As mentioned in my first blog (thanks for all the comments/messages on that) I wanted to talked about one of the newer aspects to my business, the transformation shoot.
Transformation shoots have gotten some bad press recently using before and after images and they can be abused by many people especially to make sales and transformation shoots are not for everyone, either coaches or clients. However in all shoots I have carried out in this area, a transformation shoot is the culmination of a journey and I am a firm believer that the journey is often more important than the destination. Every journey will have it’s up and downs but having that accountability will spur you on to the end.
There are so many reasons why someone will chose to embark on a transformation and all of them I believe are positive:
- Build confidence
- Set a challenge
- Learning to love your body in all aspects (body confidence)
- Sense of achievement
As with anything the harder you work at something, the prouder you are of it, regardless of the outcome. Dedicating everything you have towards a goal can be very rewarding and will often be a journey of self-discovery. “Wow! I didn’t know I could do that!”
“Often the reason we set out upon a journey is not the same reason that encourages us to finish it.”
Of course the reason you set out on a transformation might not be the one you achieve at the end, it could be that you set out to overcome something from your past or to prove people wrong but you end up with a love for the process and the industry and chose to pursue that as a career. One thing I learnt from my own transformation was that people’s opinions of looked weren’t of any value to me anymore, it was how I felt about myself.
Transformations are about routines, sticking to things when they are hard to gain that sense of achievement. You may have to track foods, which leads you learn more about nutrition which can potentially change your outset for life and not just the transformation period. You will try new foods, learn to prep food, writing food lists which will make you more efficient with your time and money.
A transformation shoot acts as the social and financial accountability that you may need to get you over that final hurdle. You will want to look as good as you can in those images, you have paid for that shoot and you will want them to show how hard you have worked. To show your friends and family that this was the reason you couldn’t make that night out or have that take away. Transformation shoots take weeks and weeks of hard work, dedication and sacrifice, getting those professional images at the end is a well-earned reward (the icing on that cake you have been eyeing up!).
The truth is most people’s condition at a photoshoot is not sustainable but people most transformation clients develop a better relationship and understanding of food. They discover what they are capable of when they set their minds to something, a sense of achievement when they complete something they never thought was possible of themselves. They uncover a balance between food, training, work and social life that they can apply to their lives going forward. Many clients don’t train or track food as much following a transformation but know what can be achieved when they really want it.
So for me a transformation is a journey of self-discovery and the photoshoot at the end is that final fear, like jumping out of a plane. You have worked relentlessly for weeks but standing in a gym with your top off or in a sports bra is the final challenge to overcome. That final moment to prove to yourself you have done everything you could, here is the result of all my hard work and I am proud of it. Have one of your proudest moments captured through the lens of a professional photographer.
The photos you get back from the shoot act as social proof and maybe inspire others to embark on their own journey. They will also act as a lasting reminder of what you are capable of or be a marker for the first step of a longer journey
Often the reason we set out upon a journey is not the same reason that encourages us to finish it.