Bright, Natural Fitness Photography for Active Brands

Real Smiles, Real Sweat: Fitness Photography with a Bright Vibe

Not every fitness shoot has to be gritty and intense. Sometimes, what a brand really needs is a visual story that feels approachable, fresh, and full of life.

This blog post is a little collection of recent fitness images that lean into that lighter side—bright colors, natural light, real smiles, and real movement. These sessions are all about capturing people who genuinely love being active, whether that’s a high-energy group workout in the park or a personal trainer laughing between sets with a client.

Most of these images were shot using natural light and strobes to feel natural but polished, and I focused on letting moments unfold rather than forcing poses. When the energy is right, you don't need to fake anything. Real interaction and movement always look better than anything staged.

Whether you're a fitness brand looking to launch your next campaign, a local Denver trainer updating your website, or a gym owner who wants to show the personality behind the brand—this is the kind of work that speaks to people.

Bright. Positive. Real.

If your brand leans toward the uplifting, inclusive, and empowering side of fitness, I’d love to help tell that story with visuals that feel like your community.

Let’s make something that feels good - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Bold, Gritty Fitness Photography for Athletes and Gyms

Dark, Bold, and Powerful: Fitness Photography with Edge

Denver, Colorado

Not every fitness shoot needs to be light and sunny. Sometimes, what tells the real story is darkness. Sweat. Steel. The sound of a barbell hitting the floor.

This gallery is a look into the grittier side of my fitness photography—shot in Denver gyms, CrossFit boxes, and industrial spaces where intensity lives. These aren’t posed lifestyle images or clean studio headshots. These are raw, high-contrast photos that show real strength, real effort, and real people pushing themselves further than most ever will.

I use studio strobes to carve out contrast, shadows, and shape—so every image feels bold, sharp, and charged with energy. It's the kind of visual work that feels serious, because it is. Whether it's a personal trainer who wants to reflect the edge of their brand, or a gym that’s built its name on hustle, this style is about owning the grind.

That said, the process is always collaborative. I work closely with each client to create images that feel authentic—not staged. Every athlete, every coach, every gym owner I’ve worked with brings their own energy, and my job is to capture that energy in a way that aligns with their brand.

If you’re a Denver-based trainer, athlete, or gym looking for visuals that reflect the grit behind the work—you’re in the right place.

Let’s make something powerful.

Fitness photograph of athletes doing handstand walks at a gritty gym in Denver, CO

Black and white photograph of a girl and guy doing toes to bar at a Crossfit gym.

Photograph of an athlete preparing to deadlift

Fitness photograph of a guy and girl overhead pressing at a gritty gym in Denver, CO

Photograph of a male athlete deadlifting in a warehouse gym

Portrait of a Crossfit athlete at a gym

Two friends laughing after a workout in a CrossFit gym

3 people doing handstand walks in a warehouse gym

Black and white portrait of a Crossfit athlete

Photograph of an athlete pumping himself up to do squats at a Crossfit gym

Photograph of a girl doing ring dips at a gritty gym

Two Crossfit athletes warming up with a jog on a city street

A girl and guy embracing each other after a workout

An athlete overhead pressing at a warehouse gym

An athletic girl doing clean n jerks at a gritty gym in Denver, CO

Photograph of a male athlete straining while deadlifting at a warehouse gym in Denver, CO

Photograph of a guy doing ring dips as he friends watch

Black and white photograph of a girl rope climbing at a gritty gym

Two girls pound fists after an intense workout.

Photograph of exhausted athletes after an intense workout at a gritty Denver gym

Steph Curry

Couple images from a shoot a few months back with World Champion and NBA MVP; Steph Curry of the Golden Sate Warriors. This was my second shoot with Steph, and he's still cool as ever. The second shot was taken during filming of the Foot Locker commercials you've probably seen on tv, and done with all natural light. The first was done on white seamless with 5 strobes. The only place we were permitted to set up our seamless was outdoors. And at the very least, you always have to worry about wind taking up the seamless, or knocking down your strobes. Weather that day said 0% chance of rain. And of course it didn't rain all day, until we were a few minutes into our shoot. Then it just started pouring. Steph wasa good sport about it, and thankfully, we had already got what we needed. Some of my equipment on the other hand, took a small beating. Took quite a while to rip it all down, and get out of the rain. Everything was all good in the end though.These two images are my favorites, but certainly not what Foot Locker/Under Armour used for their store windows/ads.

