I thought in length before my first yoga photoshoot. I thought that this kind of shoot vanity goes against the essence of yoga. I also thought how yoga has been commercialised and made into a fashion: expensive mats and tight colorful yoga pants are the rage. Do they detract from the essence of yoga? I like to compare this with the import of foreign foods: the recipes are reinterpreted and changed, but this means that more people get to taste different flavours and ingredients. So also yoga gets westernised but more people can practice and benefit from it.
Professional yoga instructors need photos of their practice for social media and to showcase their talent. My interest on a photographic level is the research of the form, the study of the human shape, no matter what the pose is. The 'basic' poses are often more difficult to render well. For the yogis the photoshoot becomes another opportunity of a journey through the practice to achieve good alignment and great shape.
If anyone ever feels intimidated by photos of hard handstand and contortions I can only comment saying that the image should be an inspiration, but even more should be the knowledge that a long path of practice brought that yogi there.
Yoga is composure, practice, flow and breath. I enjoy sharing the journey of each yogi and capturing a small part of it during my photoshoots.
