Matt Kapinus is a teacher in Boulder Colorado. I’ve taken his classes for years, and he was one of the very first instructors I photographed almost 4 years ago. He’s a wonderful teacher, and has a devoted set of students at the studios he teaches at: CorePower Yoga (Boulder and Broomfield) and The YogaPod. Magic sometimes (mostly?) happens by accident. We had been joshing around for awhile about getting him nekkid, since I’ve been doing more nudes lately, and then one day we just scheduled it.

We’ve worked together quite a number of times, so it was straightforward and quick – he warmed up while my assistant and I set up a single light. It’s a setup that I’ve only used once before, so it’s still a bit experimental, but it’s simple and stark. I know his practice well, and the poses he likes and looks good in, so it was pretty much bang, bang, bang. We shot less than 45 minutes, and I only came home with 1/5th the number of raw exposures I normally would.

And it was magic. Just like yoga.

Enjoy the full set of images in this Gallery by clicking here.

I remember when the first high heels showed up in my shoots. And there is a story there that I’ll post in the future. I find it wonderfully amazing how many evolved, spiritual, strong and committed yoginis are secret (and not so secret) shoe whores. Pardon the French. Combine that with my love of shooting yoga in places that have a strong contrast to the typical yogic themes (think concrete, urban, city, dirt) and, well, this is what you get.

To see a gallery of more images from this series, click here.

I met Guido Gabrielli when I photographed the YogaFestival Milano in Italy in October 2011. He is the publisher of Yoga Journal Italia, and I was introduced to him by the festival director at the Yoga Journal booth. When you first meet him, you immediately see that he is disabled in some fashion. His posture is hunched and crooked, his gait is slow and shuffling and he has some trouble balancing. But you are quickly overwhelmed by the bright sharp intelligence of his eyes and his smile. He can’t lift his head all the way up, so you are observed from underneath his lifted eyebrows. Combined with his habitual half-smile, this brings a quizzical humorous energy to his gaze. Giulia Borioli, the festival director, had already shown him my work, and he was quite complimentary. My ears perked up when he mentioned featuring some of my images in his magazine.

But then he got around to another point. “I love your work,” he said, “there is a poetry in it I have never seen before in pictures of yoga. I have been this way for 15 years,” gesturing at his body, “and I have never allowed anyone to photograph me doing yoga. I would like you to do that for me.” Whoa. Of course I agreed, and of course I was honored, and of course I was secretly intimated. This was a sacred request, and I felt a pressure to live up to it. We set a time for the next day in my temporary on-site studio.

Guido showed up the next day right on time. The studio space was in an empty warehouse on the grounds of the convention complex hosting the yoga festival. A big, echoing dark space, it dwarfed the small lighting kit I had brought with from Boulder. I went through the same ritual that I always do. We sat facing each other cross-legged, and I asked him how he had found yoga, or yoga had found him. While he speaks slowly and carefully, his English is flawless.

“In my mid-thirties, I was diagnosed with leukemia,” he said. “I survived because of a bone marrow transplant, but it left me with Chronic Graft vs. Host Disease which has caused my disability. It was a terrible time in my life. I lost my marriage and I didn’t know what to do with my life or my body.”

In a way, the stark setting we were in was perfect for such a deep and emotional story. Just the two of us, connecting in the middle of emptiness.

“I decided I needed to save myself, and so I set out on a journey of psychotherapy and yoga. And from that has flowed the success of my life. I gained strength and belief in myself, I started my own successful publishing business, and I found love and a wife.” We then sat together in silence, eyes closed, hands at heart center,  just breathing.

Normally when I do a yoga portrait, I cue people through Sun Salutations and later poses as if teaching them. I’m practiced at this, and I know which poses to direct clients into and how to cue alignment to get aesthetic results. But with Guido, I said nothing. He simply started practicing and I simply watched. And shot. His practice is strong and experienced, and while the challenges of his body are substantial, in no way does his yoga “give in” to them. Halfway through I started crying. This warm, gentle amazing man was letting me in – without drama, or self-pity, or expectation. He practiced for about 25 minutes and finished in a Savasana. When he got up and came over, I think we both knew we had experienced, and created, something special. He cried when I showed him the images on the back of the camera. We have since become friends, and I look forward to connecting with him at the Rome Festival in June. In the spirit of that session, no more words from me. Enjoy the following photos, and there is a link below to the full set with larger images.

