You're coming to an Instagram Class!
Here's everything you need to know — what to expect, how to prepare, and how your photos find their way to you.
What is an Instagram Class?
An Instagram Class is a regular yoga class with one addition — a professional photographer moving quietly through the room, capturing you in your practice. The class is taught by your studio's instructor, sequenced specifically for photography. You practice. You're photographed. You leave with beautiful, professional images of yourself doing yoga, free to download and share.
Jim Campbell — yoga teacher, photographer, and Boulder local with twenty years of practice — works with the instructor in advance to shape a sequence that flows well and creates maximum opportunity for striking images. During class he moves unobtrusively through the room. Most students forget he's there.
What you'll receive
After the class, Jim processes and edits the images. Within a few days, you'll receive your photos via an email link — watermarked with the studio's name and @omlightphotography — free to download and share however you like. Post them, print them, send them to your mom. They're yours.
The images are tagged directly to your Instagram account, so you won't have to hunt for yourself in a sea of photos. At the end of class Jim photographs each willing participant holding a small card showing their Instagram handle — that's how he makes sure every image finds the right person.
How to prepare
This is a real yoga class — practice as you normally would. A few things worth knowing ahead of time:
Wear what you love
Wear the yoga clothes you feel most comfortable and confident in. Avoid logos or text on clothing if possible — they can be distracting in photos. Wear solid colors or simple patterns. If you’ve got ink, feel free to show us.
Hair can be up as you normally wear it, but it can look great to have it down if you like. Braids, buns, and fun hair rocks.
Come adorned as you want: jewelery, malas, henna tattoos and whatever makeup, big or small, that you feel.
Practice as you normally would
Don't try to perform for the camera. The best yoga photos come from people who are genuinely in their practice, not people who are posing. Jim knows how to find you at your best — just practice.
Bring your Instagram handle
At the end of class Jim will photograph you holding a small card with your Instagram handle — this is how your photos get tagged to you. Write it down somewhere so you have it handy. If you don't have Instagram, no problem — you'll still receive your photos via email.
Expect the unexpected
The sequence is designed to create beautiful images, so it may feel a little different from a typical class — longer holds, more emphasis on certain poses. Go with it. The results are worth it.
About Jim
Jim Campbell has practiced yoga for over twenty years and has been teaching for fifteen. He photographed his first yogi, almost by accident, in 2009. He is based in Boulder, Colorado and works with studios throughout the Boulder and Denver area as well as nationwide. As both a longtime practitioner and an experienced photographer, Jim brings something unique to this work — he understands the rhythm and intention of a yoga class from the inside, and his sequences advice reflects that. His photography captures the feeling of being in a pose, not just the shape of it.
Jim has delivered multiple Instagram Classes at studios in the area. The results — for the studios, their students, and their social media — speak for themselves.