The Village Gym in Chilwell were having a launch day for the latest release of the Les Mills series of class (Body Pump, Body Balance etc). To mark the event they were running special classes in a large function room complete with disco lights, DJs and smoke machines. This created extremely challenging conditions for photography – fast moving action, darkness, smoke and flashing lights in odd colours. At times it was shoot & pray, just hoping I got the shot I want. The end result was some really great shots and a couple of thousand of dark, blurry images headed straight to junk.
While I was there to capture publicity shots the gym, the event was six hours long so I had a chance to grab some more artistic imagery.
The light and smoke really creates an interesting atmosphere and despite the challenges it does lead to some very disincentive shots.
A lot of the time I’m photographing people in a crowd who I have no interaction with whereas when shooting friends or people at a small event like this, I often have to show the image and deal with their reaction. One issue I have to explain repeatedly is that there is a difference between a good photo and a photo which makes some look good. This isn’t the most flattering shot of the subject even (I got other ones later in the day) but I love the expression and the contrast with the people in the background.
A very “arty” shot to finish with but I enjoy these extreme contrast images. The aggressive pose couples well with the totally hidden face to create a menacing ambiance which is totally at odds with the actual event and person.