Client Spotlight: Brad Gouthro Fitness

*** SEE A NEW Q&A INTERVIEW WITH BRAD GOUTHRO HERE ***

Hey Peeps,

Earlier this month, I had the great opportunity to shoot with fitness instructor/nutritionist/author/model/business owner, Brad Gouthro of Brad Gouthro Fitness and his wonderful friend and model Jen Hobin.

Being a runner, I am always looking for new information on health and fitness.  I happened to come across Brad's website and was instantly hooked.  You may have heard of a new book out called,"Awaken the Abs Within: 7 Secrets to Lose Body Fat", it is a relatively new publication of Brad's that is spreading across North America like wildfire.  Brad and I had talked about shooting together in the past and this seemed like the perfect time to get some new material for the both of us.  When I arrived at his home, Brad's open and honest approach and warm smile was completely inviting and his enthusiasm towards productivity was infectious.

I knew it would be a great shoot.

After deciding where to shoot in his studio space, I began to set up.  Then Jen arrived.  After just a few minutes of chatting, I came to realize that Jen is an incredibly assertive and patient person.  I'm not sure of how many jobs Jen has, but they all sound busy and they all sound fun to some degree or another, in fact she was starting ANOTHER new job that night as - guess what?  A trainer.  She also has a self-depreciating humor that just makes it even more amusing because she is both quite fit and quite kind.  She doesn't look at any image on my viewscreen with more than a half-smile and a "meh" or a comment on some part of her that she would rather look different.  I couldn't take offense because it had nothing to do with my photography, and in fact it had nothing to do with Jen's physique - both Brad and I agree(after shaking our heads at her) there was absolutely nothing wrong with any of her shots - she looked great.  So we chalked it up to what most people find when they see themselves in a mirror or a photograph(me included): we are our own worst critics.  "Oh well," I think to myself,"wait until she sees the full post view."  And after she saw them, she liked them!!(I knew she would!)

The main theme of the shoot was "abs", and my mantra throughout the afternoon was,"ABS - ABS - ABS."  Take a look:

Now, I do a light test during every shoot and needless to say they are never "keepers".  But sometimes, if the pose is right, I like to tweak the image and see what I can come up with.  Well this next one was not a keeper, I won't go into it much but basically I was trying to balance my flash with two regular household lights and it was wayyyyyy too dark.  But Lightroom - satisfied sigh - let me give you this little trinket, my first thought looking at it is "Colossus":

Colossus

I love this job. 

After the abs shots were done, we wanted to create a more sporty kind of shoot.  We set up next to Brad's punching bag and let it rip.  Jen was first up.  Brad and I both agreed that there is something really cool about a woman kicking ass - and Jen was definitely enjoying it.  She swears that she has never been in a fight before but.... would you want to go head-to-head with her?:

Jen has a kick that beats my 6 foot height

Then we threw Brad in the ring:

Don't feel bad for this punching bag, it is fulfilling its purpose in life - believe me.

So after it was all said and done, I still wanted to get more portrait-style shots, it's my thing and convinced them both to do the opposite of what they're used to:  sit still and have the focus on their face instead of their physiques.  It was great:

A good head-on shot

How can you not want fitness info from these two?

I couldn't help but use this gritty lighting and penetrating look to create this Nike-style shot

Hello Jen!  What a great smile, thx Brad for helping me pull it out of her!

There's the inviting smile I know!  He truly loves what he does.

I realized from working with Brad that his business was more than just work to him.  He is genuine in wanting to help others achieve their health goals and knows that being the brand for his business means more than just talking-the-talk:  he must also walk-the-walk.  I highly suggest checking out Brad's website and book, they are full of useful information on fitness and nutrition and just living a healthier lifestyle overall.

Thanks again Brad & Jen, it was fun to work with you both and I hope to come up and shoot with you again soon!

Later,

Michael Carty

Michael Carty Website

Michael Carty Email