Gritty Portraits at CrossFit Town Center
A collaboration with a local CrossFit box that ran long because everyone, athletes included, kept wanting one more shot.
I've always been blown away by the dedication and accomplishments of CrossFit athletes. So when I had the vision for this shoot and sat down with Luke Mintaz at CrossFit Town Center in The Woodlands, I was stoked that Luke shared my passion for photography.
From that first meeting it was a perfect collaboration. We came up with a style and shot list built around the grit and determination that fit CrossFit, and the unorthodox, outside-the-box movements that define the sport made this shoot a winner from the start.
While I refined what we'd shoot, how we'd light it and how I'd post-produce the photos, Luke found local athletes to model for the day. It couldn't have been more fun. We shot much longer than planned, and for once I wasn't the one pushing to keep going. Luke, the athletes and I were so pumped by how the photos looked, and by how quickly the athletes learned to work with the camera, that nobody wanted to stop.
While I was shooting, Sam captured behind-the-scenes footage of how we approached the shoot, lit it and had a blast making the photos. That film is below.
The film
Watch the behind-the-scenes film
Originally published on the Ruddock Visuals blog, September 2013. Lightly edited in 2026.