UK's fittest man?

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Ok, the title could be up for debate by the Crossfit haters! But this is Steven Fawcett. The UK's top Crossfit athlete. This is an idea I have had for a while, to do a shoot with him and get a normal Crossfit movement outside of the gym.

I put this shoot off for ages for fear of complete failure but sucked it up and decided to give it a go.

I am fairly happy with the result. As usual things I would change. The final image isn't exactly how I had imagined it prior to the shoot. Happy to hear you opinions on it.

Steven Fawcett by GazMortonPhoto, on Flickr
 
I like what you've achieved here.
I read your input twice to see why this was taken outside, but the environment away from the Gym offers a nice backdrop to show his ability. The focus makes the subject pop. Is it just me, or does the tree look a little human like, offering a branch arm to suspend him, and look at those trunk legs. Perhaps this pose he has adopted for the shot doesn't show his fitness to the fore, - are there any more pure ' strength' style shots that can be taken with the binding over the branch.
I go back to what I said at the start, I like it.
 
reheat module said:
I like what you've achieved here.
I read your input twice to see why this was taken outside, but the environment away from the Gym offers a nice backdrop to show his ability. The focus makes the subject pop. Is it just me, or does the tree look a little human like, offering a branch arm to suspend him, and look at those trunk legs. Perhaps this pose he has adopted for the shot doesn't show his fitness to the fore, - are there any more pure ' strength' style shots that can be taken with the binding over the branch.
I go back to what I said at the start, I like it.
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Thank you for your comments. :) he wasn't actually 'posing' as such, but running through a series of movements and excercises. I chose the image that I thought worked best photographically. The end of the movement suspending him above the rings looked too posed IMO. There are other images from the shoot however this was my original idea. Thanks again.
 
I saw the title and wondered where you'd snapped me :whistle:

Personally, i think the subject has been dwarfed by the tree and swamped by the background. Maybe if it was on top of a hill over looking rolling countryside, it'd work better fro me ... but maybe that's a bit cliche.
 
Sorry doesn't live up to the title, needs more focus on his physique and much less on the tree.
 
new2me said:
I saw the title and wondered where you'd snapped me :whistle:
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That's what I was thinking especially as I didn't bother to enter this year (I wish).:)

Good shot though it works very well for me.

George.
 
new2me said:
I saw the title and wondered where you'd snapped me :whistle:

Personally, i think the subject has been dwarfed by the tree and swamped by the background. Maybe if it was on top of a hill over looking rolling countryside, it'd work better fro me ... but maybe that's a bit cliche.
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Thank you for commenting. :)

Mikesphotaes said:
Sorry doesn't live up to the title, needs more focus on his physique and much less on the tree.
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Thanks for your comment.

Perhaps I should have titled it something differently. I do struggle with that, not thinking that people will look into it. That's my mistake.

As for the image, I made the concious effort to include the tree and perhaps that's what hasn't worked as well as I thought it would.
 
I dont see it. Strength can be shown in many ways, if you were going for the muscle strength then this could have been an option LINK

Overall the brightness of the background detracts from the subject
 
Thanks for commenting Dade. I wasn't going for 'muscle strength' as you put it. I was simply trying to make a portrait of. someone who is largely regarded as the Uk's top (male) crossfit athlete. Therefore, the fittest in the UK. As I said in the original post, the title is somewhat up for debate by people who don't regard crossfit as a true test of fitness. Perhaps people are taking the title too literally.

Perhaps as an image, it has failed. Which is why I had so many reservations about shooting it in the first place and put it off for so long.
 
if you can learn from it, it is not a failure ;)

Besides, I dont think the image is a failure. You went for something, thats mopre than most bother to do. Perhaps it is your unsureity we pick up on in the image?
 
dade_f said:
if you can learn from it, it is not a failure ;)

Besides, I dont think the image is a failure. You went for something, thats mopre than most bother to do. Perhaps it is your unsureity we pick up on in the image?
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It took me a while to actually go for it though due to fear of failure. That in itself, was a failure. If we add up the content of all the C&C above, we get that it's a photo of a tree with a bright background and perhaps there's a person somewhere in there. Doesn't sound like a success to me.

dade_f said:
in fairness here are some shots I took myself of a young bodybuilder - I was trying to show strength, power, agility and a softness - so I get that it is not an easy thing to do ;)
http://www.dadefreeman.com/blog/portrait-photography-marino
http://www.dadefreeman.com/blog/portrait-photography-marino
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The thing is, I didn't go into with trying to show anything like that. Perhaps that's another area where I failed. I went with the idea to take a normal Crosssfit movement outside of the gym.
 
gazmorton2000 said:
It took me a while to actually go for it though due to fear of failure. That in itself, was a failure. If we add up the content of all the C&C above, we get that it's a photo of a tree with a bright background and perhaps there's a person somewhere in there. Doesn't sound like a success to me.
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To a certain extent that description is true, but the blue of the guy's shorts catches the eye and then you look to see what is going on. This then leads on to wonder more about the reason why he is there and so makes it an interesting portrait .
 
