Rise and Grind: Shooting Hurdles on Medium Format

Here's a really big, really obvious piece of advice: always keep shooting. That applies even at the highest levels, and it doesn't only mean paid assignments. Sometimes an idea sits in the back of your mind for a long time because the right paid opportunity never comes along. Don't let it sit there. Get out and shoot it, then shoot another one, and another. And always keep experimenting and learning to push your craft further.

That's what this shoot was for me. I'm always trying to shoot something different or work on a part of my craft I feel I'm lacking in. This time it was two things: telling a story from beginning to end across a shoot, and using my new medium format system with a moving subject.

Medium format on the move

Most of the time I'm tracking athletes sprinting past me or hanging out of the back of a truck shooting a cyclist. Figuring out how to spot-focus and anticipate a movement with the Mamiya was a different way of working. Fortunately, I have great friends, and Jaimee is no exception. She jumped those hurdles as many times as I asked, and when we'd worked up a sweat, we moved straight into shots of her taking a drink, catching a deep breath and cooling down.

The medium format system will take some getting used to on the focusing end, and it won't be ideal for every situation. But you can capture some amazing stuff with it, and I can't wait to get more adept with it.

Telling the story

For the story, I wanted to capture the "rise and grind" feeling I love so much about athletes. The best recent example I can think of is the Under Armour spot with Michael Phelps training in the dark. We were all talking about it for days. I didn't have anything that gritty in mind, but I wanted the photos to carry that early-morning feeling: get up, grab your music and get after it.

I also wanted to keep experimenting with sunrise light and sun flare. I loved what I got in the recent sunrise yoga photos, and I wanted some of that same feel here, just a bit crisper and more contrasty to define the action.

I loved what we captured, and because Jaimee is a local lululemon ambassador, we worked the brand into everything too. It's all of these things coming together that make an effective marketing photograph, and it's a skill set I'll always keep hunting and honing.

The behind-the-scenes video is below.

The film

Watch the behind-the-scenes film

Originally published on the Ruddock Visuals blog, September 2016. Lightly edited in 2026.