Client Spotlight: GG Studio's Brand Photography

One of my favorite parts of this work is when the personal and professional overlap and I get to photograph a friend and their vision coming to life.

Gabby George has been that friend for years. She’s supported me in my work, and I’ve loved watching her pour herself into health and fitness. She’s knowledgeable, motivating, and carries a story that deserves to be told.

So when she shared that she was launching a fitness app and needed branding photography, it was an immediate yes, and an honor to capture!

GG Studio

Gabby has been sharing balanced meals, wellness tips, and her iconic bridal arms workout on social media for years (highly recommend trying one of her workouts from TikTok). But for as long as I’ve known her, health and fitness have been far more than content. They’re a part of who she is. Not just on the surface, but holistically. She lives a life of wellness and invites others to do the same.

From the beginning, Gabby wanted GG Studio to feel approachable yet elevated and be a space that empowers people to move their bodies, not out of pressure, but out of joy. Translating that emotion through brand photography meant focusing on authenticity over perfection. The result is fitness photography that celebrates strength, femininity, and individuality all at once.

When she reached out about the launch of GG Studio (her new fitness app with sculpt, barre, and strength workouts) I was so excited for her and honored she asked me to be a part of the brand journey!

Her vision for GG Studio, and for this shoot, was anything but typical. It wasn’t about a polished wellness façade. It was about creating imagery that reflects her energy, her personality, and the feeling she hopes others carry into their own lives.

Bringing the Brand to Life

Gabby was so fun to work with for several reasons, but she also had her ducks in a row. She worked with an agency to nail her branding. My friend and colleague Mary Clare Kolbush captured video and we were able to work seamlessly as a team to bring her brand to life. Gabby did a really good job laying the foundation with clear goals and a vision for what she wanted her brand to evoke.

Collaboration is everything in fitness photography. From aligning on lighting to capturing the energy of movement, every creative on set contributes to the final brand story. When video, photo, and strategy all work in sync, you create a visual experience that mirrors what the brand actually feels like: dynamic, intentional, and alive.

Throughout the shoot, we played with movement and for the poses, we did the same poses over and over again until I felt like we captured the right shot.

We leaned into color and shadow, using contrast to give her brand a bold edge without losing the warmth at the center of it. Pops of pink added vibrancy, while her personality carried the images beyond style into substance and my lighting set up was pretty standard studio lighting so that it felt super professional and luxe. Every decision in a brand shoot (color palette, wardrobe, lighting) is an extension of the brand’s visual language. With GG Studio, the contrast and vibrancy mirrored the duality of the brand: strength and softness, grit and grace. That balance is what makes great brand photography resonate beyond the frame. It tells the viewer exactly who you are without saying a word.

This took us around 5 hours to photograph and we captured hundreds of photos which were organized by outfit and composition.

On Photographing New Brands

When you’re photographing a brand that’s just coming to life, you’re not just creating images, you’re building the foundation for how people will experience it. A big responsibility!

It’s easy to default to trends. Clean neutrals, moody shadows, pops of color. But the real work is asking: what does this brand need to feel like? Before you ever lift the camera, you have to listen. Pay attention to the language your client uses, the way they carry themselves, what excites them when they talk about their work. Even better if you have a chance to really get to know the client ahead of time. That's just one of the reasons, I really love when personal and professional mix: I deeply understand the vision and it's that much easier to bring the brand to life. In short - context is essential, so don't stop with just asking the surface-level questions!

Before every brand photography session, I like to spend time researching competitors and understanding where the brand fits within its industry. For fitness photography in particular, it’s easy to blend in with the same sleek studios and minimalist tones, but the challenge is creating something that feels fresh and true to the client. That groundwork shapes every creative decision on shoot day.

The goal isn’t to make the images look like every other polished brand shoot. It’s to give the visuals a voice that feels unmistakably theirs. Sometimes that means pulling back on your own signature style, sometimes it means pushing a little further than they thought possible. Either way, you’re translating the heart of the brand into a first impression. And it's your responsibility as the photographer to understand the emotions the brand aims to evoke, and bring those goals to life.

Working with Gabby reminded me why I love this intersection of photography and entrepreneurship. It’s not just about pretty images, it’s about capturing the spark of something new and giving it a visual language to stand on. There’s a rare kind of energy when a brand is just beginning, and as a photographer, you get to help shape how the world meets it for the first time!

That’s the honor of this work: translating ambition, vision, and heart into something people can actually see and feel. Whether it’s a fitness app, a restaurant opening, or a creative studio, those early images really define the brand overall.

A Note on Brand Photography

What I love most about this type of work is how it merges creativity and strategy. Brand photography doesn’t just document a product or service, it builds trust, shapes perception, and sets the tone for how an audience connects. Especially for new ventures like GG Studio, intentional imagery can be the difference between blending in and standing out.

And if you’re a brand standing at the start line, or a photographer stepping into that role, I would love to connect!