direct so it would have a better sculpting effect on his physique. The camera, lens, and settings are all listed in the exif beneath each image.

1

And a closeup because I really love the lighting of this specific image (click for a full view):


2

3

4

5

6

7 (this one only had the main light turned on, no edge lights, and a silver reflector to ad catch-lights to the eyes)

8

9 (this one also only had the main light as the only light source)

I was also hired to do a second session with him yesterday in a peerspace rental location using only windows and tungsten lamps for lighting, but I haven't even had a chance to take those photos off of the memory card yet. Hopefully I have some images from that session to share in a couple weeks.

 

[Tinstafl98]

These are great and I bet he will love them. I have shot a couple bodybuilders both male and female

 

[terri20]

I hope these make some homophobes extremely uncomfortable. Aside from making beautiful photographs, that is always my number 1 goal in life.

smartass.

Great set! He should be very pleased with these - the lighting is dramatic and beautiful. Agree about the closeup for #1 - muscles perfectly illuminated and gleaming.

I'm curious - both you and @Tinstafl would know - do these bodybuilders lube up for pictures?

I wish this guy luck with his upcoming competition.

 

[Tinstafl98]

smartass.

Great set! He should be very pleased with these - the lighting is dramatic and beautiful. Agree about the closeup for #1 - muscles perfectly illuminated and gleaming.

I'm curious - both you and @Tinstafl would know - do these bodybuilders lube up for pictures?

I wish this guy luck with his upcoming competition.

I use a spray bottle with water and baby oil mix for the studio. They have their own styles for competitions

 

[DanOstergren11]

These are great and I bet he will love them. I have shot a couple bodybuilders both male and female

Thank you. So far he does, and there are still several more from this session that need to be edited and delivered so hopefully he loves those too.
I've also done bodybuilder sessions before this as well, however this is the first time I was hired to photograph one just before he went into competition. I can only imagine the work it takes to get to this physique.

 

[DanOstergren11]

smartass.

Great set! He should be very pleased with these - the lighting is dramatic and beautiful. Agree about the closeup for #1 - muscles perfectly illuminated and gleaming.

I'm curious - both you and @Tinstafl would know - do these bodybuilders lube up for pictures?

I wish this guy luck with his upcoming competition.

Lol, sometimes I just can't help myself... Ok, correction: most times I can't help myself!

Thank you! Often they do, but everyone has their own preferences. I prefer to use spray-on sunblock when I'm doing physique sessions, or any session really when I'm trying to make a man look alluring while he's showing skin. It adds a nice "glow" to the skin without making them look too greasy. It's a little trick I learned from a makeup artist friend of mine who used to do makeup for MTV.

 

[DanOstergren11]

I use a spray bottle with water and baby oil mix for the studio. They have their own styles for competitions

It's always interesting to learn what different tricks photographers have up their sleeves to get the look they're after.

 

[zombiesniper97]

Great set. Love that he was also having fun with it.

 

[DanOstergren11]

Great set. Love that he was also having fun with it.

Thank you! Me too, it always adds a nice fun and personal layer to a photo session.

 

[F.O.V.60]

I was recently hired by a bodybuilder to photograph him while he was in peak condition. He hopes to go Pro with his upcoming competition.
I hope these make some homophobes extremely uncomfortable. Aside from making beautiful photographs, that is always my number 1 goal in life.

Anyways, these were mostly lit using a three light flash setup. Main light was modified using a 3x4ft softbox with a grid. The two edge lights were modified with 1x4ft strip boxes, with grids and color gels. The grids were used to make the light more direct so it would have a better sculpting effect on his physique. The camera, lens, and settings are all listed in the exif beneath each image.

1
View attachment 298593

And a closeup because I really love the lighting of this specific image (click for a full view):
View attachment 298594

2
View attachment 298600

3
View attachment 298601

4
View attachment 298602

5
View attachment 298603

6
View attachment 298604

7 (this one only had the main light turned on, no edge lights, and a silver reflector to ad catch-lights to the eyes)
View attachment 298605

8
View attachment 298606

9 (this one also only had the main light as the only light source)
View attachment 298607

I was also hired to do a second session with him yesterday in a peerspace rental location using only windows and tungsten lamps for lighting, but I haven't even had a chance to take those photos off of the memory card yet. Hopefully I have some images from that session to share in a couple weeks.

Excellent set of photographs, well seen and interpreted..

 

[DanOstergren11]

Excellent set of photographs, well seen and interpreted..

Thank you so much!