Inside the Gym: Photographing Monster Factory’s New Clothing Range
This shoot was something a little different from the photography I usually share through here, where much of my work centres around teaching, wildlife and landscape photography. However, commercial photography has always been another important part of what I do, and I work with a wide range of businesses and commercial clients creating professional imagery for their websites, social media, advertising and marketing. It’s nice occasionally to swap the great outdoors for something completely different — and this Monster Factory Clothing shoot was a brilliant example of that.
There are some commercial shoots where the location is simply somewhere to put the product, and then there are shoots where the location is part of the whole story.
Photographing the new clothing range for Monster Factory definitely fell into the second category.
For this shoot I headed into the gym with Mike, Josh and Daz to create a new set of commercial images showing the latest Monster Factory clothing where it actually belongs — being worn in a proper training environment.
And visually, it just worked.
Creating Images That Feel Like Monster Factory
Before I start any commercial photography shoot, one of the most important things for me is understanding what the finished photographs need to say about the business.
These weren’t clothes that needed photographing against a plain white background. Monster Factory has a strong, bold identity and the photography needed to have that same feeling.
The gym gave us exactly the right backdrop.
Weights, machines, steel, dark backgrounds and directional light all helped create an environment that complemented the clothing without taking attention away from it.
Rather than making everything look overly polished or staged, I wanted the photographs to have some grit and atmosphere to them while still clearly showing the different garments, colours, branding and fit.
Mike, Josh and Daz
Having Mike, Josh and Daz modelling the range also meant we could show the clothing properly rather than treating it simply as a product.
There’s a big difference between seeing a T-shirt or hoodie laid flat and seeing how it actually looks on someone.
Across the shoot we photographed a selection of the new Monster Factory range including T-shirts, training tops, hoodies, shorts and vests, with the three lads giving us very different looks and combinations to work with.
We created the stronger group photographs showing the range together, but I also wanted individual images that concentrated on particular pieces.
That gave Monster Factory a much more useful collection of photographs rather than twenty variations of essentially the same image.
Putting the Clothing Into Action
Once we had the cleaner product-led shots, we could start using the gym properly.
This is where the photographs really begin to feel natural.
Instead of asking somebody to pretend they’re training, put them on the equipment and let them train.
The clothing moves naturally, the body position makes sense and suddenly the photographs feel believable because they are believable.
It also gives the clothing context.
You can see how a vest sits during a movement, how an oversized T-shirt looks in a training environment and how the different pieces work as complete outfits.
For a fitness and lifestyle brand, those sorts of photographs can be incredibly useful because customers aren't simply buying a piece of material — they're buying into the look and identity surrounding it.
Commercial Photography Has to Be Useful
Something I’m always conscious of with commercial photography is that a great photograph isn't much use to a business if they can't actually do anything with it.
So throughout the shoot I'm thinking beyond the individual image. Could this work on the website? Could it become a social media post?
Is there enough space around the subject if somebody wants to add text?
Do we have portrait images for stories and reels as well as wider photographs for websites, banners and advertising?
Have we photographed enough detail to properly show the product?
Those decisions are part of a commercial shoot just as much as camera settings and lighting.
The aim is to finish with a library of imagery Monster Factory can keep drawing from rather than simply a handful of nice photographs.
Keeping the Brand Front and Centre
The Monster Factory branding is strong, so throughout the shoot I was constantly looking at where the logos were sitting, whether clothing was folding across them and how clearly individual pieces could be seen.
Sometimes moving an arm slightly or changing the angle of the body by a few degrees is the difference between the branding being lost and the photograph working perfectly.
Those are tiny details, but they're important.
The people in the photographs need to look good, but ultimately we're there to sell the clothing and promote Monster Factory.
That's always the priority.
A Shoot That Suited the Brand
I really enjoyed this one.
Mike, Josh and Daz were brilliant to work with, the gym gave us loads of possibilities and the clothing itself had enough variation in colour and style to keep changing the look of the photographs throughout the shoot.
More importantly, I think the finished images actually feel like Monster Factory.
Strong without being overdone. Real rather than overly staged. Commercial photographs that show the clothing clearly but still have atmosphere and personality.
And for me, that's exactly what good commercial photography should do.
If you run a business, clothing brand, gym or fitness company and need professional photography that actually reflects who you are — rather than generic stock-style imagery — I offer commercial photography through Stu Brown Photography, creating images specifically around your business, your products and where you need to use them.
Because the best commercial photographs shouldn't just look good - They should work for your business.
