For a recent environmental-portraiture project, I photographed my husband Hasani—an impassioned personal trainer—right in his element, the gym. Shooting on location let me authentically showcase his profession and energy, while tackling mixed-lighting challenges that included ambient daylight, overhead fluorescents, and strobes. To heighten the atmosphere, I also experimented with fog effects and captured dynamic motion throughout the session.
Navigating the Gym Environment
Working in a gym presented its own hurdles—mirrors, machinery, and varied textures quickly cluttered the frame. I treated each piece of equipment as a storytelling prop, composing carefully so that every dumbbell, rack, and mirror reflection added context rather than distraction. It took plenty of trial and error to tweak each element into place, but the result was a series of images that felt both purposeful and visually clean. I settled on the final image below for my submission.
Lighting Techniques and Fog Integration
Honing my studio-lighting skills, I employed a primary two-light setup, bringing in a third strobe when I needed an extra highlight. This arrangement let me experiment with how light interacts with the gym’s surfaces. When I added fog, I positioned one of the lights behind Hasani to backlight the haze, transforming the atmosphere and minimizing the distracting grey wall. The result was a layered depth that emphasized his form and injected a dynamic, cinematic quality into each portrait.
