By Shawn Petrovich of Totally Ripped of Los Angeles, which specializes in photography and video of fitness models.
Holding a successful modeling photo shoot means paying attention to details. The right lighting, make-up, hair style and muscle building conditioning make the difference between a so-so photo and an outstanding one.
Photographing College Guys in St. Petersburg: Success Is In The Details
We learned early in our photography projects to keep an eye on these little factors. And in some instances we had to learn the hard way.
We traveled from Ohio to St. Petersburg, Florida for our first-ever shoot. We didn't know much about the Florida landscape. We were simply looking for a good beach backdrop for our photos and videos. It turned out to be a poor choice for risque photo shoots.
St. Pete is largely a community of retirees who were uncomfortable with our young, good-looking models posing nearly nude on the sand. We needed a more liberal-minded location. If you are looking for a calm vacation spot, we encourage to rent a St. Petersburg Beach condo from Florida Vacation Rentals.
Be sure to select a "St. Petersburg Beach" condo, not a St. Petersburg one. This puts you near the water - not the city.
In addition, there was a lack of nightlife in St. Petersburg Beach. No clubs, bars or shows where our cast of 10 male student-models and crew of three could unwind after hours. The rented condo that served as our sleeping quarters and base of operations was sub-par at best.
After a 23-hour road trip that left everyone out of shape and out of sorts, we encouraged the models to get their muscles in shape for shooting.
Our crew of hairstylists and make-up artists went to work getting everyone to look their best. Chest hair was shaved. Butts touched up. And poses practiced.
The beach setting was great, despite one day of rain and the constant shocked stares of local residents. The photographer and crew handled the situation well.
We managed to maintain a professional air around the project and the models looked great in the end.
When Muscles Appear Too Small on Film
There was only one problem. The camera angles used by the photographer focused more on the lush tropical surroundings and less on the models' well-toned muscles.
All the muscles looked too small in the finished photos and we had to return them unused. The photographer did a good job - it just wasn't the job we wanted. Speaking of muscles, if you know a college student who lifts weights, you can Nominate a Student to Become a Campus Man. The guy you nominate will have a chance to develop a fanbase on his campus and take advantage of all his hard work and dedication in the gym by achieving a little fame on his campus.
In the end, we had to re-shoot all the photographs back in Ohio, using local surroundings as backdrops.
It was a case of live and learn.