Yvens B enjoys getting to know the subjects in front of his camera, then telling their story through pictures—whether it’s more buttoned-down corporate portraits or a deep dive into his specialty, sports and fitness and activewear. “There’s an incredible tree of opportunity that comes with the latter subject matter,” he says. “I can start with a bit of fashion and end up with high-octane portraits of either the product or the athlete.”

Yvens also appreciates the mutual benefit of having conversations with subjects who are deeply passionate about their chosen sport. “Even having a glimpse into the brains of high-level athletes is a great reflection on what it takes to perform at such a high level,” he says.

To assist in these supercharged sessions, Yvens relies on what he calls his “Tamron trinity”: the Tamron 70-180 mm F/2.8 DI III Zoom telefoto VC VXD G2, o 28-75 mm F/2.8 DI III Zoom padrão VXD G2e o 35-150 mm F/2-2.8 DI III Zoom tudo em um VXD, all for his Sony mirrorless camera system. “This trio covers the entire range of a production,” he says. “I isolate the best features of each lens to pick the right tool for every job.”

DICAS RÁPIDAS DO YVENS

Determine what to highlight.
The first thing I always ask is: Who’s it for, and what’s its purpose? It’s easy to forget sometimes, but in commercial photography, the main goal is to create images that help a business sell. Once I know what’s important, I build the shot around those elements, adding little touches to make them stand out. There are lots of ways to highlight a product, via its positioning, how you light it, or what have you.

Get your subjects into the groove.
The first thing I do is make sure the athletes fit the mold of the shoot. Casting is very important: I won’t make a dancer lift weights, for instance. A true athlete will have repeated the required movement thousands of times if we cast right. By having the athletes perform movements they’re comfortable with, they’ll fall into their own groove and become more confident as they start executing.