One of my favorite places is Bozeman, Montana and not just for the beauty and laid back lifestyle, but because of the people who reside there. I always meet incredibly kind, sociable, outdoorsy, and relaxed small town people. I first visited Bozeman years ago when one of my best friends in the whole wide world, Kaylee, moved there. I loved it so much that I was thinking about moving there myself, but ended up relocating to San Diego instead. When I am overwhelmed with city life, Bozeman is on my list of escapes.
This visit was particularly special because it was my first time visiting as a full-time photographer and business owner. Kaylee has always been so supportive of me and my photography career and I look up to her as she is a business owner herself. She is an incredibly talented graphic designer and producer who primarily works with active and outdoor brands - one of those brands being Spark Cycle Gallatin Valley. Kaylee has a way of connecting people and that’s exactly how I met Alix, the founder of Spark Cycle.
Spark Cycle is a new “beat-based, indoor cycling studio” with a team of highly motivated and energetic instructors. When Alix and I first spoke about a this brand shoot, we discussed a strategy to create authentic, lifestyle imagery to enhance their web presence and social media platforms. When working with me, one important thing for me to know about you and your business is who your ideal client is. What kind of experience do you want to create and who is it for? That’s who we are speaking to. To get a sense of how a class works at Spark Cycle, I wanted to attend one myself! The day before the shoot, Kaylee and I signed up for a class and I’m so glad I did. Not only was it fun and such great exercise, but I knew going into the shoot what aspects I wanted to capture for Alix and what a newbie like myself might want to see before signing up.
To bring the vision to life and authentically represent Spark Cycle’s brand, Alix brought in some regulars and the instructors for a mock class. We started the session with headshots of each instructor and then I began shooting around the studio and getting detail shots of the equipment. Once everyone was strapped in, we dimmed the lights and everyone got their sweat on. Each instructor took the lead for two to three songs and performed exactly how they would during a regular class. Through the use of flash photography as well as natural light with a slow shutter speed, I created a gallery with variety and captured the energy through multiple perspectives. Our goal was to capture exactly what someone could expect when attending a class at Spark Cycle. The mood lighting, the movement, the energy, the faces - everything.
