Oil Up — Ashly Anderson

Here is why the decision to oil up Ashly Anderson turned a standard shoot into something editorial. Ashly trains hard. You can see the separation in her delts and the striations in her quads. But dry skin eats light. No matter how many $2,000 strobes you set up, matte skin looks flat in two dimensions.

When the creative director first said, “Let’s oil her up,” I hesitated. In the world of portrait and fitness photography, “oil” can go one of two ways: cheap and greasy, or sculpted and divine. But with Ashly’s particular muscle definition and skin tone, this wasn’t going to be a gimmick. It was going to be a necessity. oil up ashly anderson

We walked away with images that looked like marble statues brought to life. So, if you ever get the chance to work with an athlete of her caliber, do yourself a favor: warm up the oil, grab a soft brush, and get to work. Here is why the decision to oil up

Pure luminosity. Have you ever used body oil for a photoshoot? Let me know your go-to brand in the comments below. But dry skin eats light

There’s a moment right before a photoshoot when everything goes quiet. The lights are diffused, the backdrop is set, and the only thing left to do is add the final texture to the canvas. For me, that canvas was Ashly Anderson.