Gaspari Calendar

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of photographing 11 of the best female fitness bodies in the UK for the 2012 Gaspari Nutrition calendar.  I've seen the whole calendar, and it looks great, but I'm only allowed to show this preview of the cover featuring Beth Workman and Lydia Rees.

Oh, and before anyone says, yes I'm well aware there are 12 months in the year, but one month features two of the models!

Published in Ultimate MMA magazine

I've just found out that a couple of photos from a shoot with Jennifer Weintz, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt have been published in the American magazine Ultimate MMA.  It's my first publication in the magazine, and for that matter the first time I've heard of it.

The shoots took place in Vancouver, one on the beach, and if memory serves the second one was half way up a mountain.

Congrats on the publication Jen!

Please excuse the rubbish quality mobile phone taken photo of the magazine.

Double page in Muscle & Fitness UK

After years of not really trying to get published in the UK, I've managed to get published two months running in Muscle & Fitness UK, ironically without actually trying.

This month was my first "proper" photo though (last month were only contest photos and I don't really count those).  I'm only showing the lead photo here, from a feature on athlete Jenny Pacey.

Thanks Jenny for the shoot and making the feature happen, photo looks great!

A front cover on a new magazine

 

Currently still only in digital form, this is the mock up front cover of a new magazine called "Modelinscene"

To borrow a few soundbites from the magazines Facebook page -
"The UK's modelling industry premier magazine and website is on its way."

Description - "Providing a valuable resource and insight of castings, opportunities, news, reviews, interviews, tips, styling, fashion, agencies and photographers aimed at the aspiring to the established model! We will also feature models from the 'up and coming' to the 'hot right now'" and their mission "To be the print and web media choice for all things modelling!  Providing an information platform for models, people interested in modelling and for the industry agencies, photographers and make up artists."

I wish Jamie (the guy behind the magazine) much luck as he moves forward with this project.  Hope to see a printed copy early in 2012!

Although the photo of Abby might look as if it was taken at a glamorous beach somewhere nice, it was actually the very unglamorous Lepe Beach just down the road from Fawley Power station near Southampton.  For a little glimpse behind the scenes, look below...

Training day with Karla Adams

I've done a couple of shoots with Karla Adams over the last few years.  Both in the deserts around Las Vegas.  Some of the photos were recently featured in southern California lifestyle magazine ieStyle.

Congratulations Karla on another great magazine feature.  Looking forward to our third shoot.  :-)

First South African Publication

It's been a week of firsts.  My first Indian wedding, my first wedding in London and today I receive a copy of my first South African publication!

Good times indeed.

I photographed Leigh in August 2009, on the morning of the day when she won her IFBB Bikini pro card.  We were shooting in the not so glamorous Richmond / Airport area of Vancouver.  We decided to move the shoot part way through because we were all getting bitten to death by mosquitoes.  I was quite well covered, but Leigh, obviously couldn't be and I was a little worried the bites might effect her chances in the competition later that day.

With the help of Dean, her then fiancée, now husband, we had a great shoot as I hope these photos show.

Interesting use of the photos by MEM, cutting out the backgrounds is not something that magazines normally do to this extent.  Looks good though!

Big thank you to Muscle Evolution Magazine and of course to the stunning Leigh Brandt.

A tearsheet in Planet Muscle with IFBB fitness star Larissa Reis

It's been quite a long time since my last photo was published in Planet Muscle magazine, but the dry spell is over with a little help with IFBB fitness star Larissa Reis.  We shot just a day after Olympia in Las Vegas in 2009 so Larissa was in amazing shape having just stepped off stage a few hours before.

 

A tiny photo published in Oxygen

The latest issue of Robert Kennedy s Oxygen magazine arrived on my doormat this morning.  In the Future of Fitness section is a tiny photo of Christine Taylor from our shoot last summer in Quebec City.

It was my first and to date only shoot in Quebec City so I didn't really have much idea for locations.  Christine suggested we shoot in the Parc des Champs de Bataille.

The weather can best be described as "meh".  It was a rather cold mid Septembers day, the sky was grey, and it was all a bit rubbish.

