The photos displayed above are the 6 best from my second and final photoshoot of the identity project.

In this photoshoot I aimed to focus more on the facial expressions whilst in the gym rather than the whole body or someone looking in the mirror. This is because I realized this conveyed more emotion and sort of “showed without telling” what was going on. For instance in the top middle photo you can see that it looks like the subject is lifting something heavy by his facial expression of struggle and looking down. Whereas in the bottom middle photo you can tell he isn’t lifting anything as his face is neutral and expressionless, implying he isn’t doing anything strenuous at all.

I tried to create a story with this set, as a sort of progression of how someone may look in the gym. With someone starting out happy or neutral, as depicted in the bottom right, and then moving on to struggling, fighting to get that last rep in and make ones progress worth it. Proving to themselves that it’s possible, that weight can be lifted, regardless of how one got there.

I also opted for a monotone color palette as I feel it accentuates the contrast the light makes. As half of the subjects face is lit up whilst half of it isn’t. This was to signify an inner contrast, a sort of struggle within someone. I wanted to highlight that inner turmoil there may be in some people. Especially those in the gym or attempting to improve upon themselves in some way. Half content with how things are, and another half striving for greatness, in an ever lasting attempt to become more, to mean more.

I think this photoshoot overall was much more successful than my previous one in terms of both meaning and skill. The photos have turned out much better and are more related as the previous shoots’ photos were more of a variety, whereas these are a dedicated set of six. As well as I was able to take photos in such a way that they related better to the meaning of the project itself. I think all in all I have succeeded in what I have set out to do and that this is some of my best work yet.