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Maxxx Photography
21-08-2011
Today, Maxxx Photography starts as a blog!
Photography was important to me, even since I was a teenager. I always have lived with photographs around me as my dad's hobby was photography. He even had some experience as a professional when he was in his twenties! Nice results, too, if you ask me. I bought my first camera, a Minolta XG1, at the age of 18. Many photo's have been taken, something has been learned. And now, in the internet area, here we are with a blog!
I will describe what happens during photoshoots, how they are prepared and what happens afterwards. You will find links that enable you to look at the results of my hard work. So, please enjoy!
I told you about the FIBO, the yearly meeting place of the strong and beautiful! For photographers nearly the "Walhala" (heavenly place)! Meeting a female bodybuilder can seem te be difficult, impressed as one can be by all the muscles and striations. However, once tried it's clear that they too are HUMAN! In general, no big ego's, no attitude, many are very approachable. But some ideas that may be worthwile to consider can be formulated.
For the fun of it, I give you advice on how to increease your chances to be UNSUCCESFUL at approaching and talking to a bodybuilder. 1. The best strategy is a no brainer and discovered by many: just stay at the sideline, preferably staring without saying anything. The masters in this field keep their mouth a little open, avoiding to look clever. 2. If you must say something, keep in mind that one can be too polite, that's clear! So don't consider to say hello and your own name. Introductions are boring, aren't they? 3. You could ask whether you may ask a question about a specific subject, disturb her for a moment or take a picture. Don't do that. She will feel to be respected by you and so she may become interested in you, probaly talking to you for a longer time. You don't want that! 4. Of course, you really want to avoid smiling, as this has been proven to encourage people to stay in interaction with you. They would get positive feelings about you and you don't want to know where this could end! 5. Never ever say something positive about their body! Instead start criticising as early as possible. It really pays off if you take a moment to try finding what one could consider to be a weakness. As soon as you have her attention, start focussing on the presumed weakness. Success garanteed! This must be enough to give you an idea! Now it's up to you! Maybe more will follow in the near future.
The FIBO is the biggest expo about the fitness industry in Europe. So, all in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and even from France and Italy, among others, who want to see and shake hands with top contenders in bodybuilding or fitness find the way to Essen, Germany. It's also a perfect occasion to take photographs, of course!
In such situations, I prefer to use a 17 - 105mm lens on my ADS-C camera. Taking the crop-factor into account, that equals to about 27 - 158mm in 35mm format. The wide-angle allows to come real close to people and still have the environment sharp, too, even with an open lens. At the same time, the tele is sufficient to take some sneak pictures from a distant. I use a rather elevated ISO value (about 800) and a shutter speed just high enough to avoid unsharp pictures from moving persons (1/60). Aperture follows depending on the light, which means often around F8. This setting results in sharp pictures in most situations. Currently, I don't use flash light because it can easily ruin the "feeling" of a picture. Moreover, I would attract a lot of unwanted attention with the intens flash light and disturb the situation. This is the last thing I want to do.
So, if you want to be close to the bodybuilding and fitness world, this is the place to be! And don't forget to take your camera with you, but you know that, don't you? Next time, I'll tell you about meeting a female bodybuilder.