I thought that I’d write some blog posts leading up to the Olympics about some of the athletes that I got a chance to know a bit and photograph at the Olympic Media Summit in May. Gwen has a great story as she told me she is an accountant and just recently started this whole Olympic training thing!! Now, she is one of our medal favorites!!
That just goes to show you how hard work, talent, and determination can take you far in life!
A special thanks to Darryl Briggs for all of the “behind the scenes” photos! Here are the first ones we did inside.
And how a similar shot of mine ran in USA Today’s July 16th, issue…
Since a lot of you might not know Gwen yet, she was kind enough to recently answer some fun questions about herself…
Question – What is your favorite TV show?
Gwen – Believe it or not, I don’t have TV or Cable, but I do enjoy watching New Girl, Modern Family, and 30 Rock or anything on the Food Network when I travel and have time to watch some TV.
Question – What/Who is playing in your headphones these days?
Gwen – I love to listen to music while I cook….mostly country
Question – What was your experience like being photographed by Kevin in Dallas?
Gwen – I had a great time. Kevin made it easy and relaxing. It was super fun and he made me look like a movie star (without make-up!)
Question – If you could only have one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Gwen – I can only have one?! Oh man, that’s too tough…but I rarely go a day without Peanut or Almond Butter
Question – Are you a PC or Mac person?
Gwen – Good question. I have one of each!
Question – Where would be your ideal vacation spot?
Gwen – A place where the food is different and delicious!
Question – How old were you when you started training for your sport?
Gwen – I started swimming competitively at age eight and have been running my whole life. I started triathlon in 2010.
Question – If you could own any car in the world, what would it be and why?
Gwen – Any Honda! Right now I have David Hobbs’ Honda Insight and love it – It’s hatchback so I can fit my bike into it easily, and it’s eco-friendly because it’s a hybrid
We had fun on the photoshoot and I really enjoyed some of the more casual shots as Gwen’s personality really shines through on those photos! I shot the outdoor photos with all natural light and no flash or reflectors since we had to hurry and shoot pretty quick.(These athletes ALL had CRAZY schedules!!)
It’s just a habit for me to explain posing to whomever I am working with as I always want my subjects to look the most flattering in my photos! While it’s not possible to sometimes catch someone in their best light during the heat of competition, portraits allow us the opportunity to make our subjects look great.
Gwen was absolutely laid back and wonderful to work with during the photoshoot. Consider me a new fan and I’m sure she will do America proud in London!