10 Things I Learned Shooting a Yoga Teacher Training
It was late October 2016 and I was living in San Luis Obispo, California interning for surf and adventure photographer, Chris Burkard, when I got the phone call. “Hey buddy! How are things with your internship?…” Steph Winsor, an assistant for Eoin Finn, went on to invite me to shoot Eoin’s yoga teacher training (YTT) in Bali, Indonesia for the month of April going into the beginning of May 2017. After a near five month internship, my time with Burkard ended in December 2016 and I spent the next few months of 2017 getting ready to shoot Eoin Finn’s Blissology 200-Hour YTT in Canggu, Bali. After over 30 hours of travel each way from North America to Southeast Asia, Bali-Belly (the inevitable stomach flu you catch in Bali), 300+ chaturangas, and thousands (and I mean thousands) of photos later, I am back Stateside with a list of the ten things I learned shooting a yoga teacher training.
#1. ORGANIZATION
As a photographer, I feel this is single handily the most important thing for any storyteller to work on, not master because no one can master a perfect system (if you do have it mastered please call me). I brought four 64 GB SD cards for my Sony a7RII and filled at least one per day or every other day while backing the photos up on two separate Seagate external hard drives. While shooting the month-long training (or whatever your circumstance may be if you’re not shooting a YTT or the time of training differs), it is important to have multiple cards available for private shoots, shots of the training, or ready to go if you see an epic moment and you want to pull the Honda Scoopy scooter over on the busy side street of Bali to capture a moment. In addition, creating an availability calendar for the students at the training to book private shoots consisting of headshots and yoga poses for their own personal portfolio will help put some extra cash in your bank account. Be conscious of their intensive schedule (and yours), try to aim for the early mornings before the training starts so they aren’t exhausted to shoot at the EOD after four hours of posture breakdown and 5 hours of lecture and yoga philosophy.
Recap: Time management and file organization is the key to success while shooting on any assignment.
#2. STEALTH MODE INITIATED
Nothing ruins the vibe during meditation, lectures, or savasana a.k.a Corpse Pose, as much as a shutter clicking away. One of the many beauties about switching over to the Sony Alpha mirrorless system was the option for ‘silent shooting’ mode which really came into my benefit. Many of the students commented on how quiet I was during the training during the yoga practice or during the other intimate times of the training. Having a quiet camera is only one aspect. Having body awareness is a whole other one. Be mindful of the flow and know where and when you should be somewhere to get the shot. I do not call myself a yoga guru or photographer expert (yet)but I do have my own 225-Hour YTT certification. I have enough personal experience and knowledge during the practice to be able to anticipate the next sequence of poses and where I should creep and crawl to so that I can get the shot I want or get the shot I am being paid to capture. One of the best things I learned from shooting yoga on a Canon DSLR before getting my Sony was to slow myself down while taking photos, and to shoot quality over quantity because I knew every shutter click was audible. So, if you are shooting on a DSLR with no option for ‘silent shooting’, slow down and really take the extra time to pick your moments.
Recap: Body awareness is necessary while slipping between yogis on their mats during a sequence. Anticipate and understand the flow, and do your best not to distract or interrupt. Like they say at the theaters, Silence is Golden.
#3. ZERO PROCRASTINATION
From the moment you land, arrive, and show up, it’s on. The photos from each day of the training accumulate very quickly, then on top of that, you add the private sessions, and any files from your local adventuring or exploring and before you know it you have one or two cards to go through – tonight. Create a system that works for you. One of the single best things I learned while being an intern for Chris Burkard was getting to see and experience how he organizes imagery.
I was able to implement certain sections of his organizational methods and apply them to my own system. Did it work? Yes. I was able to comfortably manage all my files daily, but there is always a better way of doing things. Be patient and make sure you get at it right away or you will fall behind.
Another aspect of zero procrastination has to do with booking private shoots with the students. I was already booking privates day two of the month-long training. But, *most* (95%) of the students did as I expected and waited until the last several days of the training to book privates. You need to be aware of your time, as much as theirs. If you’re too busy, or don’t have time, you’re not helping anyone and you’re losing money. So, anticipate that people will wait until the last minute and encourage people to be proactive, and follow up with people early! My time (if unorganized and if I procrastinated daily) would have been spent frantically trying to finish everything and make sure it was set before the end of the contract, which was the last day of the one-month long teacher training.
Recap: Find a balance and have a healthy urgency to get students to book private shoots early on so you don’t have to re-experience your college career and cram the night before it’s due.
#4. NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS, RIGHT?
Not necessarily is it true that no news is good news. Typically, I have found that as a photographer, you need to check in with your client. I made a point from day one to check in daily, or just about, to ensure that everyone was on the same page. You have to be ‘Semper Gumpy’ (military for always flexible) at a YTT because not everything goes as planned or as scheduled. The more you talk and check in with the person(s) who hired you, the more likely open they will be about your work and the more likely they may add a bonus or re-hire you at the end of the job.
It is important to ask them how they are liking your work, and if there is anything you can do better or differently. I personally had to log into their company Dropbox and upload a quota of images every other day. I uploaded basically every day and went well above my quota. Why the extra work you may ask? I knew that the students would appreciate seeing the extra photos and use them as an educational supplement during their training for alignment and they are great for morale. Eoin and Insiya (Blissology Yoga) loved seeing the extra photos and continued to give me praise daily. It helped me grind harder when it got exhausting and tough in later days of the training.