If you are inspired or moved by this piece, please consider a donation to the Leukemia Society, or the charity of your choice. Namaste, Jim.

To see the full set of images from my session with Guido, visit this gallery on my website OmLightPhotography.com. To see regular postings of my ongoing work, be sure and ‘like’ my Facebook page.

Two things happened at once in 2010 to inspire this series of yoga photographs. I came across a postcard advertisement for Prana with a stunning image of a black man in lotus pose underwater in a swimming pool. It went up on my inspiration wall right away. Soon after I was visiting the local dive shop here in Boulder, Ocean First Diving, chatting with the owner Graham, and he mentioned he had just upgraded his underwater camera rig and was putting the old one up for rental at the shop (For you gearheads, it was serious iron, a Nikon D2X in a Seacam case).

Bing! So I put out the call for a pool, some models and a couple of weeks later I was at an apartment complex swimming pool, with the camera, scuba rig and 4 models.

I learned a lot that day. First of all, the concept ROCKED! The dappling light from the sun through the water, the weightlessness of the yogis and their yoga poses, and the sheer otherworldly-ness of the images worked beyond my wildest hopes.

But there were lots of issues and challenges. It was really tiring for the models to do yoga underwater, and it was  hard for them to get into the poses and then stabilize for a shot from the right angle. And I hated the lines on the bottom of the pool, and the swimsuits ruining the simple lines of the bodies and poses.

I solved that issue by asking around for a couple of months until I found a private pool without lines that I could use, and putting out the word for models who would be willing to loose the suits.

I’ve shot yoga at this private pool now three times (Thanks Jen!), once in 2010 and twice in 2011. I continue to be enthralled by the quality of the light and the energy of the images, and grateful beyond belief that I have friends who will model for me in such challenging circumstances.

*You* try holding your breath in Dhanurasana (bow pose) upside down underwater! Or getting into Lotus pose nude and then being picked up by two guys and thrown into the pool.

It’s impossible for me to pick an image as favorite, but these two of Tunde and Rusty in Lotus, tattoos lit up by the water light, really work for me.

The only thing I wish could change is that private pool is really small, and I can’t get all the camera angles I want. If anyone knows of a largish private pool in the Boulder/Denver area, get in touch!

To see more of my underwater images, and also the “Behind The Scene” shot of Catherine in Lotus being pitched into the pool by Rusty and Guillome, visit this gallery on my website OmLightPhotography.com.

When I was starting to photograph yoga in 2008, Matt had just made his commitment to yoga by quitting the day job and jumping feet first into a full time career as a teacher. I was just starting to screw up my courage and actually ask people to model for me. After two years of regular practice, the only people I had really gotten to know were the teachers (and THAT is a topic for another post…), and so they were the only ones I could approach. Matt’s classes were a favorite destination, and one day after class he and I were chatting and I took a deep breath and said “Any interest in shooting some yoga down by Boulder Creek?” I was so thrilled (and relieved!) when he said yes. This was only the second time I’d actually set out to work with a model. We got some nice shots and this one was the first wall print I sold to CorePower Yoga.

It was the beginning of a partnership that has continued for over 3 years. There is a lovely parallel between Matt’s development into one of the premier teachers in Boulder and the growth of my own eye, vision and skills. He is also adventuresome, creative and willing to do the odd crazy thing. And he loves to get upside down.

We hadn’t shot together in a while, so one day when we ran into each other at class I said “Let’s find some rocks and play.” Two days later, I loaded the lighting gear into the car and we met up at Flagstaff Mountain above Boulder. The look, feel and character of light is incredibly important to me, and where I once just depended on the natural light, I now work at manipulating it. My skills (and gear!) have come a long way since that first foray to Boulder Creek, and I knew what I wanted to do with Matt. I wanted to use the rock and cloud texture at midday, and control it with artificial light that didn’t look artificial. Similarly, Matt’s skills have come a long way and he knows the poses and energy he wants to represent. This image is the result—the pose is called Fallen Angel, and to me, the light, the setting and Matt’s execution all capture that name wonderfully. It’s my favorite image of this year.

