CrushCamp Visual Branding Shoot – Behind the Scenes
The other weekend, I had the pleasure of working with the incredible team at CrushCamp to create a powerful image set that captures the strength, grit, and sense of community that defines their high-performance training space. This wasn’t just about photographing movement — the brief was about translating the feeling of pushing hard, being coached well, achieving your goals and becoming part of something bigger.
From both a technical and creative standpoint, this shoot presented a unique set of challenges — and some important lessons I’ll carry forward into future commercial work.
The Brief & The Challenge.
CrushCamp is an energetic and empowering HIIT studio in downtown Calgary, with a moody training room, signature blue tones, reflective surfaces, and a mix of LED and fluorescent lighting — all of which create a visually exciting but technically demanding space to shoot in. With minimal ambient light and a sea of mirrors, I had to deal with colour casts, unpredictable reflections, and the risk of making the imagery feel “flashy” or artificial.
The creative brief was clear: reflect the raw empowerment and genuine quality of coaching at CrushCamp. The coaches and management had strong ideas about what they did and didn’t want — which was brilliant. It’s the kind of collaboration that pushes you further and sharpens the creative process.
Technically difficult? Yes. But I loved every minute of it
The Approach.
In the lead-up, I spent time reviewing reference material, building a mood board, and sketching lighting setups over the floor plan to visualise the narrative. That planning helped me understand both the behind-the-scenes challenges and the visual tone we were aiming for.
With limited space and lots of reflective surfaces, a traditional multi-light studio setup wasn’t feasible. I opted instead for a single strobe with a softbox to achieve a simple, raw look. In hindsight, I should’ve added a fill flash or reflector — something I will later correct in our reshoot (more on that below).
Framing was critical. We had to avoid mirrored glare, work around tight equipment layouts, and ensure each subject was lit without killing the atmosphere. I shot mostly at f/2.8–f/4, using back lighting where appropriate to bring out muscle definition, add drama, and enhance the overall mood.
Refining the Setup (and the Shots).
While reviewing the first shoot, I noticed a few areas where I could improve—particularly with shadow control and motion staging. The CrushCamp team was incredibly supportive and open to new ideas, which made the creative process even more enjoyable
I realised I needed to pause and really think about where the light was falling, and how to position the athlete to move into it. The space was tight, which limited my ability to manoeuvre and, at times, narrowed my creative perspective. To shift things up, I embraced backlighting and carefully prepared the area to bring out both mood and muscle definition
It was a valuable reminder: plan with intention, shoot deliberately, and let emotion and form take centre stage
Lessons Learned: Slow Down & Get It Right In Situ
This shoot was a masterclass in one of photography’s oldest truths: slow down.
We were working within a 3-hour window, capturing headshots, movement stations, and group shots — but the biggest time-saver wasn’t rushing the process; it was taking a moment to perfect lighting, posing, and framing in real time.
There’s a massive difference between “fixing it in post” and sculpting it live with light. That’s something I’ll continue to lean into with every shoot.
The Artistic Side: Drama, Motion & Grit
Beyond the lighting and logistics, this shoot reinforced how much emotion is shaped by direction and presence. It’s not accidental.
Some of my favourite shots came from:
Slowing down and capturing tension before motion
Using rim lighting for mood and silhouette
Catching authentic in-between moments — the laughs, the grit, the breath between reps
These weren’t models. They were real people doing real work — and that authenticity is what makes the final imagery resonate.
Big Thanks
A huge thank you to the entire CrushCamp team for trusting me with this shoot, for being so collaborative, and for showing up with energy, ideas, and intensity. Shoots like this remind me why I love what I do. If you are looking for a new gym environment and coaching team, I can thoroughly recommend the team from CrushCamp (530, 6th Avenue SE, Calgary)
