Spotlight: Gareth Brown Mosaics In Motion For PURE

Many fitness photographers often choose this specialty because they are inspired by the incredible capabilities of the human body in motion. Their images highlight movements representing the many emotions we can wordlessly express with our bodies. Hong Kong-based photographer Gareth Brown did an assignment for a fitness company PURE. It lets the talent take flight in a series intended to inspire one to jump into the next phase of their physical ability.

A Long-Lasting Partnership

Gareth began working with PURE over 15 years ago. They reached out to him before opening their newest facility in a luxury mall, K11 Musea. This new flagship gym is located in an upmarket development in the Kowloon neighborhood. It looks out on the cityscape and bay from its wall of windows.

I have a long-standing working relationship with Pure – I did my first shoot for them back in 2005 and have worked with them regularly since.

The client hired Gareth at the onsight of their campaign to help create content that would advertise this new space. In collaboration with PURE’s creative team, Gareth expanded upon their working theme “Lift Off”. The goal was to conceptualize a series that motivates you to push to the next level. They played with breaking down the body into a series of moving parts by adding a “glitch” effect. It highlighted the individual areas we train in the gym.

Pure wanted to build an energetic campaign appropriate for this opening and this meant creating lively images, ideally with some physical uplift. 

Collaborating with Trainers and Teachers

In working with PURE’s trainers and teachers, Gareth found varied movements where each could represent the exhilaration of their physical prowess while in the air. Due to his existing relationship with the client, he had worked with some of the talent in the past. He felt comfortable asking them to leap, jump, and split in various ways to highlight their physical attributes.

I’ve worked with Pure for many years and have got to know a lot of the trainers and yogis, so there’s usually a fair amount of mutual respect for each other’s craft.

Challenges of Shooting in an Empty Facility

Because the client needed the images before the gym’s opening, Gareth shot out of the empty deconstructed facility with limited access to the usual comforts of a shoot. He worked extra hard to compensate for the lack of electricity. The open window plan allowed for natural light to take effect. 

At the time we shot it was an empty dusty shell at K11, with no electricity let alone fixtures or furnishings. 

The room’s white brick walls add an industrial feel to the images while maintaining a bright and metropolitan tone. And the lack of equipment proved useful as it allowed Gareth to play within a wider range of motion. The graphic design team at PURE also used the glitch effect to edit out some of the empty space and ensured that the composition played with angles and lines to direct away from the missing machinery.

The glitch graphic design idea seemed an interesting and different way to transform the visuals and set them apart from other fitness campaigns.

In their commitment to authentic body positivity, the marketing team at PURE wanted bodies to remain untouched by editing and enhancements. While this leaves little work for Gareth to do in post-production, it requires him to take extra care during the shoot when staging lights and capturing the bodies at different angles.

I have to make sure the chosen capture works in terms of form and action. 

Gareth appreciates working with the team at PURE and credits the success of the campaign to the collaboration between trainers, the creative director, and himself. 

I love the process. We’ll have an idea of the sort of action or movements we think will work, but the client gives us space to explore and adapt themes in real-time. 

See more of Gareth’s work on his website.

Credits

Photographer: Gareth Brown
Design Director: Marc Scott
Digital Operator/Retoucher: Liz Mok
Lighting: Theo Wong
Stylist: Mira Uttamchandani
Hair & Makeup: Jan Khalifa Din

Further Reading
Read more articles about Gareth Brown.
Read more Photographer Spotlight articles about our other photographers.

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