What kind of lighting should you use for indoor apparel shoots? Read more to learn about Houston Fitness Photography.
According to google search, there isn’t a right or wrong answer. It just all depends on the look you’re going for.
A client may want the harsh light and desaturated color look while another wants soft light and rich saturated colors. The client for this photoshoot was John Ding from Kinitro Apparel in Houston, TX and also owns Kinitro Fitness Gym, our photoshoot location.
THE IDEAS AND PLANS FOR THE SHOOT…
I asked John if he had any ideas for the shoot and he said, “I have no idea. Just make it awesome man.”
Ok… after going back and forth we got some ideas going. I originally wanted to do a really simple outdoor shoot with a telephoto or prime lens with bokeh in the background, but John wanted it indoors because he didn’t want the talents to sweat on his clothing during the shoot.

We didn’t have a large budget to work with, so I had to shoot within the limits of the gear I had. This consisted of 3 studio lights, 3 soft boxes, a boom, stands, and several triggers/receivers. If you’ve been shooting as long as I have, you accumulate gear/tools from previous jobs. I’m sure you could achieve the same results with flashes but I just wanted to be fancier and use more expensive gear T_T.
For lighting, I pretty much followed commercial photographer Joel Grimes‘ lighting tips for “Super Edgy Sports Lighting”. After watching the video, you should have an idea how it was set up.
THE SHOOT…
Our scheduled shoot at 1PM took place at Kinitro Fitness in Chinatown Houston located in the Dun Huang Plaza. It’s on the 2nd floor, right next to a happy ending / foot massage place (jk! no happy endings there). I arrived at 12:30PM and had to ask John, the client, to carry a bunch of studio gear up 2 floors. I like giving the clients something to do ^_^.
*Pro Tip* If it’s in the clients budget, hire an assistant!
Setting up 3 lights, triggers/receivers, softboxes, and camera, took about 20-30 minutes.



THE PHOTOS…
I’m only going to post a few so you will have to head on over to Kinitro Apparel’s Facebook, Instagram, or website for more.







POST SHOOT THOUGHTS…
Overall, the shoot was pretty good. We got a lot of good shots, but I felt rushed because Becca had to leave a little earlier than expected. To get more action shots, I need a lot more light, so we may shoot ambient light mixed with some artificial light next time.
http://www.dtphan.com
http://www.instagram.com/dtphan
Models:
Rebecca Liu – https://www.instagram.com/bec_liu/
Ivan Berkowitz – https://www.instagram.com/ivan_tha_terrible/
Cedrick Crosby – https://www.instagram.com/zodless/
Apparel:
Kinitro Apparel – https://www.instagram.com/kinitro_apparel/
Gear:
Nikon D750
Nikon 24-120 F4
Phottix triggers
Studio Lights
2 x 3” Softboxes
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