November 25, 2020

Face the fear…

…and do it anyway

Back before lockdown 2.0 started I saw an offer on Instagram that was too good to be true. A local fitness photographer (JDRPhotography_) was offering a free shoot in exchange for supporting a local gym that was going to be closing its doors for 28 days (Thanks Boris!)

I toyed with the idea of dropping him a message as I’m nowhere near the end of my journey and still have a long way to go to be in the shape I want to be but a wise friend once gave me some fabulous advice “Face the fear and do it anyway!” So that’s what I did, I sent him a message and before I knew it I was on my way to Real Steel Fitness in Tewksbury.

So, what was it like having a gym photo shoot when your not a fitness model? Bloody Amazing….

It may surprise you all to know that I am actually quite a shy and awkward person. So turning up to a location that I don’t know, to meet people I have never met and to do something I’ve never done before was terrifying. When I arrived Jordan was there to meet me and he explained what was going to happen. He could definitely see I was nervous so did everything he could to put my mind at ease.

After he set up, we took a few test shots and then came the really awkward part for me… Posing. For someone who loves a selfie and has a camera roll full of pictures of herself I have no idea how to pose when I cant see how I look. I got some tips about what sort of things looked good and the rest was trial and error for me. After about 10 minutes I was feeling much more comfortable and forgot what I was worried about. We did some mirror shots and some shots with some weights then after a sneak preview, a quick change and a quick weights session to get a pump on we moved on to some equipment. Weights are where I feel most confident so posing for this bit felt a lot more natural to me. Jordan listened to what I wanted pictures of and got to work setting up and making sure he had the right lighting and angle.

At the end of the shoot I had a quick look at some of the shots on the back of the camera and I was absolutely blown away with how I looked. It’s madness that even though I am not where I want to be I am still so much further than where I started and it was amazing to see how I am progressing. I was on a massive high coming out of the shoot and I still had the difficult part to come of choosing which photos I wanted. After some ruthless scrutiny I narrowed it down to 10 pictures. Each picture shows me in a different light and I’ve been buzzing to share them all over my social media.

Here are a few of my top tips for your shoot.
– Take your favourite gym wear
-Also make sure you have options
-Don’t be scared
-Discuss some ideas with your photographer before hand but be open to suggestions too (Trust me, they know what they are doing)
-Be silly, have fun & enjoy it!

To anyone reading this who is on a fitness journey of their own, I’d highly recommend getting some professional photos taken so celebrate your success and progress. You’ll be amazed at the outcome and the confidence it gives you will keep you pushing for more ready for another shoot. I also cannot recommend JDR Photography enough. Jordan is fantastic, had a laugh, makes you feel 100% comfortable and to top it all off, he is great at what he does!

Hit him up on Facebook or Instagram if you are interested in booking your own shoot!