Self-Portraiture Exercise: Capturing My GX Instructor Spirit
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A Bit About Me...
I’m Merv and I’ve been a GX (Group Fitness) Instructor since 2019, which has become a huge part of who I am. I’m certified in four programs: Les Mills Tone, Bodycombat, Boundefitbody, and Zumba, but for this activity, I wanted to showcase my passion for teaching Les Mills Bodycombat, a martial arts-inspired workout that gets my heart pumping and my participants energized. I’m super passionate about fitness, and I wanted to capture that fiery, dynamic energy I bring to my classes, while also showing a more grounded side of myself through the headshot.
My Concept...
For the headshot, I wanted a clean, professional vibe with a studio feel, so I used the black portion of my curtains as a backdrop to keep things simple and focused on my face. For the candid shot, I decided to showcase a move that’s iconic in Bodycombat: the Roundhouse Kick. It’s a powerful, high-energy move that embodies the martial arts spirit of the workout, and I thought it would be a great way to tell the story of my instructor life. Holding that position for the camera was no joke, though as it was tiring to hold my leg up, and I had to take a lot of shots to get the angle just right!
The Setup...
I took these shots around noon to take advantage of the natural light coming through my window. I set up in my bedroom, turning it into a makeshift photo studio with the following equipment:
Samsung S24 Ultra (my trusty phone!)
18-inch ring light
Tripod
Car sunshade (used as a reflector)
Curtains (as my backdrop)
My bedroom setup was pretty cozy but functional! I have a bed with a colorful floral-patterned blanket in greens, yellows, and reds, which I pushed to the side to make space. I hung my curtains half black, half beige to create a dual-backdrop effect. The black side was perfect for the headshot’s studio vibe, while the beige side worked for the candid shot’s lighter background. I set up my tripod near the bed, with my Samsung S24 Ultra mounted on it, and positioned the 18-inch ring light to the left, casting soft light across the space. My car sunshade, which I used as a reflector, was propped up against the bed to bounce light back and reduce shadows. It wasn’t fancy, but it got the job done!
Here’s a photo of my setup:
[A room with beige and black curtains, a ring light on a tripod, a car sunshade as a reflector, and a floral-patterned bed with a phone on a tripod.]
I don’t have much experience with a proper camera, so I leaned heavily on my phone’s capabilities. But thanks to this course, I’ve started using the Pro mode on my Samsung S24 Ultra more than ever, which gave me a bit more control over the settings.
Camera Settings and Execution
I shot both photos in Pro mode on my Samsung S24 Ultra, using different lenses for each. Here are the settings I used, based on the EXIF data, along with why I chose them:
Headshot: ISO 400, f/2.4, 1/45s shutter speed, 69mm focal length, WB 5500K (Telephoto lens)
I bumped the ISO to 400 because the noon light was okay, but my room’s not the brightest, especially with those black curtains soaking it up. The 1/45s shutter speed was a little slow, but with the tripod holding steady, it let in enough light without blur since I wasn’t moving. I used the Telephoto lens at 69mm to zoom in close and fill the frame with my face. The white balance (WB) was set to 5500K to match the color temperature of daylight, ensuring natural colors since the photo was taken at 12:28 PM in the UAE, correcting for the cooler, bluish tones to keep skin tones and other colors accurate and balanced.
Candid Shot (Roundhouse Kick): ISO 320, f/1.7, 1/125s shutter speed, 23mm focal length, WB 3700K (Wide lens)
For the candid, I dropped the ISO to 320 since the beige curtains bounced back more light, and I didn’t want it too bright. The 1/125s shutter speed was faster to freeze that tricky Roundhouse Kick, It took some trial and error to get it right without blur. I used the Wide lens at 23mm to get the full kick in the shot, and set the white balance to 3700K to warm things up, blending the natural light with my ring light.
I set up my tripod to keep the phone steady and used the S-Pen on my Samsung S24 Ultra to snap the photos. The S-Pen was a lifesaver. I could hold the pose, like that tough Roundhouse Kick, and click the shutter right when I was ready, which felt way easier than messing with a timer. For the headshot, I stood in front of the black curtains, with the ring light on the left and the car sunshade below to bounce light up and soften shadows. It framed me from the top of my head to my upper chest, and I made sure both eyes were open and my face was clear.
For the candid, I posed in front of the beige curtains to contrast with my Adidas workout gear a brown textured top and black biker shorts, my go-to for Bodycombat. Holding the Roundhouse Kick was a workout itself. I placed the ring light back on its tripod and I’d trigger the shot with the S-Pen and my leg would be screaming by the end! I took tons of pics to get the angle perfect, making sure half my face showed and the move looked lively. Later, I cropped both photos to a 3:4 ratio to tidy them up.
Post-processing
I used Adobe Lightroom App for post-processing, keeping the edits pretty minimal since I wanted the shots to look natural.
For the headshot, I adjusted the following:
Whites: -54
Blacks: -33
Sharpening Amount: +10
Sharpening Radius: +1.00
Sharpening Detail: +25
Color Noise Reduction: +10
Color Noise Detail: +50
Color Noise Smoothness: +50
For the candid shot, I applied these adjustments:
Highlights: +100
Whites: -24
Blacks: -23
Temperature: +13
Vibrance: +1
Noise Reduction: +5
Noise Reduction Detail: +50
Noise Reduction Contrast: 0
I mostly focused on bumping up the sharpness and tweaking the whites and blacks to make the images pop a bit more without overdoing it that is why you can still make out my blemishes and different texture on my face.
The Final Shots...
Here's my headshot
Here's my headshot
[My portrait with a black background, wearing a brown textured top, hair down, looking directly at the camera.]
The candid shot, capturing my Roundhouse Kick
The candid shot, capturing my Roundhouse Kick
[A dynamic yet challenging pose with one leg extended in a Roundhouse Kick, wearing Adidas gears, in front of beige curtains.]
Before
After
Before
After
Reflection...
This activity was both challenging and super fun! I loved being able to express my identity as a GX instructor through the candid shot. I tried other poses but the Roundhouse Kick really captures the energy and strength I bring to my Bodycombat classes. But man, holding that pose was exhausting! I probably took at least 50 shots to get it right, and my leg was shaking by the end of it. The headshot was easier to set up although the only challenging part was feeling conscious in front of the camera. It was tough to get a flattering shot and I also took a ton of shots before I got the one that felt right but I’m happy with how the black curtain gave it that studio vibe I was going for.
I learned a lot about using Pro mode on my phone camera, and I feel more confident playing around with settings like ISO and shutter speed. Post-processing in Lightroom was also a new experience for me, and I was surprised at how small tweaks could make a big difference. Overall, this project pushed me out of my comfort zone, especially since I’m not used to working with a proper camera setup, but I’m proud of how the shots turned out. It felt empowering to showcase this part of who I am, and I’m excited to keep experimenting with photography in the future!
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