Whether you’re just starting out with photography or you’re a seasoned vet looking for a new challenge, CrossFit gyms are the perfect place to bring your camera to. Here are 7 reasons why:

1. You Have To Bring Your Camera Somewhere

First things first, let me tell you something you already know. Something so stupidly simple its truth often gets overlooked: you have to bring your camera somewhere.

Whether you have a fancy mirrorless, old DSLR, an iPhone, disposable camera, whatever. The picture taking machine you have at your disposal does no good collecting dust on your shelf or in the dark abyss of your pocket. You need to bring it somewhere and feel comfortable using it. The simple truth is 90% of being a photographer is showing up somewhere with a camera and your finger on the shutter.

Read it again:

90% of being a photographer is showing up somewhere with a camera and your finger on the shutter.

And if you clicked on this article and are reading THIS word, and THIS word, and THIS word – you probably did for a reason. Maybe you want to get into fitness photography, practice your camera skills in new environments, give friends cool content of themselves to share, have marketing material to show off your skills, or ___________(comment below)___________? There’s some reason you’re spending your valuable time reading this article. This is your “photography why.”

Now, it is your job to bring your “photography why” to life (actualizing whatever it is you want out of you taking photos). And I have some good news for you:

Your “photography why” is very likely to see the light of day within the four walls of a CrossFit gym.

I’ve brought my camera (mostly unannounced) to coffee shops, libraries, yoga classes, on the streets, high school sports games, nightclubs, RV trips, churches, pro squash championships, police K9 trainings, home run derby events, traveling circuses, PEOPLE’S BEDROOMS. I could go on. All very cool in their own right, but often come with hoops to jump through and headaches and questions and restrictions. But CrossFit gyms…I have yet to find an environment so open and accepting of my camera as a CrossFit gym.

I’ve taken pictures at CrossFit gyms HUNDREDS of times, for THOUSANDS of hours, in a dozen states, and three countries (I didn’t even speak the language in a few!). I’ve been met with open arms. Every. Single. Time.

As a photographer, here is your formula: You need to bring your camera somewhere so your “photography why” can manifest into AWESOME “results” (more on this later). CrossFit gyms are fertile grounds for that process to take place because all it takes is walking through the doors and saying:

Hi! My name is (your name). Really cool spot you’ve got here. I’m a photographer and I’d love to take some pictures here because (your photography why). Would that be cool?

Boom. You’re in. I guarantee it.

(You can even say it in broken Spanish and it’ll work. Trust me, I’ve been there).

2. If You Can Do It At A CrossFit Gym, You Can Do It Anywhere

Fundamentally, a good photo comes down to three factors:

1. Lighting
2. Decisiveness
3. Composition

This is the holy trinity of a good photograph. Each one of these concepts begs for its own deep dive (REMINDER TO SELF TO LINK FUTURE ARTICLES HERE) and are generally hard to describe with words, but for now here are the sparknotes:

LIGHTING: Is the light INTERESTING? Photography literally means “light drawing.” Good photos generally show a unique, beautiful, and/or meaningful interaction between the light source(s) and the story of the scene.

DECISIVENESS: Is this a DEFINING MOMENT? We are all living our own mini-stories called our lives. Good photos generally present a moment in time that draws out emotions in the viewer through shared experience or empathy.

COMPOSITION: Are you following the RULES? Who knows why they’re a thing, but they’re a thing. Good photos generally follow guidelines including, but not limited to: rule of thirds, patterns, the golden spiral, foreground/background, fill the frame.

You get better at understanding lighting by looking for and recognizing interesting light. You get better at anticipating decisive moments by practicing being around exciting situations . You get better at composition by studying them and just getting your reps in.

CrossFit gyms are ideal locations for all three of these aspects of photography. The lighting is not “perfect” or ever “enough” but that prompts you to be observant and creative. Decisive moments are happening constantly and you learn to “feel” the swell of emotion building. And different angles and stray equipment offers a perfect recipe for practicing your composition within your frame.

Once you learn how to take a good photo in a CrossFit gym, other locations become a piece of cake.

