August 24, 2015
Reality Hack: These Fitness Photos Are Not What You Think
Posting a good photo of yourself is fun and a great self esteem booster. But it's also a great way to separate reality from fantasy. From filters to Photoshop, you can really make yourself look flawless these days.
But have you ever seen fitness photos of someone that look totally different than how they do in person? Have you ever called them out on it and they promise you no edits were made to remove that mole or that extra weight? They may not be lying. According to one man, it's much easier to deceive the viewer than you may have originally thought.
Jason Helmes, an online fitness coach, was nearing the end of a rigorous diet and exercise challenge and wanted to show off his results.
"As a coach, you should be able to walk the walk. While knowledge and your own personal look don’t always match up, it’s been said a coach’s physique is their business card. I wanted my business card to be impressive and well-polished. No more 'selfie stick shots' on social media and websites," Helmes explained.
So he asked photographer Stephanie Gagleard to take a series of photos of him looking his best.
But just a few days after the shoot, Helmes appeared to look like this:
So was it all just a scam to make people think he actually worked that hard to achieve that bod? Not exactly.
"The pictures were taken at 7:30 at night. I had eaten a few, small meals of 25 grams of protein and a piece of fruit during the day — all-in-all less than 500 calories. I had barely sipped on water — just enough to wet my mouth," Helmes admitted. "I also spent a good hour 'pumping up.' I estimate around 500 pushups and 100 pullups to get the physique looking good and the abs popping. The slight dehydration, the small amount of food, and the nice pump gave me a very aesthetic look for the pictures."
And then enter the photographer's touch. "Lighting and angles are everything. Cuts appear deeper, muscles appear fuller, and the physique starts to 'pop' under the right lens," Helmes explained. "My photographer didn’t “enhance” these pictures in Photoshop—they are totally me. At the same time, we did everything under our control to take care of variables that would give us the best possible end product."
So while Helmes gives us the play-by-play of getting "photo shoot ready," we scratch our heads wondering how many social media photos have innocently tricked us into thinking perfection is that plausible all the time. But, it may also help us to come to terms with the fact that it may be, indeed, just a photo and our idea of the perfect body can now become more realistic.
What do you think of this fitness coach's photos?
Source: Men's Health
Jason Helmes, an online fitness coach, was nearing the end of a rigorous diet and exercise challenge and wanted to show off his results.
"As a coach, you should be able to walk the walk. While knowledge and your own personal look don’t always match up, it’s been said a coach’s physique is their business card. I wanted my business card to be impressive and well-polished. No more 'selfie stick shots' on social media and websites," Helmes explained.
So he asked photographer Stephanie Gagleard to take a series of photos of him looking his best.
But just a few days after the shoot, Helmes appeared to look like this:
So was it all just a scam to make people think he actually worked that hard to achieve that bod? Not exactly.
"The pictures were taken at 7:30 at night. I had eaten a few, small meals of 25 grams of protein and a piece of fruit during the day — all-in-all less than 500 calories. I had barely sipped on water — just enough to wet my mouth," Helmes admitted. "I also spent a good hour 'pumping up.' I estimate around 500 pushups and 100 pullups to get the physique looking good and the abs popping. The slight dehydration, the small amount of food, and the nice pump gave me a very aesthetic look for the pictures."
And then enter the photographer's touch. "Lighting and angles are everything. Cuts appear deeper, muscles appear fuller, and the physique starts to 'pop' under the right lens," Helmes explained. "My photographer didn’t “enhance” these pictures in Photoshop—they are totally me. At the same time, we did everything under our control to take care of variables that would give us the best possible end product."
So while Helmes gives us the play-by-play of getting "photo shoot ready," we scratch our heads wondering how many social media photos have innocently tricked us into thinking perfection is that plausible all the time. But, it may also help us to come to terms with the fact that it may be, indeed, just a photo and our idea of the perfect body can now become more realistic.
What do you think of this fitness coach's photos?
Source: Men's Health