Shooting Meditation in a Glass House for DYI
Two short evenings, one glass-walled venue and a lifestyle campaign that pushed an athleisure brand past the white backdrop.
Back in October, my client DYI (Define Your Inspiration, an athleisure brand that has since closed) brought me an awesome project for an upcoming campaign. I had done a lot of shoots for them, all indoors on clean white and gray backgrounds for easy e-commerce use on their website. This one was going to be about meditation and connection heading into the New Year: lots of glass, with nature bleeding into the scene and connecting with the yoga poses and the colors of the new season's clothing.
The location
First we had to find a place in Houston with the aesthetic we wanted. It wasn't easy, but Natalie at DYI found The Dunlavy on Allen Parkway. It's a restaurant most of the time, but it rents out for events, and we got it for a couple of hours over two evenings. The Dunlavy is floor-to-ceiling windows surrounded by trees, with a view over the water.
The setting was perfect for the look we wanted, but it came with a tricky problem: reflections. Every surface seemed to reflect something, so I knew I'd need grids and off angles to cut down on the reflections I'd otherwise have to edit out later.
The kit and the crew
I brought both cameras, the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Phase One, but favored the Canon on this set. I had more lens options on that system, and the fast pace needed to get through all the clothing changes and poses suited it better. I mostly used my 16-35, 24-70 and 70-200 zooms. Lighting was a mix of Profoto B1s and B2s, mostly in gridded softboxes and a gridded beauty dish to keep the flashes out of the windows, with my Elinchrom octaboxes on hand just in case.
The crew was Natalie and Giselle from DYI, Bianca Linette on hair and makeup, and Amy Scott assisting me. Our talent for the whole shoot was Britt McGee from Page Parkes. I had seen her work and heard about her plenty of times, so it was a pleasure to finally work together.
Day one: indoors
We had two hours each evening around sunset. Day one was dedicated to the indoor space, and day two to the porch and the small pond next to the building. I had mood boards ready so we could come up with ideas quickly, and my goal was to be as mobile and varied with my angles as possible. Most of what I had shot for DYI before was straight on, to show off the clothing. This time I wanted character. There's a lifestyle that goes with athleisure brands, and I wanted to communicate it with tight, wide, low, high and top-down shots of Britt doing her thing.
First, though, you always get the safe shot in the can. After that, it's go time. We started with a straight-on shot indoors and kept developing from there until I felt I was capturing compelling images that still showed the brand in a heroic way.
As we wrapped day one, we started looking outdoors and planning the next evening. There was a porch I thought would get nice natural light in the evening, and a pond area that was begging to be photographed. It was a solid first day: we got through more than we'd hoped and set ourselves up well for day two.
Day two: the porch and the pond
Day two started the same way: get the safe, straight-on shot, then go for something with more narrative. The porch had the great light I'd expected, but since we were under a roof, I filled a little with the Profoto B2 in the large octa. I still shot mostly on the Canon but brought the Phase One in more often for slower movements and poses, where its files could give a little more.
The pond was a blast. Even though we were in more direct sun, I filled with a large 4x6 Sunbounce reflector and added the B2 in the large octa again. Those little lights bring real power in the right setting.
By the end, I felt we had a diverse set of images that told the story of a meditative, connected New Year. None of it would have been possible without the whole team bringing it together.
Originally published on the Ruddock Visuals blog, May 2019. Lightly edited in 2026.