In this shoot I photographed Tom in the gym. He spends a lot of time in the gym deadlifting so it makes more sense to photograph him at here rather than at his room or work. In this shoot, the relationship between me and the subject was completely different to my other shoots. It was in a weightlifting gym which for me was quite scary, which made me more uncomfortable, this really did affect the shoot. I think the way I felt towards the environment affected the way he felt towards the camera.
This was a really different location to shoot and I had no idea what to expect until I got there. He used the weights in a corner. The whole room was basically black but I liked this as it made him stand out. I don’t know who’s trophies they are in the background but they add to the narrative. There was not a lot of different composition so I simply asked him to stand next to the weights. I also took photos when he was lifting just to try that out. It was more effective when he was looking at the camera as this will go with the rest of the series.
This was the most successful image. He stands out from the background so the main focus is on him. The background is intriguing and would engage the viewer. The numbers on the wall, bar on the left and coloured weights in the back add interest. It is clear what his hobby is and this is what I aimed for.
Comparing my work to Jess Lennan’s, the natural light in hers is so much more effective. It makes the images appear more natural and real. Unfortunately, light has been a common issue in my project. The locations are so different and in many I can not control the light. I prefer the natural light from windows but on quite a few shoots just using this isn’t possible, or in a few places there isn’t any windows. I am just going to carry on photographing the best I can in each location and if at the end I have enough successful ones with natural light, I can just include them.
Lucy Davis 