Karelle Edwards
Karelle Edwards is a Canadian 100m hurdler and five-time Canadian National Team member, having participated in:
- 2017 World University Games
- 2015 World University Games
- 2013 Francophone Games
- 2008 World Junior Championships
- 2007 World Youth Championships
Karelle is currently training for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. We joined her on the track in Los Angeles, California to photograph these great images.
The Purpose
We teamed up with Karelle Edwards to produce professional photography that would be used to enhance her professional sports brand just in time for her debut at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Our concepts fused professional athlete photography with athletic fashion photography, but in a way that looked and felt like lifestyle photography. To achieve this, we combined stills that showcase her personality, action shots that capture her athletic prowess, and poses that highlight her athletic wear. As artistic directors, we sat down with Karelle Edwards to conceptualize our shot list and ensure that our gallery would fully showcase her personality, skill, and sport. As marketing managers, we chose to integrate poses, settings, and postures that our target audience would gravitate towards, and that other marketers and brands would feel inclined to share or mimic.
The Challenge
Coming from a commercial background it is difficult guiding a professional athlete to pose and move the way you think they should. When mapping out the visuals, it’s easy to say pose this way or that because you know the photo will be beautiful. But from the athletes perspective, our artistic direction may not always represent the sport.
For instance, when posing Karelle to take off from the starting block, we wanted her shoes positioned so that the Nike logo would be clearly visible. It took some adjusting to get the right balance between the shot we envisioned and what would appeal to athletes. In the end, we achieved that balance. The image not only looks great but will also appeal to consumers shopping for sportswear in Sports Illustrated as well as amateur athletes looking for guidance in their sport. A lot of the challenges come down to what is proper and what is marketable. In the end, you have to trust the person (or people) you are working with. Every photo shoot is a partnership between professionals. That is how we operate. Karelle was great to work with and (unbeknownst to us) a keen artistic director, so all the challenges we faced were easily overcome.
Capturing a professional athlete in action is always a unique challenge. Getting the perfect shots demanded precision in timing Karelle’s dynamic movements, while ensuring her spirit and the brand remained prominent. It took several trials, a few resets, and dedicated efforts to flawlessly freeze her compelling actions into these stunning photographs. Our commitment to preserving both the essence of the athlete and brand identity culminated in a series of striking images that encapsulate her determination and athletic prowess.
