Muse

Recently I did a fitness photo shoot at Chandler Park here in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I was using the shoot as a scouting trip for a larger shoot I am planning with my PHOTOG group I help lead here in town.

I was originally thinking of the shoot as being runners and cyclists but then decided Yoga would be best in an environment of rocks, cliffs and tree roots.

I knew A friend of mine, BR, who had modeled for me before, was doing Yoga regularly and asked her if, once again, she would model for me.  She was more than up for it and these photos are the result of our collaboration.

It was fun, but it was not an easy shoot.  The landscape was rocky, with fallen trees, sheer rock faces and trails that went up and down at steep angles.   In addition it was a hot and steamy morning that had us sweating from the git go.  While I had to carry a camera and a few bags and that took some effort, BR did the bulk of the hard work, posing in intense yoga poses, climbing up and down high stone monoliths, balancing on very small spaces very high up.  She’s a fantastic muse who inspires me with her courage, creativity, intelligence, beauty and fitness.

 Hidden Yoga

Around this same time I gave a lecture at my photo group called ‘The Photo Essay’ in which I explained some details of what constitutes a photo essay and what gave examples from photographers past and present.  

I chose a small group of images from my Yoga shoot that I felt held together as an essay on the idea of the yoga practitioner being hidden in the landscape.

Yoga on the Rocks

There were a number of other photos where BR was not so well hidden. That group is titled ‘Yoga on the Rocks’.  Here is a selection.

Through it all BR kept a smile (except when I asked her not to) and a great attitude!

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Photographs by Marty Coleman

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