CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE September/October 2020 | Page 33

GREAT PRESENTATION
JUDI DOUGLAS - ZOOM IMAGE PROS
With shows scheduled for fall around the corner,
we thought we'd offer some tips as photographers
to help you with stage presentation resulting in
better photos of your competition.
As part of a team of official photographers
across Canada and the United States for the IFBB
Pro League, NPC, and the official photographers
for most CPA shows, we often talk about the
issues we have with photographing competitors
on stage with each other and those shooting for
magazines.
We are not judges so we cannot tell you that
our tips will result in better placings. What we
can tell you is that these tips will definitely
help the judges see you better and will result in
better photographs from the officials and any
magazine source.
Stage presentation is so important!!!!! All of your
hard work, sacrifices, early mornings, long days,
money spent, etc. to make it all happen all comes
down to minutes on stage. You have seconds to
impress judges, get stellar photos and stand out
against your fellow competitors.
Anytime you set foot on stage
• Remember your facial expressions. If you
are tired and it shows on stage, many times
it comes across as being bored or that you
don't want to be there. Even though you're
depleted and at the end of a long day and
even longer prep, this is your moment to
show case all of your hard work. This is YOUR
moment to shine. Try to make it look like
fun and if you are having fun, let that shine
through. This applies particularly to bikini
competitors, where your overall presentation
may be a deciding factor in your placing. But
for any category, you want to look like you can
hit the poses with ease and confidence. For
some categories like bodybuilding, classic
physique, and women's physique, you might
rather look menacing or intimidating rather
than all smiley-faced. That's OK too; just
don't look bored or disinterested.
• Make eye contact with the judges, audience
and photographers. Don't look down at
yourself as you're hitting your poses, unless
you're doing it no more than once or twice
for dramatic effect. If you are constantly
looking at yourself as you pose it gives the
impression that either you're self-absorbed
checking yourself out, or you're unsure about
your poses and need to check if you're doing
them properly. In photos, especially for
women, if you're wearing extra-long lashes
and you look down, it looks like your eyes
are closed. We cannot stop the show and
ask you to look up.
• Hold your poses long enough to be judged
and photographed. Many competitors get
on stage and nerves kick in. They start
moving and become afraid to forget their
"presentation routine" so they kick into
fast forward and do not stop moving. You
need to pause and hold your pose. Most
photographers are shooting at high speeds
and if we can't catch you standing still,
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