Pole Fitness Photography Los Angeles | Black Kat Studios
Pole Fitness: More Than Just a Dance
Pole fitness has gained immense popularity in recent years, not only as a form of exercise but also as a means of self-expression and empowerment. This physically demanding and mentally challenging activity offers numerous benefits that can enhance your overall well-being.
What Happens When Strength Becomes Art
I have photographed a lot of women. Models, executives, athletes, dancers, new mothers, women celebrating milestones and women who just needed to see themselves clearly for the first time.
Pole fitness women are something else entirely.
There is a particular kind of confidence that comes from building something with your body over time. Not the passive confidence of being told you look good. The earned confidence of training for months, mastering something genuinely difficult, and discovering what your body is actually capable of.
That confidence photographs differently. And it is extraordinary to witness.
Kris
These images feature Kris, a pole instructor and 2024 IPSF PoleSport Professional Masters champion who has been competing and training since 2018. The strength and precision you see in these images did not come from a camera trick. It came from six years of work.
When you spend months and years developing strength, flexibility and artistry at that level the camera does not have to manufacture anything. It just has to be in the right place at the right time.
That is my job.
Follow her journey at @kris_onapole on Instagram.
One creative decision defined this entire session. Every image was backlit. No front fill, no traditional studio lighting. Just light behind the subject and shadow in front.
It was an artistic experiment and it paid off. Backlighting strips everything back to what matters most — shape, line, form and strength. There is nowhere to hide and nothing to distract. Just the body doing what it has trained for years to do, rendered in light and shadow.
It is one of my favorite sessions because it proved something I already believed. The most interesting images come from making a committed creative choice and following it all the way through.
Why Pole Fitness Women Are Natural Photography Subjects
Pole fitness requires the same things great photography requires , body awareness, intentionality, control, and a willingness to be fully present in the moment.
Women who train at pole fitness understand their bodies in a way that most people do not. They know their lines. They know their angles. They know how to hold a position with purpose rather than just falling into it.
That translates directly to extraordinary images.
It also means that a pole fitness session often goes deeper than the pole itself. The confidence you have built in the studio does not stay in the studio. It shows up in every frame , in the way you hold yourself, the way you occupy space, the way you look directly into a lens without flinching.
Documenting What You Have Built
Fitness changes. Bodies change. The version of you that can do what you can do right now will not exist forever in exactly this form.
That is not a sad thought. It is actually the most compelling reason to document it.
The images we create together are not just photographs of what your body looks like. They are a record of what you built, what it cost you, and who you became in the process. That deserves to be on a wall not just on an Instagram story.
What a Pole Fitness Session Looks Like
Sessions can be photographed at your pole studio. Many studio owners are happy to open their space for a private shoot so it is worth asking. You could even organize a shoot for your entire studio and make it a day ,a group experience where every woman walks away with images that celebrate what she has built. We can also work at select premium locations throughout Southern California depending on your vision. If you have a space in mind I will work with it. If you need suggestions I have options.
Professional hair and makeup is available as an add-on and is worth considering. The combination of the physicality of pole fitness with a polished finished look creates images that sit right at the intersection of athlete and fine art subject.
No experience in front of a camera needed. You already know how to perform. I will handle the rest.
Ready to document what you have built? Schedule your free consultation and let's talk about creating something extraordinary. 909-234-2711
Glamour Photography with a Burlesque Performer | Black Kat Studios Los Angeles
Behind the Scenes Glamour Photo Session with Cherry Gwendolyn at Black Kat Studios Upland CA by Rick Feldman Photography.
What Happens When a Showgirl Walks Into Your Studio
Some sessions surprise you.
The moment Cherie Gwendolyn walked through the door I knew this was going to be one of those sessions.
Cherie
Cherie is a Los Angeles showgirl, pinup performer and burlesque artist who has performed alongside Hailee Steinfeld, Chris Brown, Don Toliver, Anderson Paak and more. She is the kind of performer who has spent years learning exactly what her body can do and exactly how to use it in front of an audience.
What I did not fully anticipate was how completely that translates to the camera.
Follow her at @cherie.gwendolyn on Instagram.
Want to see the session in action? Watch the behind the scenes below.
Dancers Are a Different Experience
I have said before that the women who are most hesitant going in are often the ones who walk out the most transformed. Cherie was the opposite of hesitant. She walked in professional, warm, ready and completely at ease.
Performers know their bodies. They understand line, angle, expression and presence in a way that takes most people years to develop. Cherie did not need to be taught how to pose. She needed to be pointed in a direction and given the creative freedom to inhabit it.
What that means for a photographer is that you stop directing and start collaborating. The session becomes a conversation rather than an instruction. That is when the most interesting work happens.
When Glamour Becomes Vintage Glamour
Some sessions have a direction before you ever pick up a camera. This was one of them.
Cherie is a burlesque performer. That means the old Hollywood sensibility, the deliberate femininity, the theatrical confidence — that is not a style she puts on. It is who she is. The moment she walked in it was clear that this was never going to be a standard glamour shoot. It was always going to be vintage. It was always going to be cinematic. It was always going to have that pin-up edge.
I did not redirect the session. I just followed where she was already going.
The result is images that feel like they belong in a different era while still being completely, unmistakably her.
What This Session Taught Me
Shooting Cherie reminded me why I love this work. When a woman walks in already comfortable in her skin, already fluent in her own beauty, the camera becomes almost secondary. You are not creating confidence. You are just documenting it.
The result is images that feel effortless even though they are not. Every frame has intention behind it. Every pose tells you something about who she is.
That is what separates a great session from a good one. Not the equipment, not the location, not even the lighting. The person in front of the lens.
Glamour and Vintage Boudoir Photography in Los Angeles
If you are a performer, dancer, burlesque artist or entertainer who has been thinking about creating images that document who you are at this point in your career, I would love to talk.
Sessions are available at my private studio in Upland and at select premium locations throughout Los Angeles and Southern California. Professional hair and makeup available as an add-on.
No session brief required. Just show up and let's see what we make together.
Ready to start the conversation? Schedule your free consultation and let's talk about your vision. 909-234-2711
Glamour Photo Session with Cherry Gwendolyn at Black Kat Studios Upland CA by Rick Feldman Photography.