Photographing a massage - behind the scenes with Ethica CBD.
On a recent lifestyle and product photography shoot, we got up close and personal with Ethica CBD’s brand new CBD infused massage oil. Shooting in a cosy, dark studio added a challenge or two to the mix but when the day was done we had a set of cracking photos and a wealth of CBD knowledge.
Ethica’s new CBD infused massage oil in the hands of SaunaPod studio’s louise.
If you’ve not heard of CBD by now it might be wise to look up and double check you’ve not been living under a rock. Having taken the health and fitness world by storm over the past few years, this clever little plant extract boasts an incredible portfolio of benefits and through its many forms offers remedies to no small number of life’s daily struggles. Coming from the cannabis plant, cannabidiol (or CBD for short) isn’t psychoactive, is perfectly safe to use and is most well-known for relaxing the mind and body, without any of the funny business you may imagine when thinking of its parent plant. When I was asked by Ethica CBD, a Cornish based company out to ensure ethically sourced CBD of the highest quality is available to all, to help them market a brand new massage oil, I jumped at the chance to get a close up look and see just how good this stuff really is.
The task was to organise a product photography shoot, building a deck of images which would stand as testament to the quality of the oil whilst also inspiring massage therapists to partner with Ethica and offer a new CBD service. So far so good I thought, commercial photography is a staple of my work and specifically product photography is something I know my way around very well. As it was a massage oil I’d be photographing, it stood to reason that we’d need a massage therapist, enter the very talented Louise from SaunaPod studio, and a volunteer model willing to be photographed in not much more than a towel. This was to be Gail Muller, who amongst her many accolades is a long distance hiker, public speaker, author, and Ethica ambassador. She’s lived with chronic pain for most of her life so her comments on the oil’s effectiveness are ones to stand by – and very fortunately for such an extremely intimate shoot, she’s someone I’ve worked with a lot in the past and feel fortunate to call a close personal friend.
Concerns of intimacy aside, there was still the slight hiccup that although I knew lifestyle and product photography very well, trying not to disrupt a relaxing massage treatment and still capture all the right shots was not something I had too much experience with. Nevertheless, I had a background in photographing on film sets which by its nature requires a photographer to be as non-disruptive as can be, and I had full faith that Gail and I knew each more than well enough for her to tell me if I things were getting a touch to close. With that in mind, we got cracking.
Gail with another Ethica product, their CBD sports gel.
I’ve not known Gail all that long, about 3 years at the time of writing, but anyone who’s fortunate enough to spend time with her quickly learns that times moves a little faster around Gail than the rest of us. Ever wrapped up in 4 tasks at once, she manages to squeeze more into the time she has each day than physics thought possible. In real terms that means that every minute you get with Gail feels like an hour of friendship. For Gail, it means that she’s constantly busy, always three steps ahead and rarely ever gives herself time to unwind. I’m sure she won’t mind me saying that other than sea swimming (which she does even in the depths of winter), reaching for the reset button and having some switch off time isn’t often a top priority for her. No matter who you are, everyone needs a moment every now and then to slip out from under the yoke of pressure we put on ourselves, both in our professional and personal lives, and recharge with a touch of self-care. An afternoon with Louise at SaunaPod studios was a perfect opportunity for Gail to take a second to breathe and for me to get some cracking shots for Ethica at the same time.
Arriving at Louise’s studio just outside Penryn is itself a part of the treatment. Close enough to the town that it’s easy to find, it’s just far enough away and buffered from the hubbub by a winding bank of trees to feel sublimely secluded. First up was a 30 minute session in Louise’s chromotherapy pod. If you’re not quite sure what that entails – I certainly didn’t –I’ll give you a quick rundown. Essentially, chromotherapy uses light, of various colours, to bring physical and mental healing. Causing vibrations at a range of frequencies deep in your body’s cells, it’s characterised by a deep relaxation and a stimulation of the nervous system which is thought to bring your hormones, brain, and body back into balance. For someone who, as a professional photographer, spends their time chasing, capturing, and trying to emulate perfect light conditions, I was fascinated by the idea that exposing skin to light could have such dramatic health benefits.
My enthusiasm aside, this part of the treatment was for Gail alone. Chromotherapy relies on light getting on as much of the skin as possible, so I twiddled my thumbs next door whilst Gail got into the pod, then came in to take a few photos of the lights playing across her face before leaving Gail and letting the pod work its wonders. Afterwards she told us that 30 minutes in there felt like an entire day lying on a hot beach, a cosy warmth having flooded her body and left in its wake a deep and lasting relaxation.
Gail in SaunaPod studio’s chromotherapy pod mid treatment.
Speedy beach day over, we were on to the star of the show, an upper body and facial massage from Louise using Ethica’s brand spanking new CBD massage oil. Designed especially for use by professional massage therapists the photo shoot was not only to capture images of it in use, but to field test the oil in the hands of a skilled practitioner. What ensued was 30 minutes of blissfully relaxing treatment, that even as I write this article, has me sinking a little deeper into my office chair just at the thought of it.
Now you might assume that this could be a little awkward, just you and a trusted massage therapist in a very intimate space, trying to relax whilst a photographer frequently punctuats the silence with the painfully stark staccato clack of the shutter. From the view of a professional photographer, it was actually an interesting challenge, forcing me to be acutely aware of how often I was hitting the shutter button, not a regular issue with product photography where volume is king and having every conceivable shot to play with later is almost always a given. Mercifully, both Gail and Louise assured me after that it wasn’t as distracting as it felt, and I can personally attest to just how hypnotic it was to watch Louise work. At one point I found myself following Louise’s instruction to take a deep breathe. Standing there, fully clothed with camera in hand as I was, I nonetheless almost felt like I was having a treatment myself. For that, full credit goes to Louise for having created such a serene space within her studio, and for the incredible talent she has for putting people at ease and eking out every drop of stress from mind and body.
Gail’s facial massage as part of her treatment with Louise.
As for actually conducting the photography shoot, light was a key concern, as it always is with any professional photography. Inside Louise’s studio is a sombre darkness which not only lends it an atmosphere of restfulness but makes it a veritable nightmare to photograph too. To ensure I could pick out my subjects and the oil without glaringly unsettling bursts of flash, I used soft boxes over the flashes to preserve the ambience and give me beautiful, diffuse light on the pair throughout the treatment. I also made sure to shoot with quite a wide aperture, not a usual tactic with product photography where you want to maximize details, but for this shoot I wanted to tell the story of the oil in use, lending a dream-like cosiness to the images with soft, blurred backgrounds. When it was over, I had a set of very considered photographs, which both highlighted the massage oil and communicated the peacefulness of SaunaPod studio’s massage room.
At this point my mind felt like treacle, having been following along with Gail’s treatment I’d inherited a good deal of second hand tranquillity and for Gail, it felt like having had the plug pulled on a tank of stress and tension. Louise was quick to mention that whilst the treatment went a little different than usual (my presence being the prime culprit), the massage oil was incredibly good. From her technical comments, it seemed clear that the oil was of fantastic quality, had excellent glide over the muscles, and resulted in top notch massages. Not to mention the myriad of added benefits that CBD brings along with it.
If you’re around the Penryn area of Cornwall I cannot recommend seeking out Louise enough, and for any massage therapists out there who are interested in a tried and tested massage oil loaded with the extra advantages of CBD, get in contact with Ethica to see if their oil is right for you.
See the full shoot here.