Possibly the first time I've commented on a photo (I don't regard myself as technically good enough or artistically good enough really).

I really like this - it leaves me full of questions..why is the athlete there?, what is he doing? why that position?

The tree is slightly to prominent for me - it dominates the right-hand 'third' too much (as an experiment I covered the image from the mid point of the tree and I preferred that crop). I think I'd also move closer and to the left so that Steven is closer to the foreground.

That said...I just wouldn't have thought of any of that before the shoot so well done for capturing such an intriguing image.
 
huffy said:
To a certain extent that description is true, but the blue of the guy's shorts catches the eye and then you look to see what is going on. This then leads on to wonder more about the reason why he is there and so makes it an interesting portrait .
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Thanks for your comments. :)

morfis said:
Possibly the first time I've commented on a photo (I don't regard myself as technically good enough or artistically good enough really).

I really like this - it leaves me full of questions..why is the athlete there?, what is he doing? why that position?

The tree is slightly to prominent for me - it dominates the right-hand 'third' too much (as an experiment I covered the image from the mid point of the tree and I preferred that crop). I think I'd also move closer and to the left so that Steven is closer to the foreground.

That said...I just wouldn't have thought of any of that before the shoot so well done for capturing such an intriguing image.
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Thank you. Glad you like it. The question about what is he doing and why that position is interesting. Of course I want images to appeal to as many people as possible. Folks who do or follow crossfit would instantly know what he is doing. I guess that would be the audience for this type of photo perhaps?

Some interesting points. I do have one with the crop you describe too, but chose to go with the wider one. Again, maybe wrongly but it's a learning process. One that makes me go :bang: a lot along the way. :)
 
gazmorton2000 said:
Thank you. Glad you like it. The question about what is he doing and why that position is interesting. Of course I want images to appeal to as many people as possible. Folks who do or follow crossfit would instantly know what he is doing. I guess that would be the audience for this type of photo perhaps?

Some interesting points. I do have one with the crop you describe too, but chose to go with the wider one. Again, maybe wrongly but it's a learning process. One that makes me go :banghead: a lot along the way. :)
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The questions are what makes the image so interesting to me, they are why I stopped and looked at it rather than just passing it by. I have no interest in what 'crossfit' is...... but I'm still part of the audience for your image

right or wrong? - my preference for a different crop doesn't make anyone elses 'wrong' - especially not the creator of the image! Some people get too bogged down with right and wrong - it prevents them looking at art in an objective way.

You said you put off taking the shots for fear of failure. I don't understand this. If you'd taken the photos and weren't happy with the results you will learn from what you did and didn't do then refine, change next time - that isn't failure.
 
Personally I can't see the image as a 'failure', ok the title could be different, maybe simply 'strength' or something, reflecting both the athlete and the tree but it does what you intended, show the fitness routine out of the gym.
I like the interaction between the athlete, tree and the fence ... it is an image that makes you look and think :)
 
morfis said:
The questions are what makes the image so interesting to me, they are why I stopped and looked at it rather than just passing it by. I have no interest in what 'crossfit' is...... but I'm still part of the audience for your image

right or wrong? - my preference for a different crop doesn't make anyone elses 'wrong' - especially not the creator of the image! Some people get too bogged down with right and wrong - it prevents them looking at art in an objective way.

You said you put off taking the shots for fear of failure. I don't understand this. If you'd taken the photos and weren't happy with the results you will learn from what you did and didn't do then refine, change next time - that isn't failure.
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Some good points there. Again, I appreciate your input. I still think I am glad I included the tree as I did. I feel it gives a grounding to the image, whether that's right or wrong.

gramps said:
Personally I can't see the image as a 'failure', ok the title could be different, maybe simply 'strength' or something, reflecting both the athlete and the tree but it does what you intended, show the fitness routine out of the gym.
I like the interaction between the athlete, tree and the fence ... it is an image that makes you look and think :)
Click to expand...

Thank you Gramps. Appreciated. :)
 
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