The shot above was one of many we considered for our cover of this month's FIT Issue. We were both blessed and cursed with an abundance of choices for the cover of this month's magazine. Blessed because the amazingly talented photographer Tim Motley gave us so many superexcellent shots of Grand Rapids Rugby Club's studly Marco Riolo and the lithe and taut ballerina Dawnell Dryja of the GR Ballet.
We were cursed, of course, because we could only choose one.
In the end, our creative director Kim Kibby selected the shot of Riolo, looking a bit menacing, striding forward based on its impact and the practicalities of our magazine's square shape. "That shot fits best on our cover because of the dimensions and he's really engaging the reader — maybe even intimidating the reader to pick it up," she says. "As much as I would have loved to put a shirtless, hot man on the cover, this one just had the most impact."
That said, we wanted to share some of the other shots (including a shirtless, muddy Riolo) to showcase Mr. Motley's talents, as well as those of stylists Rachel Finan, who helped make Riolo beautiful and muddy, and Rebecca Gohl, who helped make the already stunning Dryja even more so. Enjoy. (N.B. - You can double click on the photos and be taken to the Picasa site to see full size shots). For more information, check out Tim Motley's website.
