Fitness Photography

Fitness Photographer

With all the ups and downs of commercial photography, there is one thing I never want to stray away from, and that’s fitness photography. No matter what is going on in your life, fitness should always be an answer. Have a bad day? Go work out. Bad week? Go sweat. You never regret working out, but as they as, you’ll always regret not working out. Sort of comparing apples to oranges, but I also get an immense amount of satisfaction from documenting others working out. Just being a fly on the wall for the sufferfest is almost as good as getting my own sweat.

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Denver Fitness Photography - Person doing a kettlebell workout with a tattoo that reads "Strive for Greatness" on his back.

Fitness athlete with a tattoo that reads “Strive for Greatness”

A person working out in an empty warehouse gym

Denver Fitness and Health Photography

Denver Fitness Lifestyle Photography - A guy working out with kettlebells at Bear Republic Gym. San Diego Fitness Photography.

Fitness Photography - Denver, CO

An athlete with large blisters on his hands after an intense workout. Denver Fitness Photos.

Health and Fitness Photography - Denver, CO

Two girls high five each other after an intense workout in a gritty gym.

Health and Fitness Photography -Denver, CO

Photograph of an athletic girl siting on a medicine ball after an intense workout at a Crossfit gym.

Fitness Lifestyle Photography

Colorado Fitness Photographer

Health and Fitness Photoshoot - Boulder, Colorado

If you’re in the fitness world then chances are you follow brands like Rogue, Nike, 2XU, Rhone, and Reebok because of the guaranteed stream of fitness related content. They are easy follows. I realized a while back that I’m a hard follow. My photography is focused on my interests, which are quite varied. Just look at the blog post previous to this one. It leads off with an older women in a white fur jacket and hat riding her bicycle down a cobblestone street in a postcard European town. So what does that have to do with gritty images of an athletic girl working out? Nothing other than both subjects interest me. Admittedly the woman riding her bike could be classified as a fashion photograph, a subject that bores the hell out of me. I’d classify it more as a culture or travel photo though. The point is, if you’re following someone like me, it’s because you like my photography, not necessarily all of the subject matter. People will always say “you have to specialize”. Why? It certainly make it easier to market yourself that way, but why limit yourself to shooting one subject matter your whole life? I love photography and using it for various purposes like documenting life, not just to create ad campaigns for clients. That’s fun too, but there’s got to be more than that. Stay tuned for the next post on a subject unrelated to fitness that will no doubt preach about the value of personal project, again……

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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


Fitness Photographer for Wellness Brands

Authentic Campaign Photography for Health, Fitness & Supplement Brands

Some shoots stick with you—and this one definitely did.

This project was created for GNC, shot at Unbreakable Performance Center in Los Angeles. The goal was to create strong, authentic visual content that aligned with GNC’s mission: fueling strength, inside and out. The story behind the people in front of the camera made that mission come to life in a powerful way.

One of the athletes featured was Kirstie Ennis, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, amputee, and all-around badass. She's an adaptive athlete, mountaineer, and motivational speaker—and someone whose presence in front of the camera is both powerful and humbling. She doesn’t just show strength—she redefines it.

Alongside her was Jay Glazer, founder of Unbreakable and a force in both the sports and wellness worlds. His gym is home to elite athletes, fighters, and celebrities—but more than that, it’s a space that’s all about building both physical and mental toughness.

For this shoot, I focused on clean, brand-forward imagery with impact. We used Unbreakable’s raw and gritty environment as a backdrop, while keeping the lighting and compositions sharp and intentional. The visuals had to reflect real movement, real muscle, and real power—because that’s what the brand (and these subjects) are all about.

If you're a nutrition or wellness brand looking for visuals that feel grounded in real people, real athletes, and real stories—I’d love to talk. Whether your shoot calls for high-performance energy or quiet strength, I bring the same mix of professionalism, collaboration, and grit to every project.

Click here to see more of my athlete photos.

Denver Fitness Photography

Fitness Photo Shoot

Last night we were hit with an official “Stay Home” quarantine due to the Coronavirus. What the hell does that have to do with fitness? A lot actually. The virus is hitting the whole world with effects that will last well past the next couple weeks or months. People will lose their jobs, and worse, their business’. It’s heartbreaking to think about all the small business’ out there that could possibly crumble from this pandemic. We are all restricted from living normal lives in order to restore order, and really, health. The stress that all of this will cause is much higher than most are used to. The one thing we can control however is activity. All of the normal places we turn to for fitness are closed down and for good reason. That’s not a reason to become sedentary however. Quite the opposite. If anything, this is a time when we should all turn to activity and physical fitness. Not just because of the obvious, but because of the emotional advantages it can give you. I’ve always been a believer in the positive effects working out can have on the mind and in relieving stress. So it’s time to get creative in how we all do this. Most of us are now faced with too much more free time , and the worst thing we can do is sit on the couch watching TV and stressing out about the current situation. Fitness helps everything. All aspects of life. Get creative.

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Advertising Photography Indonesia

Gudang Garam Cigarettes

A while ago I had the pleasure of traveling to Indonesian to shoot an ad campaign for a client. Traveling and photography are my two favorite things, so this was a great experience on a lot of levels. One of the biggest being that the cultural differences were so far from what we have here. The client I went over for is the #1 cigarette company in Indonesia (Gudang Garam), and the shoot was entirely fitness based with a slogan of “NEVER QUIT”. That would never happen in America. A cigarette company in the states would never do a fitness shoot, certainly not with that type of slogan. Smoking over there is just a way of life though, so nobody real thinks twice about it. Personally I’m not a smoker, but I tried one of the cigarettes and it was kind of enjoyable. Not like the harsh cigarettes we have here. They are more flavored and easy to smoke. Probably like a clove if I were to compare it to anything. I’ll be posting some of the actual images from the shoot later on, but below are a couple things I pulled off the internet of my images in the wild around Indonesia.

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GudangGaram.jpg

Fitness Photography

Multiple Exposure Fitness Photography

The box jump is an exercise that I find strange to photograph. For some reason the images always just seem boring. So why not play around a little?

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Colorado Fitness Photographer

Health and Fitness Lifestyle Photography

Been a long time since I’ve posted some commercial work, but here are a couple outtakes from a shoot I did for UK based fitness apparel company Gym Shark. They make really nice stuff and gave me a lot of freedom to shoot pretty much on my own, which I always love. The athlete just did his thing and I did mine. No real staging of any kind. Good times.

To see more of my fitness images click HERE.



Denver Crossfit Photography

Denver, Colorado Crossfit Photographs

Black and White

More experiments with sweat. As always, just looking for those different angles.

To see more of my CrossFit/Fitness images click here.

CrossFit - Denver, CO

CrossFit Photography - Denver, Colorado

Photographing CrossFit athletes in Denver is an exhilarating challenge that combines technical skill with artistic vision. It’s about more than just capturing movement; it’s about telling the story of resilience, effort, and achievement. Whether you’re shooting in a gritty gym or against the vibrant Denver skyline, every image is about freezing powerful, fleeting moments that embody the spirit of the sport. From the explosive power of a box jump to the intensity in an athlete’s eyes as they push through a personal record, every frame tells a story.

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San Diego Fitness Photographer

Bear Republic Crossfit

Can't ever see becoming sick of shooting CrossFit. It's too real, which means that it never gets boring.  There is never a need to stage anything. You just let everything happen in front you and do your best to capture it. Real sweat. Not that from a spray bottle bullshit. 

www.robhammerphotography.com/crossfit