This was my first bodybuilding photoshoot!
I decided to get some professional photos done because I wanted to capture all my hard work in the gym, and to have a clear goal to aim towards...
I started a 16 week diet plan to cut my bodyfat down whilst keeping my muscle mass. It was so hard to eat bland food all the time. Towards the end of the diet I started to binge on sugar and junk food more and more, and strangely, I didn't put any fat on but instead felt better each time!
I read Arnold Schwarzenegger's Bodybuilding Encyclopedia (a christmas present from my girlfriend!) to help me understand how to pose and get the most from my photoshoot. I had to do some really weird stuff to look like a proper bodybuilder, like shaving my legs and arms and getting a special brown tanning paint put all over me. Then, on the day of the shoot, I had to put baby oil all over me! Very odd...
I think the old 1950s bodybuilding photos look great, so I chose to emulate them by doing my photos in a similiar style. I'm 6ft 5 in height so I have an athletic look rather than an aggressively muscular look. My physique fits in better with the old-school bodybuilders rather than the modern physiques of today.
To get my photos done, I hired a photography studio for 5 hours and paid my friend (who is a talented amateur photographer and bodybuilding enthusiast) to take the shots. It was good to have someone who knew me do the session because we could have a laugh and enjoy ourselves as well as doing a good job. After all, standing in speedos and being covered in baby oil isn't the most normal way to spend a day!
We took exactly 1000 photos on the day of the shoot. For each shot I had to tense all my muscles incredibly hard whilst trying to balance and look relaxed! Also, because I was dehydrated (it helps you look more defined) I felt quite faint towards the end of the day. I enjoyed it immensely however!