A coda to the story is that right as we were finishing up, a park ranger came by and informed me that setting up a light stand (which qualifies as a structure) on Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks is illegal. She accepted my ignorance and I just got a warning, but it means this photo is never to be repeated. I kind of like that.

I met Aubry behind the desk at CorePower Yoga’s South Boulder studio. Her energy and zing shined  through from the first moment. One day around the desk in the fall of 2009, the conversation turned to a group shooting in my studio, and she eagerly volunteered to join in. The day before I sent out a prep email, and without knowing that her adopted middle name was “Glitter”, I proposed “sparkles” as the theme. Her response was predictable: “Sparkles! What a great idea ;0) Don’t worry, I’m the glitter queen, and I have many sparkly things!!”

No s**t she had many sparkly things! She showed up with multiple duffel bags and boxes. Wigs, a disco mirror ball, glitter, clothes, hula hoop, you name it. She completely energized the whole group. It was a great shoot. Some of the images have become real favorites in my portfolio.

 The whole night was really special.

Incredibly sadly, Aubry went missing 6 months later, in April 2010, while on a solo trek through Nepal. Her family put immense amounts of energy into the search, refusing to give up. In August of 2010, Joy Shanley organized a donation class at the North Boulder studio of CorePower Yoga to raise money for the family to continue their efforts. While the public message was don’t give up hope, for me it was also a moment to grieve. After 5 months, the outlook was grim.

More than anything else, it was a celebration of Aubry. The connections she’d made, the energy she displayed, the ‘glitter’ she spread through life. Connected by the yoga that we had all found together, the desire to practice together to observe, experience, mourn and hope.

It felt holy and special from the start. The room was packed – as full as I’ve ever seen it. Photos and memorabilia covered the walls, including Aubry’s disco ball. So  many of the people there were good friends of mine in the Boulder yoga scene. Such a special thing to create such a community energy and focus, even for something as sad as this.

It’s always a delicate thing for me when I shoot a class. A yoga practice feels like a sacred space to me and I hesitate to intrude with a camera. I always think it sounds like a cannon shot going off when I release the shutter. And yet it presents photos like no other environment – people completely in their practice, amidst others in the same space, with aesthetics and light and feeling. I don’t get to shoot a class very often and it’s always very special.

I hesitated quite a bit about bringing up shooting the class with Joy. I knew she would say yes, but I wondered how I would feel intruding on such a sacred practice. In the end, taking photographs is what I do, and how I wanted to participate in Aubry’s class. This image of Yoshi, in particular, is one of my all time favorites.

Bless you Aubry.

Here is a gallery of images from that day.

I like to celebrate all yoga in my photography. All ages, genders, body types and levels of practice. But every once in a while, the chiseled body with the great yoga practice grabs my eye. While it’s certainly part genetic lottery, it also speaks loudly to someone’s focus and dedication to a physical life. Rodney Yee said “A well trained body is a beautiful instrument on which to play the melody of the present moment.” These folks are playing symphonies.

Some of these I met when I practiced next to them and they caught my eye (or to be precise their build and practice caught my eye), and as soon as class was over, I said “Excuse me, we have to talk.”

Other times life just brought them in front of my lens, but as soon as the outer clothes came off and it was yoga clothes, I’m thinking “light it to bring out the muscles!” My friend yoga buddy JerriLu, who is a doc, calls them “human anatomy lessons.” Like I said, I celebrate all body types and practices, and the joy they bring to whoever is practicing. These just happen to be the theme of this post.

Click on any photo to see a larger image.

We arranged to meet at the Red Rocks on the west end of Pearl Street. I was nervous packing a gear bag hoping to appear like I knew what I was doing. I had picked the place and time (late afternoon) because of light on the Red Rocks. As the time approached I remember being bummed out because it was grey and cloudy. She showed up with a huge bag of clothes and makeup, saying “I’ve done this sort of thing before.” Gulp, she’s going to see right through me! Her talk of photo rights and model releases didn’t help. Shit – I’m out of my league and with shitty light.

