Christy has been training me for years. So when she asked me to shoot her personal branding, I already knew what I was working with: high energy, zero tolerance for wasted time, and a laugh that fills the room. What I didn’t fully appreciate until we started shooting was just how much visual range her two businesses would demand.
Christy runs a personal training business and a corporate leadership coaching practice. Same person, different worlds. The brief was to make both feel real, and to find the thread that runs through them. That thread turned out to be easy to spot once we were rolling. It’s connection combined with outcomes. Every single thing Christy does is pointed at a result for someone else.
The Fitness Side
We started in the gym, which felt right. This is where Christy started her business journey and where she is completely in her element. Part of Christy’s personal training business involves looking after older (and wiser) Australians, helping them stay functionally fit. The joy in those images wasn’t manufactured. You could see the connection between Christy and her clients. That’s not something you can direct or fake. You either have it or you don’t, and Christy has it in abundance. It’s her real edge, and I think these photos show exactly why her clients keep coming back.
The Business Side
We transitioned outside for the leadership coaching side of things. One photo needed to show a visual link from the gym to the leadership side of things. Pyrmont gave us good variety without having to travel far, gardens, stairs, rooftops. Christy was a little nervous at the start of the day. Most people are, even when they know the photographer. But she shook it off fast, and by the time we hit the outdoor locations she was giving me everything – even a touch of attitude. Confident, present, a little bit playful. Exactly who she is.
Christy loved the images, which mattered to me more than usual given that she took no prisoners (with a smile) in the gym studio. I quite enjoyed being in charge for a change. What I’m most pleased with is that the two sides of the shoot feel like the same person. The fitness trainer and the leadership coach are not separate identities she switches between. They’re both Christy: focused on outcomes, genuinely connected to the people she works with, and impossible not to like.
If you’re interested in branding / headshots photography, reach out. We’d love to hear from you.
Our collaborative partners:
- Other: Christy Smith · @christy_smitz · mtacademy.au
Location: Pyrmont, NSW