Behind the Shoot: Grip the Mat Cover Shoot for Fiterazzi

In the creative world schedules are never predictable. Shoots happen at 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. People are late. Cameras break. Things go wrong.

But sometimes, just sometimes, everything goes right.

That was exactly the case for my recent (well, sort of, late-January kind of recent) photo shoot with the lovely ladies of Grip The Mat for their recent February cover on Fiterazzi.

Now that the cover is finally published, I can share my awesome photos with you and tell you a little bit about the shoot.

I've blogged about Grip the Mat before and how I've photographed their yoga social events, but this shoot was extra special. See, although I've written and photographed for Fiterazzi for over a year, I've never had a cover photo or cover story before.

Add that excitement to the fact that I totally love the concept behind Grip the Mat and you've got the formula for awesomeness.

 

We toyed around with the idea of doing the shoot outside in the winter cold (stupid, I know), going to an art gallery or doing it in someone's apartment, but none of those seemed fitting. As the deadline of the cover story loomed closer, I realized the perfect place for the shoot: Tryst Coffeehouse and Bar in Adam's Morgan.

Bingo.

The ladies of Grip the Mat and I arrived bright and early at Tryst at 7 a.m. morning before work and basically struck gold.

I mean. The lighting. The colors. Everything was spot on, for the most part. In retrospective, some of angles are a bit off, but hey, I can't win everytime.

... or can I?

Like fitness? Like empowerment? Love your ta-tas? Then read this NOW!

I don't want to steal the clicks, from Fiterazzi.com, but I had to share a couple of snippets from some of my recent articles that I've done for them that I'm super jazzed about!

I just loved working all all of these stories -- they're all very real and very personal for me. I think that's why I like writing for Fiterazzi so much.

Anyway, enough of my blabbering. Check out a few snippets from my Fiterazzi latests below & be sure to head to Fiterazzi.com for the full stories and more good healthy living reads!

Sports Bras 101: What Your Mom Never Told You

Boobs. Ta-tas. The girls. Breasts. Whatever you call them, if you’ve got two X chromosomes and survived puberty, then you’re familiar with the fabulous (and sometime annoying) experience that is having a pair of breasts to call your own.

While having breasts makes for a sexy silhouette, caring for them and keeping them under control can be a tricky task, especially for an active girl. Let’s be real — who ever invented tuck jumps didn’t do so with chesty girls in mind.

As fitness companies are evolving to cater more towards the needs of female athletes, so too are their sports bras technologies. Gone are the days of non-supportive and uncomfortable sports bras and in are the days of specially designed, high-impact sports bras tailored towards just about any cup size.

(Read more here!)

This 12-Year-Old Girl’s Letter Sparked a Big Conversation about Female Representation in Fitness

[...]

When I was growing up, I remember dealing with this constant dilemma when I was looking for new sporting gear to wear while playing softball. Did I want to wear boy’s gear that featured an annoying baggy crotch? Or did I prefer some awkwardly cut, high-waisted women’s gear that transformed me into a pre-teen soccer mom? Why wasn’t there anything made just for me?

Only I was a teenager, circa mid-2000s, did I start to see a wider-variety of products tailored toward the tastes and styles of female athletes and fitness fashionistas like myself. Brands like Lululemon and Athleta popped onto the market and major sporting companies like Nike, UnderArmour and Mizuno started to create special lines tailored towards the growing female demographic.

However, as much as I love seeing more and more female sporting good products in stores, it’s hard to deny that the large majority of sporting good apparel is still tailored towards men.

It’s 2014, not 1964. The Title XI ruling was in 1972.

(Read the full story here!)

Fiterazzi Sports Bra Preview & Photos That I Love!

I love looking at my friends' photography work. I love working with them on photography projects even more.

So when I got a chance to work my my fabulous friend, Sara Snyder, on an upcoming Fiterazzi sports bra article, I was tickled pink with excitement. While the article isn't quite finished yet, the photos are, and they turned out fabulous!

Take a look at my favorite pics from Sara's work & come back for my low-down about the article when its published!

Let's get some shoes. No really.

Late last week, a blog post I worked with Potomac River Running on about the importance of getting fit for the proper workout shoe finally ran on Fiterazzi... yay! You can check it out here!

Not only did the post feature some pretty awesome photos by my fellow photographer and long-time friend Sara Snyder, but it totally dove into the importance of taking care of your main mode of transportation... your feet!

I think most people go to the running store and think, 'Oh, that shoe's the most expensive, so it's the best' or 'That shoe looks really intense, and I'm having foot pain, so I need an intense shoe like that,' when honestly, that's not how it works. Just read the article and you'll see what I mean.

See, every person walks differently, so, every person needs a different type of shoe. Think of your shoe as your finger print -- it should be unique and fitting just for you!

In the two hours I spent at PR Running learning about the science of running shoes and talking to the shoe fit team, I have one big takeaway to pass on... Go. Get. Fitted!

P.S. PR Running also did an adaptation of my Fiterazzi article... how cool!