Natalie Faye: AIR Aerial Fitness

Santa Monica, California-based photographer Natalie Faye recently took on a project that had her weaving in and out of aerialists spinning and flipping around on silks at an aerial fitness studio in Los Angeles. When the owner of AIR Los Angeles asked Natalie about creating a commercial spot to promote the studio, she slipped right in and started brainstorming, excited by the fresh perspective she could take on the video. Being that aerial skills are pretty new in the fitness industry, Natalie didn’t have many direct references for visuals and had the opportunity to create something contemporary and different. Although it was a solid challenge to capture the movement and action on the silks, the final product appears effortless, fully showcasing the athleticism and peaceful fluidity of the aerialists’ movements.

What sort of preplanning went into creating the video on your end?

I wanted the spot to take us on an emotional journey of an entire class experience … from warmup to exhilarating movement to afterglow.  I already knew that in the final edit I wanted to focus more heavily on one woman’s journey through the class, however, I didn’t decide who that would be until I got everyone on the silks and could feel it out.  So the story emerged with our lead woman as we went. 

Was it challenging to take video in this space?

The studio itself is beautiful and spacious, although the silks weren’t necessary spaced apart with a film crew in mind (ha!)  The women were almost always in motion in various directions, yet I definitely wanted to get up-close and I wanted the camera to feel immersed.  I shot with a small Sony 4k mirrorless camera mounted on a lightweight gimbal and this was a perfect match.  This rig was very nimble so I could react quickly and capture some unusual angles and it also allowed the camera itself to participate in the ebb and flow of movement. 

AIR was very happy with the final video— it was pushed out by both the corporate office as well as the individual franchises and got a great response on social media. 

It was a treat to spend time with such strong inspiring women and dip into their community for a day— deep respect for the #silksisters at @airfitlosangeles!

See more of Natalie at nataliefaye.net!

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