Dance Mark Ruddick Dance Mark Ruddick

Dance Photos with Emma

I got to work with Emma earlier this month. She’s a talented contemporary dance and in her own words “Likes to jump” We did a few different dance sets and got some really solid images. Here are some of my favourites.

Single light with hard shadow.

Jump with no shadow

Last Jump

Showing off her back muscles.

Fierce

- London Dance Photo - I am Mark Ruddick, an experienced photographer working in London, ON. I enjoy photographing dancers and really appreciate the athleticism and artistry involved. Coming from a fight photography background, I have developed my technique to capture rapidly moving subjects at high speed in front of the lens. The resulting instinct for timing fight photography has lead to an ability to capture my subjects at the peak of their motion in an artistic way.

Let me capture the photos that move you.


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Ontario Muscle Contest Winner Nadia

Last Fall Ontario Muscle and Mark Ruddick Photography ran a free photo shoot contest. Our winner was Nadia (@ironcurlsandcurlingirons) We held on to the images for a submission and can now release them.

Nadia was great to work with and is in year-round top shape.

Photo assistant: Clayton Durell
Makeup: Melissa O Makeup

Posing in heels

Great hair in this image

Flexing top to bottom

- Mark Ruddick Photography is a full service London, Ontario photographer who specializes in fitness, bodybuilding and fight photography

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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

Fitness Shoot with Adrienne

Late last year fitness competitor Adrienne came to the studio for her second shoot with me. She had really added to her physique in the 18 months between the shoots and looked absolutely fantastic. She added a lot of muscle and definition. We got some great images and had a good time.

Hair: Jessica Marie Hairstyling
Makeup: Melissa O Makeup

Showing off biceps and core

Everyone loves deadlifts

Leg raises to bring out the abs

Leg extensions for quads, but don’t miss her delts.

We also did some softer looks.

- Mark Ruddick Photography is a full service London, Ontario photographer who specializes in fitness, bodybuilding and fight photography

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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

Last Shoot of 2018 with Decathlete Josh Mather

The last shoot of 2018 was with Decathlete Josh Mather and photographer Howard Adams. Howie had set up the shoot so we could team up and do some sports portraiture together. Howie is the go to guy in London for any track & field photography. Josh is a great athlete and is going to Rutgers University next year on an athletic scholarship. We did some action shots and some portrait work.

I was pleased overall how the pictures turned out and I learned a lot from Howie about timing and positioning for track & field events.

It was good to get out of the house and into the studio after 5 days of being sick in bed. Thanks to super assistant Wendy for her help, I needed it.

We started with long jump.

From the end of the pit.

Then we played with the Javelin and some fog.

Side lit to show off shape

We finished up with some standard portrait work.

- Mark Ruddick Photography is a full service London, Ontario photographer who specializes in fitness, bodybuilding and fight photography

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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

Dance Photoshoot with Nicolette and Claire

Dancers Nicolette and Claire came to the studio to help me test out some new lighting. I was playing around with the strobe setting on my speedlights to capture multiple images on the same exposure. The ladies were talented dancers and provided some great poses for testing. I was pretty pleased with the test, but I definitely have some work to do. Afterwards we shot a few poses with more conventional lighting. Thanks to my Fanshawe work placement student, Clayton Durrell, for assisting during the shoot and for acting as a manual rear curtain flash on the one image.

2 dancers, 8 flashes

Strobe with rear-curtain flash

A simple skirt drop makes this lovely image.

Simple stretch en pointe.

I like how quiet this image is.

- London Dance Photo - I am Mark Ruddick, an experienced photographer working in London, ON. I enjoy photographing dancers and really appreciate the athleticism and artistry involved. Coming from a fight photography background, I have developed my technique to capture rapidly moving subjects at high speed in front of the lens. The resulting instinct for timing fight photography has lead to an ability to capture my subjects at the peak of their motion in an artistic way.

Let me capture the photos that move you.


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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

Fitness Photoshoto with Demelo Fitness and Julia

Demelo Fitness invited me to photograph his fitness client Julia at Showtyme Fitness. Josh’s client always come to a shoot prepare, in shape and with a great attitude. They are across the board positive and engaged in the process. We got some great on location images during the shoot.

Thanks to my Fanshawe placement student Jessica Hernandez for assisting.

Showing off the triceps with a pull down.

Abs after some much appreciated carbs during the shoot.

Great choice in wardrobe for showing off the arms

Josh Demelo proud of the abs

Staring down the competition.

- Mark Ruddick Photography is a full service London, Ontario photographer who specializes in fitness, bodybuilding and fight photography

- DEMELO FITNESS personal training is managed by Joshua DeMelo - a London native. He has a background in competitive bodybuilding, having placed 2nd in his first competition. He is moving on to the provincial level in 2017. Josh is also certified by the Canadian Personal Training Network and also has worked with some of the TOP coaches in the fitness industry. 