We started shooting in the park.  Nothing sexy or provocative - just "Oxygen" type fitness shots.  Brrr it was cold.  I was in my coat and gloves so after doing a few shots I suggested we move somewhere lower (we were on top of a big hill) in the hope of finding somewhere a little more sheltered from the wind.  At the same time we were leaving a police car pulled up - I figured it was just doing its rounds and making sure nobody stole any tress or something, so I didn't think anything of it.

We found another spot in the park and were about to start shooting again when the same police car pulls up and out gets the obviously very bored policeman.  Clearly not enough crime in Quebec City.  He muttered something at me in an angry tone in French, which of course I understood nothing off.  He translated and said something about naked girls in the park...  I was bemused because a) there was sadly no nakedness, b) there wasn't anyone else around, and c) this cop was being a complete and utter dick.

He moved us on, we found a better location, the sun came out, and everyone was happy!

I've almost never had a problem with doing photoshoots in Canada.  The only other place in Canada I've had an issue is when trying to shoot in the park where they hold the formula 1 grand prix in Montreal.  The rest of Canada, never a problem.  Ever.  Pains me to say because I love Canada, but Quebec is weird!

Published on a gym window in California!

Whoop!

I was just sent the above photo by my friend, model, and client Karla Adams.

She's used the tearsheet (right hand window) from a magazine which featured one of our photos from a shoot in Las Vegas and got it printed up real big for one of the windows of her new gym.

The gym is in Riverside, California.

It looks great Karla!  :-)

www.karlaadams.com

An Xmas Party cover

I feel I should try and keep with the 4 theme going on, but alas I cannot.

This is the third issue of the 4Networking magazine, 4Community, and it's my third cover.  This photo was taken during the middle of the 4N Christmas party last year, everyone was slightly merry, and it's my favourite cover to date.

A cover to start the new year with

It's always great to see my work in print, and a cover is that little bit more special.  On the last day of 2009 Fitness and Health magazine arrived on my doormat.  I've never heard of it before, but somehow IFBB Bikini Pro Leigh Lingham had and was able to get us the cover of this Netherland publication.

We started the shoot on an overcast British Columbia morning near Iona Beach near to Vancouver International Airport.  We managed about an hour there before being forced to find a new location by all the mosquitoes.  They were more of a nuisance and issue than normal because Leigh was due to step on stage in New Westminster later that day (an event where she was crowned Canada's first IFBB Bikini Pro).

We moved the shoot to where the cover shot was taken, an industrial area just over the Oak Street Bridge opposite the River Rock Casino.  I prefer shooting in "ugly" locations, to me they are much more interesting than "just another beach".  When you have a model with the same mindset, you can get some great images as a result.

I predict big things for Leigh in the coming years, she has the attitude to go as far as she wants within the crazy world of fitness and I can only wish her the very best of luck.  I was lucky to be there at the start of her journey and one of her first professional photoshoots and publications.

Leigh and her fiancée Dean are getting married in Las Vegas during 2010.  I had hoped to be their wedding photographer, but alas it was not to be.  I wish them the very best of days though.

I got to shoot this cover because of a Tilley hat...

The place... the host hotel lobby for the WBFF World Championships in Mississauga. This women pointed at me and the hat and asked if I was Michael Palmer.

The woman was Debbie, owner of Natural Muscle Magazine. I'd known about her and her publication for some years, I'd even tried to make contact a few times but without any success. Within a few minutes we were sitting in the hotel restaurant on our first of several "dates" that weekend.

The following weekend was Olympia in Las Vegas and Debbie had asked me to shoot the cover for her 14th anniversary issue. The concept was simple, getting as many of the previous cover models together and shooting them all at the same time.

The shoot took place early on Friday morning just before the shoots to the Olympia Expo opened. Debbie had asked the master of the group shoot, Fitness America owner Lou Zwick to help us with direction.

Lou was exceptional - easy to see how he's earned the title of "master of the group shoot".

The cover, and my first ever published work within the pages of Natural Muscle magazine can be seen below.

Thank you again Debbie for a wonderful opportunity. An opportunity that may not have happened without my wearing my Tilley Hat...

Inland Empire Magazine Tearsheet

With thanks to the model Karla Adams I find myself with a unexpected tearsheet in Inland Empire Magazine...

The photo was taken a couple of years ago at Lake Mead near Las Vegas early one rather chilly morning.