Lean Bodies Consulting Newsletter

Welcome to another addition of the Lean Bodies Consulting Newsletter!

What's New At Lean Bodies Consulting?

What do you do when you don't know how to do a certain exercise? Bulgarian squats? What? SHELC? Pardon? Well, if you're like many internet savvy people these days, you head off to Google and search for some exercise demo videos. There's some good videos out there, but they tend to be scattered around and if you don't already know where they are, they can be hard to find. I have clients of my own that might ask me how to do a certain exercise and even I'll have to head off and look for a video sample. Seeing how an exercise is done is far more effective than reading a written 'how to' explanation.

As a result, I came up with the idea of creating a library of exercise demo videos for LBC clients that will be put up on the www.leanbodiesconsulting.com site in the near future. I'll continue to add new exercises demonstrations over time.

So this past month I traveled to Atlanta, GA to do the first exercise video shoot. I had two professional videographers and we shot most of the exercises at two angles. The model for all but a handful of the exercises was one of my clients and close friends, Noel Clark. I demonstrated a couple movements as well - namely the squat, front squat, deadlift, and pull ups. I don't think Noel knew what she was signing up for when she volunteered to help out. I'm sure in her head she was thinking, 'Yeah, no problem. Sounds easy enough. How hard can it be to do four reps of a bunch of different exercises? Sure, I'll do it.' Ha! Well, at the end of it she was singing a slightly different song. We worked for 3.5 hours and I don't even know how many exercises we did. We shot much, if not all of the common exercises, but excluded most arm work as it's generally pretty straight forward. I think at about 2 hours in I could tell she was getting tired. When it was finally over, she was wiped out.

So I'd like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Noel for being such a great help. As for the demos, I'll be sure to update you when they're uploaded to the website.

Check out the blogs created by three of my competitive clients and join them on their road to competition. Ali is just days away from her first show of the year and is looking awesome.

Ali: leanbodiesconsulting.com/alis/
Noel: leanbodiesconsulting.com/noelc/
Jen: leanbodiesconsulting.com/jenh/

Interview with Physique Photographer, Jon Howard

Next up is the first of many interviews to come. For any of you out there, competitors, aspiring competitors, or just people looking to get in shape and maybe have the moment professionally 'captured' when you get there, I think you'll find this interview very insightful.

First off. who is Jon Howard?

I am a photographer with over 15 years commercial, product, and portraiture experience.

How long have you been a photographer?

I burned up lots of film cassettes on my parents' cameras in my pre-teen and teenage years. In high school, one of my neighbors needed pictures of his custom motorcycle exhaust pipes which were used in his first catalog and magazine advertisements. I used that money to buy my own camera, a used Minolta X-370 and a couple of lenses. I shot almost everything I could point it at; three years of high school yearbooks were mostly my stuff.

Digital imaging technology went crazy for a time in the mid-nineties and I slowed down for a while, though I never quit. I continued to shoot medium format film on a commercial basis (products and whatnot for catalogs and advertisements) with the odd model thrown in from time to time, and a few years ago I bought my first digital 35mm-based SLR camera.

What got you into physique photography?

It's not so much 'what,' as 'whom.' Andrea Baney. She was a powerlifting, cheerleading, cross-country runner that I dated in high school, and I found her body absolutely fascinating. What legs. What shoulders. What a back. No one else really seemed to appreciate her for what she had done, and was doing, with her body. I recognized her body as the ever-changing artistic sculpture that it was.

Fast forward a few years, and I found myself associated with some incredible photographers in the Dallas area. I learned nearly everything I know now about portraiture - photographing people as the people that they are, showing them in their best and most flattering way, from them. One, Steven Elliot Hendrix, was the first photographer to shoot NPC figure (at that time) competitor Jodi Miller in a glamour format. When I saw her, that spark of fascination that I had with Andrea's body came back, and I had found a subject that I knew I had a passion for.

What do you feel sets you apart from other physique photographers?