Emmanuel Mudiay

Emmanuel Mudiay just went #7 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, and is now the newest member of the Denver Nuggets. I had the opportunity to shoot with his last month in LA for Under Armour. If you pay attention to hoop, you've probably seen all his "Life changes after the draft" commercials. Funny spots.Anyway, he's a good kid, and was fun to shoot with. Seemed very mature for his age, and handled all of his responsibility well. These shots below are from the 34th St. Foot Locker in New York City. It's always cool to see your stuff used like this. 

STAND UP PADDLE BOARDING-SAN DIEGO

Paddle Boarding Photography

Had some more fun in the water a few weeks ago with my Aquatech Water Housing and Broncolor Strobes.  Was originally hoping for some early morning light to shoot Carter Graves doing some stand up paddle boarding on Mission Bay. We didn't get the sun, but I'm thankful for that now. Think the clouds provide a more dramatic look and add a lot to these images. 

Carter Graves

Stand Up Paddle Boarding Photography

Photographs of an athletic girl paddle boarding in San Diego, Ca

Advertising photographs of a competitive Stand Up Paddle Boarder in San Diego, Ca

Photographs of a female professional long distance paddle boarder

Gritty photographs of a female professional long distance paddle boarder

Advertising photographs of a professional long distance paddle boarder by adventure photographer Rob Hammer

American Body Building

Body Building Photography - ABB Nutrition

Found out last week that the ABB "Build Greater" ad campaign I shot last year, won a Clio Award.

 "Honoring the best in sports advertising and marketing internationally, the awards are judged by the Who’s Who of the sports industry – from marketing executives and commissioners, to broadcasters and professional athletes.  The Clio Sports Award recognizes “breakthrough communications that elevate sports culture in the collective consciousness.”

It 's huge honor to be involved as other winners in this category are Nike, Reebok, ESPN, Gatorade, Foot Locker, NBA, NFL, and EA Sports. Everything about this shoot was awesome. The location, athletes, client, and agency were all great. Quad's Gym is a really old school joint in Chicago. The type of place that just doesn't exist anymore. We scouted it the day before, and I knew we would come out with some great stuff. My only complaint is that we didn't have a week to shoot, so we could take advantage of every little nook and cranny in the place. Everyone at ABB was awesome. And I gelled really well with "Take Third Street", which was the agency in charge. Would love to collaborate with the whole team again. 

Click here to check out more of my fitness photography

Basketball-San Diego

My favorite shots from a recent basketball lifestyle shoot in downtown San Diego. Good crew. Good times. 

Steph Curry- NBA MVP

Steph Curry was just named the NBA MVP. And it couldn't be any more deserved. If you have watched him play this year, then you know why. He's just operating at a different level. I shot this image of Steph last year for NIke Basketball and Foot Locker in Los Angeles. He was a pleasure to shoot with. Genuinely nice dude. Big fan of the "Dark Knight". 

PCT - California

Trail Running Photography

Pacific Crest Trail - California

Drive about an hour east of San Diego on the 8 and you'll find the Sunrise Highway. Explore up there for a bit, and you'll be happy you did. Lots of fun hiking with great views. Especially on this section of the Pacific Crest Trail. 

DeAndre Jordan

DeAndrea Jordan - Portrait

NBA - Basketball Photography

You never know where your images will get picked up. I shot with DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers) a few years ago, before he really blew up into the beast he is today. It was only his first or second year in the league, but you could already tell that he would be a force. Awesome to shoot with, as you can see from his energy in the pictures. Very willing, and has an infectious smile. Huge dude, but seams like a teddy bear off the court. I think he's my wife's favorite player, just because of his smilie. Anyway, these images from a couple years ago got picked up by another media outlet recently. And ran alongside an article about DeAndre, written by DeAndre. Pretty cool. 

You can check out the article here.