HEalth and well being - Yoga with Kate Suffolk
I have actually known Kate for a very long time so I was thrilled when she asked me to work on some photography with her to help her launch her new career. It is so much more than a simple career change - for Kate, her journey into Yoga is about so much more - it's a complete lifestyle change.
Kate's full time day job is incredibly stressful and work like that takes it toll. Realising she needed a change, Kate discovered yoga and boldly took herself off to India to learn more about it and fully immerse herself in its mental and physical benefits. Having completed months of training at the Atmavikasa Yogic Centre in Mysore, India, Kate is now back in the UK and ready to pass on what she's learned.
The photography brief was to generate imagery for her online profile on her new employers' websites and her own social media platforms. For Kate, yoga is not about pretentious, complex poses - it's about peace, health and well-being, and having some breathing space from the stresses of everyday life. It's about giving yourself the opportunity to heal and recharge, both mentally and physically. And the photography needed to reflect this.
We decided on some simple portraits that were true to Kate's character (you only have to meet Kate once and you’ll immediately feel relaxed in her company) along with some simple looking poses to inspire people to come along to her classes to try it out.
Our location was a gorgeous little studio in East Grinstead that was actually to be the venue for some of Kate's forthcoming classes, Yoga Akasha. The studio was light and bright with a fantastic whitewashed brick wall spanning the back of the room. Despite the rainy day, we were also keen to inject a bit of nature into our imagery and so ventured out into the countryside in search of a couple of spots to do some simple poses.
The result was a good mix of imagery that has the versatility to be used across purposes. It was also amusing watching Kate sliding about in the mud!
About Kate Suffolk
You can catch Kate's classes at the Yoga Akasha studio in East Grinstead http://yogaakasha.co.uk/kate-suffolk/ and at the Ravenswood Hotel in Sharpthorne. You can follow Kate's journey via her blog: katesyogajourney.wordpress.com