Shoot a Process: Workout Session - Ramon Montes

Originally, I wanted to shoot the process of me and my brother baking either banana bread or banana muffins, but there was unfortunately too much work this week so we did not have an opportunity to bake. I wanted to shoot a process that was not only informative, but also interesting. This is why I wanted to show parts of a workout session from home as this process does take place within a focused space within a particular passage of time. Each photograph has some meaningful information and/or tips viewers can keep in mind for future workouts, whether at home or at the gym. Even though gyms are open, many would say they are still not entirely safe to go to. Thus, home workouts have become that safe alternative.

I planned beforehand to take some of the photos with designated rules. I thought there were some messages that would be best evoked with certain compositional rules and/or post-shoot rules in this assignment. I captured my subject from different angles, and perspectives while purposely including and/or excluding small details.

I obviously edited some of the images to meet the rules for Post-Shoot. A lot of the edits I made in terms of color correction typically involved some use of these adjustments: Curves, Levels, Brightness and Contrast, Exposure, Hue and Saturation, and Photo Filter. I consistently used color correction to create more vibrant and lively colors in the surroundings and for my subject. I also cropped, changed the transformation and angles to make certain images more appealing and meet the Rule of Thirds. I also had to experiment using the healing brush in the image where we mainly see the floor from bird’s eye perspective.

I chose the final 7 images based on what images seemed more visually appealing, and felt more effective in delivering the message associated with each one. I chose the order mainly based on time, but I wanted to place the black and white photo in the middle as this one has a more comedic tone and stands out drastically from the rest of the photos in the collection.  

I already had some ideas of what I wanted to cover with the process as I mentioned earlier so there was not much of a challenge there. However, one of the challenging parts for me was thinking of how I wanted to capture my photos through interesting angles and perspectives to capture my subject. My living room, the kitchen I work at, and my grandparent’s living room where the treadmill is are rather compact places to work with, so I had to think a lot on how I wanted to capture all these photos while still meeting the rules for composing, but also have engaging photos without them feeling repetitive.

My brother dressed in proper gym attire holding a matt with weights beside him in our living room.

Tip #1: Dress comfortably and bring a gym buddy with you to workout. Gym buddies are meant to motivate each other. If you do not know what exercises to do, look up some videos. 

My brother doing push-ups with proper form.

Tip #2: Proper form should be maintained throughout each exercise. Not doing so will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise and in some cases, can result in injury.

My brother drinking from a plastic water bottle. 

Tip #3: Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated throughout your workout. If going to the gym, bring a recognizable and refillable water container. You do not want you or someone else to grab the wrong bottle especially during this pandemic.

Me confiscating my brother's phone for getting distracted after rests.

Tip #4: It is important to take rests and/or breaks, but do your best to not get distracted by your phone afterwards. If you or your gym buddy gets distracted then drastic measures must be taken. What are gym buddies for?!

My brother preparing to do sit-ups while holding a 15 pound weight with my foot applying pressure on his feet to provide stability.

Tip #5: Do not be afraid to ask someone for help with an exercise. This tip especially applies to exercises where you may need a spotter when pushing your record.

My brother performing a lunge with 15 pound weights in each of his hands.

Tip #6: Do not lift weights based on your ego. If you find yourself struggling to maintain your form then consider dropping the weight. Otherwise, you might injure yourself. Weight is not everything.

My brother doing light cardio on a treadmill in our grandparents' living room. 

Tip #7: Many people like to start off with cardio, however this can negatively impact your performance in upcoming exercises. If you can, save it for the end. 

Selected Outtakes

I decided to retake some of these pictures for different reasons. For the first outtake, I wanted a more detailed picture of my brother drinking from the water bottle so I decided to take this shot from a much closer perspective. The second outtake is one of my first attempts for the establishing shot. I did not like the doors being opened in the background as they detracted from the image. I also thought this did not give the best sense of the entire scene, therefore I chose to step back towards the entrance of the living room to take a separate shot. As for my last outtake I wanted to share, I liked it at first, but thought this may not be seen as funny from viewers. That is when I thought the confiscation of his phone would be a better option for the comedic and overdramatic effect I wanted to capture in this photo. 

"Outtake #1", 4032 pixels x 3024 pixels
My brother drinking from a plastic water bottle.  

"Outtake #2", 4032 pixels x 3024 pixels
My brother dressed in proper gym attire                   holding a matt with two weights beside his feet.   

    

"Outtake #3", 4032 pixels x 3024 pixels

My brother being hit by me with a piece of paper for 

        taking too long of a rest break on his phone.

Before and After

 Raw Version of Photo #5, 3024 pixels x 4032 pixels

Photo #5, 2944 pixels x 3151 pixels

My brother preparing to do sit-ups while holding a 15 pound weight with my foot applying pressure on                                                                 his feet to provide stability.