But hey, breathe, be present and just go. So she did the makeup and hair thing, ducked behind a rock and did basic color yoga clothes and we got to it. Even back then, once I started shooting I got to that place that works for me. I wasn’t really feeling good with the light or the poses we were getting but we kept working.

Then she said “I have an idea; I’ve brought some other clothes.” She wanted to take some images inspired by some shots she had seen of Shannon Gannon. (“Who?” I said to myself…). Again behind the rock, and then – Holy S**t! She’s wearing a Hot skin-tight club dress and clear plastic heels that can only be described as Stripper Shoes. If you know Angela, you know how she can look dressed like that. I was knocked over (“My wife is going to KILL me…”). But we got going and shot and damn if I didn’t get one of my favorite shots of all time. It’s the last one in this post. And it started a whole theme that I’ve done over the past 3 years of the contrast of yoga and wild evening wear. And guess who’s done a bunch of those shoots with me? Angela, who has become one of my most regular models. Love ya kiddo.

The Favorite Image

]]> http://www.omlightphotography.com/2011/11/first-time-with-angela/feed/ 2 http://www.omlightphotography.com/2011/11/breakdancing-yoga/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=breakdancing-yoga http://www.omlightphotography.com/2011/11/breakdancing-yoga/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:48:41 +0000 Jim http://www.coppergoddess.com/omlightphotography/?p=238 OMG. There’s a new bar for “strong practice”.

Break ton Neck from Alex Yde on Vimeo.

Thanks to YogaDork.com for publishing this.

cred:
Production – Alex Yde
Dancer – Arthur Cadre
Music – Awolnation – Sail

Courtney going big under the arch

I have a love affair going with the Corona Arch. It’s 10 miles outside of Moab, Utah. Moab is famous for it’s rock scenery, with the Arches National Park just north of town, and the vast Canyonlands to the south. I’ve photographed around Moab twice now, and I could go back 50 more times and find fresh and wonderful places every time.But this arch is special to me. It’s not in the Arches National Park, an amazing place that the Park Service says has over 2000 arches. It’s off by itself, 10 miles west on the Potash road, hidden up a canyon but only a short 45 minute hike from the parking lot.

I found the arch in May of 2010. I had just finished 8 weeks of Vinyassa Yoga Teacher Training. It’s a time that’s intense and bonding with the others you train with. Erik had the idea to celebrate with a trip to Moab, and his energy made it happen. It was a wonderful trip, friends around the campfire, dawn practice overlooking the Cayonlands, laughter and celebration. On Saturday we went looking for a hike. I had printed out a selection from some web page and on a whim we picked the Corona Arch trail, knowing nothing about it. It’s a nice hike across gravel and slickrock up into a canyon. You really don’t know what is waiting for you until you hike up to the mouth of the canyon and pass around a buttress. Then – OMG.

First view of Corona Arch

We were not expecting anything this magnificent. It’s as dramatic and grand as anything in the Arches park, and you can just stroll up to it. One part of its attaction is the really cool slickrock traverse that you spend 10 minutes on to get to the stone. People come and go – depending on the day of the week and time of year, you can have it to yourself, or have 40 others sharing it.

Erik celebrating finishing Teacher Training

We were all really into our yoga at this point. 8 weeks of 25 hours/week training, practicing and studying. So it was pretty natural that everyone started busting out poses all over the place. And man, were people strong. I had my good camera with me, and I think I took over 400 images that day.

Open hearts under Corona Arch

It took a while to find the perfect angle and to realize that Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel pose) was THE pose to celebrate this place. But once we got that, we went wild. You can see a whole set in this album. But the singular and signature image of that day is this one. It’s so special to me not just because the aesthetics of the image, but for what it represents about my path in yoga – the connections and life step of Teacher Training, the blessing of being there at that moment, and that my eye and skills had developed to being able to capture it. I’ve been back once more, and will again, but that’s another story.