Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Fitness and photos...


Have you ever take a selfie after a run?

If you're a runner with any type of social media account, the odds are pretty high that you've taken one (or many) selfies in your time. Am I right?


How do you keep the selfies interesting?

Granted, I have a vast array of running gear (so as not to be caught in the same outfit too frequently). Although I'm currently enduring the status of a sidelined runner (as I recover from that unexpected surgery almost two months ago), I also have a variety of alternatives with my fitness - like walking, planking and strength-training. Still, it can be challenging coming up with new and unique fitness-related selfies.

What's a runner to do? My solution is to get creative!

Here are a few crutches (no pun intended, given my current situation) that help me to keep my pics looking fresh and different. After all, it would be pretty boring if all of my selfies were of my sweaty (though, usually smiling) face from my house's front porch and walkway.

**Silhouettes are a great way to capitalize on a beautiful sunrise or sunset. Even though I have been doing a lot of early morning walking since my surgery, it's not uncommon for me to lace up and hit the road for a training run under normal circumstances. Sometimes the lighting is too dark to see my sweaty face, but how about the beauty of the sky as the sun begins to emerge? Heck, I don't even have to smile... just standing there with the morning (or evening) sky in the background is sufficient.



**Action shots are an easy way to evoke energy and movement. Don't worry if the image comes out blurry... it will just make it look like you're moving along with speed! Sometimes, I intentionally try to get a blurry shot because it looks more natural than a perfectly-focused "still life." And who says you have to look directly at the camera and smile every time?



**The sky is such a beautiful back drop, why not utilize it? Especially in the wee (or late) hours, the deep blue of the sky mixed in with a few bursts of light from the lamp posts can be quite striking.





**Candid shots are one of my favorite ways to strike a pose without it looking like a pose. As mentioned, it's a little predictable (and dare I say, boring?) to always be smiling directly at the camera. It's alright to look elsewhere (and if you happen to blink, it won't be as obvious).



**Filters are a great last resort when all else has failed in capturing a great picture. You can lighten (or darken) the color, play with shadows (or highlights), or even swap out the color for black and white. Some filters can even give a photograph more of a "painted image" nuance, which the art geek in me totally embraces.






One does not need to have professional photographs to validate one's fitness journey, but it is possible to mix it up a bit and make it interesting. Bottom line, all of us have different tastes, likes/dislikes, and objectives in posting selfies in conjunction with our workouts.  Anyone can just stand and smile in their post-workout glow...why not give your selfie some spunk?

So, there you have it! A few of my standbys, hacks, tricks, and objectives in documenting my fitness....any that you'd like to try? Do you document your fitness journey with selfies? Any tips or tricks you'd like to share?

I'm linking this with Susie and Debbie and Rachel and Lora for the Running Coaches' Corner.

  **And with Nicole and Annmarie and Jen for the Wild Wednesday Workout

33 comments:

  1. I don't really like taking selfies of my face after a run (although Ive done it once in awhile) and much prefer action shots or something more creative. However, its been really hard to figure out how to take good pictures while Ive been working out inside! I end up taking way too many pictures of my feet.

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    1. I go through phases...right now, I'm more into the candid, full-body shots (my front porch needs a break LOL)

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  2. I love sweaty selfies. They're fun to do and fun to see!

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    1. I have done a lot of the "sweaty face post run" shots....I think they show the world the truth behind the effort ;-)

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  3. I love all your tips. Sometimes I am at a lost on what to do when it comes to photos on the run. Sometimes I do selfies but sometimes I try to get photos of my socks and sneakers, or my surrounding area if it's pretty.

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  4. I'm not a fan of close ups--but far away selfies are ok.

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    1. I do a few close-ups, but try to not do them very often...I know I appreciate variety (I just hope my followers do, too) ;-)

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  5. Awesome pics! I agree, these pics can get pretty boring. Way to mix it up!

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    1. I used to always do what seemed to be the same post-run shot...the only thing that changed was my clothing. Some people like consistency and predictability, but not me ;-)

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  6. I'm not good at selfies, and I don't take pictures after I work out. I'm usually a hot mess after a run.

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    1. I'm a hot mess, too (well, when I was running LOL), but I appreciate what the selfies show...that we work hard and we get sweaty for a reason (and most of us enjoy it!)

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  7. I prefer taking pics of beautiful surroundings rather than pics of myself. My selfie skills are nowhere near as well-developed as yours!

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    1. ha! My selfie skills are still a work in progress LOL I love all of your pics...great trail pics (and a few #badass swim pics as well) ;-)

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  8. You do take some very creative shots all right. Great tips. I am not a big selfie taker myself but I do like to scroll through the ones other people take.

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    1. I think selfies can be fun, but I try to keep them in moderation. I think my life is pretty nice, but I respect that not everyone else shares in that interest LOL They probably don't want (or need) to see a selfie every three hours of my daily routine ;-)

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  9. I love all your selfies! I try to get action shots when I can. They're the most fun :)

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    1. I agree, the action shots are fun...and a challenge as well ;-)

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  10. I've taken to doing more shots of what I see on my run, rather than me on the run. But I do like the silhouette idea!

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    1. The silhouette idea kind of just happened on its own....I was trying to get a pic of me (with the sunrise) and it turned out it was more of a sunrise (with my silhouette in the foreground).

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  11. You know I love running selfies. I just did a silhouette of my hubby and me running that I love (though it was actually an accident :-) ).

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    1. Funny how the accidents somehow turn out better than the staged pics!

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  12. Fun tips. I try not to take photos of too many identifying details, but I'm silly like that. I would love to take more action shots, but these mornings have been pretty rushed, so I don't have time to set up for great selfies. Boo.

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    1. The action shots are actually the fastest of them...I just keep shooting until I get one that has potential (as I'm walking or running)...then I can zoom in or crop it to make it "post worthy."

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  13. I've been finding myself getting stale lately. It definitely takes some creativity!

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    1. All of my early morning (daily) walking has forced me into a more creative mode...I try to make each pic (or at least the ones I post) different than recent ones #artgeeksyndrome

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  14. Mine mostly consist of pictures of my feet. I get creative every now and then but yours far outdo minea

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    1. I go through phases...I sometimes do the feet shots, though, if I want to showcase my outfit (but not my face)

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  15. The sunrise/sunset colors are too amazing to not showcase

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  16. Great tips! I still have three posts on my five-part series on taking quality running pictures. I need to get back on it!

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    1. I have had this post "in the back of my mind" for a long time...and still a couple of other ideas as well for another day ;-)

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  17. Great ideas! I often forget to take a photo and even when I remember, they're kind of all the same!

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    1. It's easy to get in a routine and do the same thing all the time...I've been guilty of it myself #truth

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