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Pointe Tango in the Studio

Alex and Erin from Pointe Tango dropped by the studio a couple of weeks ago to play around with a few concepts. (Thanks guys) They are outstanding professional dancers who travel the world. I can’t wait to see their new show in 2019.

We started off with photographing Erin in her pointe & tango shoes.

Many shoes and many different poses.

Erin had a million different poses for these pictures.

Next we moved into some motion lifts. Alex is catching Erin in full jump.

Alex showing off all of his gym work with a one arm press of Erin.

- London Dance Photo - I am Mark Ruddick, an experienced photographer working in London, ON. I enjoy photographing dancers and really appreciate the athleticism and artistry involved. Coming from a fight photography background, I have developed my technique to capture rapidly moving subjects at high speed in front of the lens. The resulting instinct for timing fight photography has lead to an ability to capture my subjects at the peak of their motion in an artistic way.

Let me capture the photos that move you.

- Pointe Tango - is a new dance company directed by Alexander Richardson and features dancers Erin Scott-Kafadar and Alexander Richardson.  This contemporary company uses elements of Argentine Tango and Classical Ballet to explore a new dance vocabulary based on connection, improvisation and intention.

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Athletic Nudes with Tanya

Physique competitor Tanya came to the studio to take part in the Athletic Nude series. She had incredibly dense muscles that showed perfectly on camera. We did a lot of powerful poses to show off the different muscle groups. She was a real pleasure to photograph.

Back and leg flex

Rear Double Bicep

Back and shoulders

- The Athletic Implied Nudes series is an exploration of the human body under muscle stress— understanding the body’s strength, flexibility, and power. Clean backgrounds, hard lighting, and black & white photography work together to eliminate distractions and highlight the muscle groups and figure of my subjects.

Beginning with Mixed Martial Artists and Boxers, I have developed my technique to capture rapidly firing muscle groups at high speed in front of the lens. The resulting instinct for timing fight photography has lead to an ability to freeze my subjects at the peak of their motion. Discovering a better understanding of the human form with this project has transitioned into my commercial fitness work, maximizing composition and positioning to best showcase the human form.

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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

Pinup Shoot with April

International model April Hutchinson and I have been wanting to shoot again for a while and finally found the time. We did a couple of quick set, because when you work with a good model you only need a short time. Including her fight April and I have probably shot together 7 or 8 times now. Here are the edited images from the shoot.

Playing around with the new ceiling mount in the studio.

Getting dressed into bunker gear.

- Mark Ruddick Photography is a full service London, Ontario photographer who specializes in fitness, bodybuilding and fight photography

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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

Dance with Hannah and Ashlyn

Hannah and Ashlyn came to the studio to play with some lighting so I could show one of my Fanshawe students a long exposure setup. The afternoon went really as both dancers were enthusiastic even though they had come from a 5 hour practice. We got some good images en pointe and had a lot of fun.

Long exposure twirl with fabrics

Starting with a flash

Setup of the above images. - Photo credit Jes Hernandez.

En point with fabrics

Double exposure dancer

- London Dance Photo - I am Mark Ruddick, an experienced photographer working in London, ON. I enjoy photographing dancers and really appreciate the athleticism and artistry involved. Coming from a fight photography background, I have developed my technique to capture rapidly moving subjects at high speed in front of the lens. The resulting instinct for timing fight photography has lead to an ability to capture my subjects at the peak of their motion in an artistic way.

Let me capture the photos that move you.

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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

Dance Shoot with Emma

Little Emma Lee came to the studio to show off her dance moves and play. Super cute kid. I love working with kids (former cub leader for 11 years) You give them the stage and let the poses just happen. I’m happy to design shorter sessions for young dancers with lots of pictures to share with family and friends.

You don’t need a lot of moves when you’re this cute.

Big smiles

Modelling is hard work

- London Dance Photo - I am Mark Ruddick, an experienced photographer working in London, ON. I enjoy photographing dancers and really appreciate the athleticism and artistry involved. Coming from a fight photography background, I have developed my technique to capture rapidly moving subjects at high speed in front of the lens. The resulting instinct for timing fight photography has lead to an ability to capture my subjects at the peak of their motion in an artistic way.

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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

Athletic Nudes with Gregory and Christina

I put out a call for interested parties in September for my athletic nude series. Gregory and Christina answered the call for right after their respective fitness competitions. They had some great dynamic poses and I really enjoyed working with them both.

Classic bodybuilding is such a great category.

Great lines from lats to quads.

Christina had great flexibility and strength

We did a couple of images together.

- The Athletic Implied Nudes series is an exploration of the human body under muscle stress— understanding the body’s strength, flexibility, and power. Clean backgrounds, hard lighting, and black & white photography work together to eliminate distractions and highlight the muscle groups and figure of my subjects.

Beginning with Mixed Martial Artists and Boxers, I have developed my technique to capture rapidly firing muscle groups at high speed in front of the lens. The resulting instinct for timing fight photography has lead to an ability to freeze my subjects at the peak of their motion. Discovering a better understanding of the human form with this project has transitioned into my commercial fitness work, maximizing composition and positioning to best showcase the human form.

