Fitness is a major part of my life. Throughout this quarantine I have had to adjust both my daily routine and my fitness routine. On days where I plan to exercise, I drink coffee and do a variety of dumbbell exercises in order to get some form of workout. The photos in this series personify my daily fitness routine.
The man behind the iconic portrait of Steve Jobs was photographer Albert Watson. Watson treated this photoshoot with the one of the greatest technology moguls like a passport photo. His reasoning for doing this was the fact that Jobs was said to have hated having his photograph taken. In order to get the most out of a photograph of one of the most powerful men in the world, Watson simplified his approach and cut the length of the photoshoot and shot the portrait against white. Furthermore, in order to get a confident and powerful expression from Jobs, Watson instructed him to imagine he was speaking to several people who disagree with him, yet he knows that he is right. Watson’s adaptability was rewarded through the creation of one of the most well known portraits of the 21st century.
One of the most iconic and impressive photographs taken of a sports professional, ironically did not occur with the last few decades, but in 1961 by Flip Schulke, a Sports Illustrated photographer. One day in 1961, Schulke met with a young Muhammad Ali, in order to discuss possible photographs that can be taken in the near future. When Schulke suggested the underwater shot to Sports Illustrated, they rejected the idea. Schulke brought the idea to Life magazine who were eager to have the photograph published on their magazine. Schulke was able to photograph Ali during water resistance training in a swimming pool in Miami, where Ali stood in a boxer stance underwater for a prolonged time. Schulke notes that he jumped into the pool and swam around Ali, taking a series of photographs of the boxer still underwater. The reason why I am fascinated by this photograph is because it is actually a combination of imagination and ingenuity from both the photographer and the subject. Three years after the photograph was taken, Schulke notes that he was informed by Muhammad Ali, that the photograph was a staged attempt by him and his trainer, and that Ali actually could not swim.