After Jodi Miller and I shot together, she said, 'Jon, this industry needs your talents. You provide people with images that aren't just about the muscle - you capture what they're feeling; your images make people smile, laugh, and cry - not just get a rise. And you're crazy with ideas that no one else would ever think of!' After perusing the muscle boards and photo websites, I knew that between my passion for the body and the glamour techniques that I had learned, I could fill a void in the physique image market: Glamuscle. Actually, this is the first time I've used that word, so ... you read it here first, folks. There was (and is) a lot of what I call 'flex-grunt-smile' imagery that, while showing the physique, doesn't show the person. Then there's the more adult-oriented muscle imagery that's out there. Through conversations with Jodi and more observation, it was very clear that there wasn't much in between, of very high quality. The biggest thing, if any, that sets me apart from other physique photographers is my background in concept management with regard to commercial imaging: From initial concept to production to post-production processing, quality is always the most important to me. I'm not interested in a 'show up and we'll start clicking' type of shoot; when people choose to shoot with me, they know they're getting the full meal deal and will receive a top notch product. I can't afford for them not to.

Can you give us a rough outline of what you charge for a shoot?

Rates in general are extremely variable depending on the job at hand and its details within the agreement, so I'll limit the scope to Private Model shoots: The best bang for a models buck is to hire me for a released day. For $900 (USD or CAD) you will get no less than seven different looks, full post-production processing on all of the best images, and all of the raw, unretouched proofs. A half day will cost $500, and models will get no less than four looks. I offer A la Carte services by the hour, with the best value being full processing at $250 per shooting hour.

Do you do both studio and location/outdoor work? Do you prefer one over the other?

I have access to a myriad of breathtaking locations ranging from wilderness rain forests to urban jungles to infinite plains, as well as full-service studios. I would have to say that I enjoy both studio and location shooting equally, as each have their own challenges. In the studio, I have total control over all of the elements, so it's sometimes difficult to stay 'fresh' and not rest on my laurels in my safety zone. The natural outdoor environment, conversely, is ever-changing, and as such, I have to stay on my toes to have everything come together properly.

Are your clients responsible for their own hair/makeup/clothing?

Some clients choose to be responsible for their own makeup, styling and wardrobe; most, after having gone that route once, choose to use my makeup artist and stylist. Makeup should be a bit stronger (just a bit stronger, not caked on) and colors should be a bit more defined. I don't travel with an extensive wardrobe selection, so it's important for a client to either communicate what they're after, or to bring their own wardrobe. . A typical average for a moderately experienced model that is unassisted but is well prepared and organized would be three solid looks in an hour. At the studios, we have access to a nearly unlimited wardrobe selection with some notice.

How does someone go about booking a shoot with you? And how far in advance do they need to make the booking?

People can contact me through my website, www.fivegrandcreative.com, which is still under a major overhaul, and I can be found easily on any number of portfolio websites such as modelmayhem.com and deviantart.com, as well as MySpace. Models that are local to me can typically be worked into my schedule within a couple of weeks, depending on how busy I am. Models that are out of my area, but are in areas that I travel to, should contact me as soon as possible in order to secure the limited time slots available. This also helps me to determine travel logistics on my end.

Once someone has received their images from a shoot with you, what are the stipulations as far as how and where they can use them?

This again is extremely variable depending upon the arrangement and the country the shoot takes place in. In the US, the photographer retains the copyright in all cases (unless the copyright is specifically sold), and the client receives a usage license for the images, allowing him or her to use the images exclusively, as they see fit, for a period of time. In Canada, the commissioner of the works (the paying client) owns the copyright and can ultimately do whatever they wish. Of course, it's nice to know where and how commissioned images are being used, and it's even nicer when photographer credit is given; but these are certainly not restrictions or requirements.

Do you have any upcoming projects or bookings that may interest our readers?

Your readers in particular might be interested in looking out for my images of fellow Lean Bodies clients Noel Clark and Ana Higgins, both of whom I'll be shooting with in Chicago during and after the NPC Junior Nationals, this coming June. I'll also be shooting extensively throughout the year with Lean Bodies client Patricia Smith, middleweight winner of the 2004 Oregon Ironman, who is now training for Strongwoman competition. I've also been asked to shoot for gallery hangings in Portland and Dallas; the feature will be entitled 'Physique: The Photographic Art of Jon Howard.'

Thanks very much for your time Jon.

If you know anyone you think would enjoy or benefit from this newsletter, please forward it on and pass on the newsletter sign up link www.leanbodiesconsulting.com/newsletter.html

If you haven't already, don't forget to stop by the www.leanbodiesfitness.com forums.

Until next time, thanks for reading.
Erik Ledin
www.leanbodiesconsulting.com

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