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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

5 Tips for a Perfect Fitness Photo Shoot

Are you preparing for your first fitness photo shoot and need tips on making the best of it? Or maybe you've had a few sessions before and you'd like to present yourself as a true professional.

To make it in the fitness industry, you need to create a brand around yourself. This includes creating professional images to showcase your body and all the hard work you put into it.

Before you book a photoshoot, you need to plan ahead, find the best photographer for you and choose a location.

Keep reading to discover 5 great tips on getting the perfect fitness photoshoot.

1. Come Prepared

Before you start looking for a photographer, get clear on what you'd like to achieve with your photos. Find inspiration online, in magazines or from your favorite people in the industry. Think about the message you're trying to send with the pictures and make a list of poses you love.

When you book a photo shoot, don't come unprepared. Bring multiple outfits, props, makeup, and most importantly, great attitude. If you're not fully involved in the session, your photos will reflect that, no matter how talented the photographer is.

2. Find the Right Photographer

When you're planning a fitness photo shoot, spend a good amount of time researching for the right photographer.

To make sure they're a good fit, look at their portfolio, services, and testimonials. If possible, get recommendations and read reviews online.

You should be comfortable with the photographer and trust they'll do the best job. Hiring the cheapest on the list may lead to disappointment and wasted time, so be careful in your choice.

3. Find the Best Location

You can have a fitness photoshoot either in the photographer's studio or at a location of your choice. On-set photoshoots are pretty straightforward, but if you're on location, you'll need to consider backgrounds, changing into different outfits and the overall vibe of the photos.

Make a decision based on the purpose your photos will serve. Do you need them to get started in the fitness industry or promote yourself as a brand?

4. Plan Your Poses

When you're preparing for a fitness photo shoot, make sure to plan the poses in advance. You don't want to get stuck on ideas when you get to the studio, so make a list and practice them a little beforehand.

The photographer will also help you choose the best ones for you. If you can, bring someone to help you adjust the poses, and fix your hair and makeup.

5. Be Authentic

The only way to get the perfect fitness photos is to be confident in yourself.

You've worked hard on your body and health and now you have the chance to show it to the world in its best light.

Be original and authentic in your poses and always smile naturally.

Are you ready for your next fitness photo shoot?

Whether it's your first fitness photo shoot or you've done a couple before, every time is new and special.

Book a professional trustworthy photographer who'll make you feel comfortable and relaxed.

Finally, be yourself and let your personality shine through the photos.

Find more fitness inspiration on my blog or contact me today to book your first photo shoot.


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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

Athletic Nudes - Caroline

Caroline and I had been trying to set up a time to shoot this series. The last time she was in show prep, I was moving studios and couldn’t have the new one ready in time. However when she competed at the UFE Worlds in Toronto in November we set something up. Caroline trains with Team Starr and came into the studio with great conditioning.

This is what Caroline had to say about the shoot.

“Absolutely amazed by what Mark can do in his studio. He is a lighting magician and knows how to show of fitness bodies which is a complete art form, many photographers cannot master. Mark was so friendly and made me feel very comfortable and it was great to see the results/images so instantly!!! Thanks again :-)”

Caroline had beautiful natural poses.

Obligatory rear double bicep shot.

Showing off her legs and core.

A different perspective on glutes, back and delts.

- The Athletic Implied Nudes series is an exploration of the human body under muscle stress— understanding the body’s strength, flexibility, and power. Clean backgrounds, hard lighting, and black & white photography work together to eliminate distractions and highlight the muscle groups and figure of my subjects.

Beginning with Mixed Martial Artists and Boxers, I have developed my technique to capture rapidly firing muscle groups at high speed in front of the lens. The resulting instinct for timing fight photography has lead to an ability to freeze my subjects at the peak of their motion. Discovering a better understanding of the human form with this project has transitioned into my commercial fitness work, maximizing composition and positioning to best showcase the human form.

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Mark Ruddick Mark Ruddick

Athletic Nudes - Acro Yoga

A lot of time, I help models pose for this series as I often have images in my head I want to express. Sometimes, I just sit back, shut up and press the button. This session with Rob & Chloe of Anahata Yoga was the latter. These guys hit jaw-dropping poses one after the other. I was happy just to be there.

Massive strength in this move.

Watching Rob and Chole get into this pose was insane.

Applied physics

- The Athletic Implied Nudes series is an exploration of the human body under muscle stress— understanding the body’s strength, flexibility, and power. Clean backgrounds, hard lighting, and black & white photography work together to eliminate distractions and highlight the muscle groups and figure of my subjects.

Beginning with Mixed Martial Artists and Boxers, I have developed my technique to capture rapidly firing muscle groups at high speed in front of the lens. The resulting instinct for timing fight photography has lead to an ability to freeze my subjects at the peak of their motion. Discovering a better understanding of the human form with this project has transitioned into my commercial fitness work, maximizing composition and positioning to best showcase the human form.

Read More