SecondFocus Blog

Yes, I do so think black and white photos in bodybuilding can be very unique. Here is one from a series I shot with bodybuilder, Sean Jones…

And you can see some more from that photo shoot in the gym and also some photos in a more unusual setting right here in a slideshow.

I hope you enjoy them, let me know, please!

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A comment by SuperVic in my prior BodyBlog post by SuperVic2007 made me think of this. He said “As an aside - Love the B&W” about one of my Mr. Olympia photos.

Well it reminded me that I love black and white photos too, I like seeing the great black and white photos of the past and I like shooting black and white photos. And when I get the chance I shoot black and white film photos very often. Also I do know that many of you at this point in time have no idea whatsoever what I am talking about when I say film

But anyway, not long ago I photographed a series in the gym on black and white film with BodySpace member “numberonegt” Anu McKnight. You can see these unique photos from that shoot HERE in a slideshow. And here is one to take a look at…

Anu has also done really well on stage at Muscle Beach, looks great and a very creative poser!

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When you do a weightlifting photo shoot with me, we really do go into a gym and workout. I had bodybuilders Brian Yersky and Dan Decker in the gym a few weeks ago for a shoot that encompassed a lot of body parts. The guys did workout for sure. You can see the entire shoot here in a slideshow from the gallery of the photos. And here is one, doing some leg press, not too heavy, 4 plates on each side…

By the way, training with a partner is one of the best things you can do to make big gains and stay safe. It is the way I personally built up to do my heavy lifting along the way. But you do have to find a workout partner who is equally as motivated or you will end up using each other for excuses.

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Certainly among the best biceps in the bodybuilding business and among the most photographed and publsihed is Dan Decker. Hardly a month goes by where you don’t see Dan in one or many of the magazines and for some time now. Here are a couple from a photo shoot I did with Dan…

Get my point about the biceps?

Here is a slideshow with more photos.

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Trail running and rock climbing for fun, health and fitness can be for bodybuilders too…

BodySpace member Jake Sawyer is a personal fitness trainer and makes running a part of his regimen. He also takes clients on hikes and climbing. This scene is near Yucca Valley in California.

Here is a slideshow of more from our photoshoot, let me know what you think!

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Yesterday I was doing a photo shoot with my friend Eric at his gym, Anytime Fitness in Cathedral City, California. And then we decided to add his son, Austinn to a couple of photos. Families that lift together stay together, and maybe stay much healthier…

It reminded me that my father first took me to gym when I was about nine years old and I actually started lifting when I was around twelve. Somewhere along the way I think various medical groups and agencies decided that kids should not lift weights, that it would somehow do them harm. Probably the same folks who gave us those old food pyramids telling us about all the heavy carb and fruit intake we should have. Of course years later we found that diet was a not such good advice either.

In the latest issue of Iron Man Magazine, September 2009, there is a new report quoted from SportsHealthJournal.com that says "participating in even a short duration strength training program during childhood and especially during adolescence may not only improve one’s body composition, but also increase self-esteem and improve blood lipid profiles".

Right now we are facing a health crisis in the United States. I have read various reports in the last few days looking for the specific statistic but it seems to be that anywhere from 20% - 40% of the kids are now obese. It is truly a national crisis. So maybe a lot of us right here on BodySpace should lead the way and tell the story, take your kid to the gym. It’s fun. I liked it. And Austinn likes it too!

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Obviously here on BodyBuilding.com there is an emphasis on lifting weights and going to the gym. And that has always been a big part of my life. But so many of us do so very many other things that are sports and fitness related. For me, my past has included running, racquetball, Karate, and horse back riding. And all of it in some way is bodybuilding because we are building are bodies, our fitness. So what else do you do?

Yesterday I went hiking. I do live in Palm Springs and I am surrounded by great hiking but you have to be careful this time of year. The average day time temperature right now is around 110 degrees and hotter is often the case. I do love the hot weather, I really do! But hiking is pushing it right now. But 20 minutes away and I am at 9,000 feet in the mountains.

Right here a few minutes away I have the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway which in 20 minutes takes you up Mt. San Jacinto to the top tram station at 8,500 feet. Forty degrees cooler it is a wooded State and National Park crossed with hiking trails. And the tram car rotates 360 degrees all the way up.

Mt. San Jacinto itself is almost 11,000 feet and the views from around the trails down to the desert floor are pretty amazing.

On this trip I did a pretty easy trail but was more challenging than the treadmill at the gym, especially at the altitude.

There were some good up hills to the trail too, that worked up a sweat!

And even compared to looking at great bodies at the gym, the scenery was very impressive…

The return does bring you back to the tram station with restaurants and even a bar, a lot of creature comforts, but the workout was great.

I have done this in the snow too, I photographed a travel feature for a magazine and carried around 40 pounds of camera gear. That was a real workout. But it was fun, I like pushing it!

So what do you do? Post some photos to your BodyBlogs about your other sports, your other fun things that you do. It is all bodybuilding! And let me know when you post something so I can take a look! I would love to see what else everyone does. And I promise that from now on I am going to go out photograph more physical fitness than just stuff at the gym and on the competition show stage. It will be fun! And I will post it here.

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I have to Thank SuperVic2007 for coming on out to see me the other day from Las Vegas to Palm Springs in California. We did a photo shoot that you will be seeing in the next few months and we spent some time talking.

I must tell you that I was really interested in talking with Vic becuase I really wanted to know something. I wanted to find out how a guy, married with 4 kids at home, a senior executive at a good sized company, and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, find the time to get to the gym and stay in shape. Well I found out.

First he owes a lot to his wife Kim, also here on BodySpace as vicsangelkim who is on this fitness journeyy in life with him. But then I can sum it up in three things… Motivation, Organization and Consideration. I am not going to explain it all to you right now, but I can promise you will be reading about it soon. Until then go visit Vic and Kim on their BodySpace and say Hi!

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That can cause some trouble…

These are from a new series I photographed last week with Eric and Jessica from Anytime Fitness in Cathedral City, California. And of course I had to do a few extra photos of them individually so here is one of Jessica (yes! I think she is hot)…

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SportsShooter is a respected community of photographers from around the world. Not just shooting sports but photographers covering wars, the White House or for that matter Little League, the Olympics and the SuperBowl. A diverse group from community newspaper photographers to people from Sports Illustrated and USA Today. As a member of SportsShooter I am very excited to have my coverage of the just prior posted workout series here on my BodyBlog with Robert Hatch make the front page yesterday.

On SportsShooter you can see the series here.

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