The Yogini

The Yogini
Swami's beach, San Diego, CA
January 2011

To finish off the series, I chose a more playful candid.  I just like way Cynthia's personality comes through in this photo.

Read more

Virabhadrasana I

Virabhadrasana I
Swami's beach, San Diego, CA
January, 2011

Another atmospheric shot, focusing on the spiritual side of yoga.  "Warrior I" also happens to be one of my favorite, for its deep stretch of the torso and hip flexors.

Read more

Tadasana

Tadasana
Swami's beach, San Diego, CA
January, 2011

A centering pose, used at the beginning, to bring the breath under control, focus the mind, and set an intention for the day's practice.

Very spiritual.  I think it shows in her face.

Read more

Tittibhasana

Tittibhasana
Swami's beach, San Diego, CA
January, 2011

This is my favorite shot of the group.  It blends strength, focus and the warm glowing light of the setting sun so nicely.  The only downside is that, unless you know the pose, it's not totally obvious that this is another arm balance pose.  Her body is fully off the ground, balanced on her hands.

This is another I'd like to try again, with a narrower depth of field to place even more emphasis on Cynthia's face.

Read more

Parsva Bakasana

Parsva Bakasana
Swami's beach, San Diego, CA
January, 2011

That Cynthia can do this amazes me.  She tells me it's actually easy, but if I tried this, at my current weight, I'd break both my wrists right before I face-planted into the sand.  Just wow.

I love the emphasis this photograph places on her athleticism and grace.

Read more

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana
Swami's beach, San Diego, CA
January, 2011

I love this photograph.  It's all about focus.  And I like the composition of the picture very much too.  I'd like to try this again, with a shallower depth of field, to see if I'd like it better with more focus on her face.  Maybe next time we'll it again.

Read more

Ardha Chandrasana

Ardha Chandrasana
Swami's beach, San Diego, CA
January, 2011

Second of eight from the yoga photo shoot with my friend Cynthia.

With this detail shot I tried to emphasize her athleticism, and the focus with which she practices yoga.  She remains serene throughout each sequence.

Read more

Utthita Trikonasana

Utthita Trikonasa
Swami's beach, San Diego, CA
January, 2011

I've been studying yoga for a couple of years now.  OK, "studying" is a pretty strong word considering how infrequently I get to class these days, but I love it all the same.

My teacher and good friend, Cynthia Miranda, is working on a blog of her own.  She asked me to photograph her, both to demonstrate various yoga asanas (poses), and to try to capture the spiritual side of yoga.

We went down to Swami's beach about an hour before sunset.  Early in the shoot, the light was cold and blue, but soon the sun found a gap in the clouds and came shining through, warm and glowing.

This first shot captures both the beauty of the asana and the atmospheric locale.

Read more