Razor-sharp edges and ultimate light control with Lastolite Pro Stip
Behind the scenes with photographer Michel Leroy shooting for Body & Pole.
I have known and collaborated with Kyra Johannesen and Lian Tal, co-founders and owners of dance and fitness studio Body & Pole for almost eight years as each of our businesses have grown and matured. Our first project together was simple headshots at their boutique gym in midtown Manhattan. Today Body & Pole is the largest Pole and Aerial Dance Fitness studio in New York City in a 10,000 square foot facility and world-renowned instructors.
With the explosive growth of the company and an industry leading position, Body & Pole was ready for a rebranding and website redesign. I am grateful Kyra and Lian reached out to me for this monumental collaboration. I love website redesign projects because it is an opportunity to start from scratch and create something fresh. With the creative vision and risk taking entrepreneurship the founders have always embodied we set out to elevate the brand visuals and create bold, confident images of the athletic team who put Body & Pole in a class of its own.
The creative brief was elegant but powerful with epic black and white images that dominate the design and accentuate the strength and ability of the athletes. In addition to the inspirational instructors and management team we wanted to reinforce the empowering, safe and welcoming fitness community unique to Body & Pole. I was thrilled to participate in creating the mood boards and helping to define the vision for a project that felt like a dream job. Bold black and white images of world-renowned athletes… are you kidding!
The creative vision for these images was powerful and unrelenting – I needed photographic tools that were right for the job and up for the demanding schedule of the week long location shoot. The Lastolite Ezybox Pro Strip banks were the perfect light modifier to create a razor-sharp edge along the contours and muscles. With a strong rim light the body is accentuated and the sheer physical presence of the athletes is revealed. What I really love about the Ezybox Pro Strip is the included grid fabric grid cloth which focuses the light to a long narrow strip that runs from head to toe.
One of the challenges of creating the perfect lighting for these athletes was the mixture of wardrobe and skin tones. From light skin athletes in white cloths to dark skin athletes in black clothes and every combination in between the consistency of the Ezybox Pro Strip allowed me to modify the lighting with precision as needed for each new combination. The results speak for themselves.
The innovative design and build quality of Lastolite products ensures they are an essential part of my kit for every assignment.
Michel Leroy / www.michelleroyphoto.com / @michelleroyphoto
Body & Pole / https://bodyandpole.com / @bodyandpole
For more on this shoot and to see all the images read the full article on the Lastolite By Manfrotto app available on iOS and Android.