Recap: Have a written expectations list from your client as to what they expect to see from you and your imagery throughout the training and be the one to initiate a conversation about it if any changes are needed. Being open and honest is important for maintaining positive communication.
#5. MAKE IT PERSONAL
Because I already went through a teacher training I had an idea of what to expect. Sure mine was from a different company and we had different posture breakdowns and talks about philosophy, but I still knew the gist of what was going to occur during the intensive month at this teacher training in Bali. I was able to use my training from Holy Yoga (the company I got my 225-Hour certification through)and apply it mentally and physically in most, if not all situations, so I could be on the same page as the 40 students to meet them on their mats as they were, to capture the raw and true emotion of their teacher training. Being able to experience my own training then able to experience it but from behind a camera, was such a valuable and educational perspective. Enriching myself in their training brought me close to them so I felt like I wasn’t an odd man out. I felt like I was one of them going through their training without actually going through their training. I was able to form deep friendships and made sure to get involved as much as I could during the hours we were together at the shala (yogi term for studio) and outside of the training. I formed incredible bonds with so many people and when it came time to shoot them whether in a group during a flow or a private shoot, I knew how to shoot them because I knew their personalities.
Recap: Make personal connections with the teachers, assistants, and students to capture their journey through the training that will best exemplify their personal transformations.
#6. EXPERIENCE AND CAPTURE IT ALL
There is something to be said about quality and not quantity when it comes to getting the shots. If you have a quota or how ever you have it worked out, you don’t want to miss the little things during the training. It is yoga after all and chances are high that the company you are shooting for will be understanding if you want to jump in and stretch out your body- I will bet you a kombucha that the teacher who is leading the training will actually ask you to put the camera down and get on your mat. So go ahead and stretch out your body, when it is appropriate. Just make sure you have your trusty side kick nearby for when a special beam of light shines through the shala and you look up in updog and happen to see it. Focus on also capturing the details of the training, the shala that the training is at, the students, the food, the culture etc.. You became a photographer to capture memories and experiences, don’t let yourself be caught up in the contract while you are out shooting it.
Recap: The little things add up to be pretty big things. You will think you will remember it all or that you may not need to take a shot of the old lady who delivers everyone’s laundry via scooter, but chances are when students buy photos off you they will really appreciate years down the line that you had taken the detail shots that others did not think were important.
#7. READING THE SITUATION
It does not matter who you are or where you are, every single YTT is emotional and a pilgrimage for those who attend. Have your head on a swivel like a hockey player rushing the puck up ice and be mindful of your next move or shot. There are about two or three things that are guaranteed to occur at any YTT and number one is yoga, and the second most occurrence is the tears. It is beautiful to emotionally support someone next to you as they have a break through with their physical yoga practice and tear up, or come to a deep life realization, perhaps they let go of something that was weighing them down for years and this is their first time opening that up. Be respectful of those situations and be prepared because they are heavy and will happen. Pick and choose what to shoot and when to shoot that emotion, only you will know in that specific moment if it is appropriate or inappropriate.
Recap: Be mindful of the emotions throughout the yoga teacher training, and know when to give respectful space to the students who need it.
#8. ZESA (BALANCE)
If your training is an intensive month long like the one I shot, or it is a 10-day retreat like my personal YTT retreat, try to get creative. I know it is cliche to say but seriously, think outside of the box and by box I mean the yoga shala. Shots will start to look the same as you frame the subjects. Explore the surrounding area if you have time (this fits in with the organization and procrastination points I made) and try new things within and outside of the spaces that you are working with. I was able to bring students to the beach, rice fields, and other creative spaces outside our shala called Samadi II in Canggu.
Recap: Get creative within and outside of your working space to maximize your true potential and ability to get original imagery.
#9. GEAR
I already briefly covered my SD cards but for the rest of my gear, the biggest tip I have is making sure you have enough charged batteries on you. Since my assignment was out of the country I had to make sure that every wall charger I had there was an outlet adapter, and had three extra batteries charged at all times. I had a total of eight batteries along and two wall chargers. In addition of my Sony a7RII, I had a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens and a Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens. I brought with me my Manfrotto tripod and had the blessing of using bags from my gear sponsor, 3V Gear to carry all my gear efficiently in. I had a 4TB Seagate external hard drive and a 2TB Seagate external hard drive. I would back everything up from my 2TB onto my 4TB daily.
Recap: Gear is obviously the most important part of shooting successfully. Be diligent in cleaning, operating, and maintaining your investments. You have to be willing to invest in yourself to be successful in this field.
#10 SUCCESS IS WHERE PREPARATION AND OPPORTUNITY MEET -Bobby Unser
I found success on this assignment because I was able to be prepared and ready for opportunities to come before I got the contract, and even when I was there. I had no idea that taking the opportunity to shoot for Blissology in Bali would lead to shooting for Lululemon. Although Eoin is a global ambassador for Lululemon, it turned out that there was an opportunity that opened and because of my preparation, organization, lack of procrastination, and the quality of my content bettered itself daily, I was blessed to find success. I believe that my efforts showed and that I will have more opportunities with Blissology, Lululemon, and more, as I am not limiting my true potential.
Recap: When someone knocks with an opportunity, make the best of it and breathe because no matter how experienced you are there is always something more to learn.
Click here for my website and here for my Instagram.