3. Every Day is Different

One of the least appealing aspects of photography (or any skill) is you have to do it a million times before you get “good.”

Falling in love with the boredom of doing something over and over again is an important aspect to developing your photography skills, but CrossFit gyms have an important trick up its sleeve to make it a bit more love-able:

Every day is a new workout, every gym is different, every person has a different vibe.

That means day after day mundane-ness doesn’t need to be boring. There are a plethora of different photo opportunities depending on the movements programmed, gym style, and what members walked through the doors that day. So although you are functionally doing the same thing whenever you walk into a CrossFit gym with your camera (making people look cool while working out), the possibilities are truly endless.

4. Exposed to the Highs and the Lows, the Fasts and the Slows

One huge aspect of photography is knowing your camera.

In the same spirit as reason #2 and #3, taking pictures at CrossFit gyms is challenging and dynamic. This allows you, the photographer, to become very comfortable with your camera and its settings.

Shooting in “auto” mode is not a long-term behavioral investment any photographer should be making. And although more finicky and challenging, shooting in manual is must.

But when you’re shooting in a studio environment, or outdoors, or in a sports arena, typically you can “set it and forget it” in manual. Maybe some minor tweaks and adjustments here and there. But because you’re so mobile on the CrossFit floor, lighting varies from spot-to-spot, you become best friends with your buttons, dials, and eye.

You become incredibly skilled at changing your settings on the fly, making subtle but meaningful adjustments, and getting so used to each button on your camera body. You will start to really understand exposure, light stops, and shutter speed. There aren’t too many environments better to practice in with such a dynamic range of light and speed – and there’s nothing quite like being “one” with your camera.

5. The Love is REAL and it’s BEAUTIFUL

Out of all the businesses, organizations, and individuals I’ve shot with, the CrossFit community really does show the most amount of love.

It probably can be explained: people love pictures of themselves doing cool things. Brands and businesses love most types of publicity and are always looking for content. But there’s something a bit more.The comments under the photos, the shares, the DM’s – they just start rolling in. Most CrossFitters and CrossFit brands are really passionate.

I often joke in my own head when someone compliments a picture of mine – “Yeah, of course it’s great, I took it.” But truthfully, as any photographer would know, the grind is real. When you’re taking photos, deleting 98% of them, being your own harshest critic, the process can sometime feel like a thankless venture. A compliment, a share, a “we should work together sometime” is all you need for the encouragement to keep going.

This is probably the most potent reason – extrinsic recognition. It’s very likely when you bring your camera to a CrossFit gym. It’s nice to hear. Reason #1 is completely intrinsic – finding your why and bringing it to life. But that realization doesn’t happen overnight. The extrinsic support from the CrossFit community always seems to be given at the exact right time and helps keep those intrinsic pangs at bay.

It helps make the photography grind a bit more worth it.

6. Humans Are The Best

As much as this can be interpreted as a personal preference, I beg to differ: humans are the best photography subjects.

Landscape, architecture, astro, wildlife, ________. All very beautiful and worthwhile pursuits to capture with a camera. But humans are simply the best. If you Google “best pictures of all time” 90% of the results will show photos of humans. We are absolute marvels. And CrossFit gyms are stages for us to show just how marvelous we are.

From one perspective, the human body is revered. How it twists and contorts and contracts and extends. And when you see someone moving a barbell effortlessly, floating above the rig, or flowing on a row, your camera just begs to capture movement like that.

Humans, especially the ones found in CrossFit gyms, also have disproportionately cool stories compared to general society. There’s a special type of person who shows up at 5:30am to sprint on an assault bike and press kettlebells over their heads. I encourage you to find that kind of magic out for yourself.

Beyond the camera, and probably most importantly, creating connections with people is the true joy that a photographer gets. No matter how the pictures turn out, there really is nothing better than striking up conversations with really awesome people. CrossFit gyms are at no shortage of pleasant conversations and meaningful connections.

And at the end of the day, that connection is what’s most important.

7. The RESULTS

The results. The RESULTS. Well, they just speak for themselves: