Ep. 7 Taylor Crowder Photography Extraordinaire

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,000 Hello everyone. This is Friday night at the barbell with your host Carson, Josh, and Bryant. 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,000 And Bryant, would you like to introduce our guest today? 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:22,000 So today with us we have Taylor Crowder. Everyone in Alabama definitely knows her as the WRPF Alabama photographer, fellow powerlifter, and amateur vocalist and hype woman. 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Everyone knows that part. And in fact, for the people that don't know about that, could we possibly get a scream from you while we're here? 5 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:37,000 Yeah, well absolutely. Hold on. 6 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:41,000 Let's go! 7 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:47,000 Okay, perfect. Now everyone definitely knows. We just needed that confirmation, right? 8 00:00:47,000 --> 00:01:01,000 Yeah. So we always start these off with a controversial question. And for you, Taylor, I want to know what direction should toilet paper go? 9 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,000 Ooh, that is a spicy question. 10 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:06,000 Right? 11 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:14,000 The toilet paper roll should be over. You pull over. Not under. 12 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:15,000 Right. Torture yourself? 13 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,000 Yes. 14 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,000 Okay, Carson? 15 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:35,000 I'm a big, I am a big over guy. My wife, God love her, Courtney, I love you. She puts them on backwards every time. So I go through the house sometimes and I just flip them around. 16 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,000 Great. 17 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:41,000 But definitely over. 18 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:42,000 Josh or? 19 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:47,000 Or you can just be a savage like I am and just set it on the counter. 20 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,000 Yeah, it doesn't go anywhere. Of course. I should have expected that. 21 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:59,000 I'm also a bidet guy. So I just use a few squares to dry when I'm done, you know? 22 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:04,000 I need to get my hands on one of those. 23 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:11,000 Dude, bidets are where it's at. Wiping your butt with your hand, that's cavemen stuff. Get yourself with the day. 24 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:27,000 So I am on either side. I don't care. But I will say at my old house and I think I told Josh this before, my old house, the toilet and the bathroom was so small. 25 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:35,000 I was like cramped up like this. So if it was over, I actually couldn't even reach the toilet paper because I'm so massive. 26 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,000 So it always. 27 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,000 Sam, sucks to be mixed with thumbs. 28 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,000 Wow. It always had to go under. 29 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:42,000 It was like being a big boy. 30 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,000 Right, right. It's good times. 31 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,000 So I guess we can hop right into it then. 32 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,000 So jump right in. 33 00:02:51,000 --> 00:03:00,000 Now that we're over the controversy. That was kind of split here actually. Kind of 50, 25, 25, right? 34 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,000 So not the first time that's happened. 35 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:09,000 So what I want to start with is what was your introduction to strength training? 36 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:17,000 What did you see? Did you go to a gym first or what was Taylor before the gym? And then why did she start going? 37 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:25,000 Just a little background on me. I never had any sports athletic background period. I was always like the weird art kid. 38 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:36,000 I mean, I was friends with everyone, but as far as like doing any kind of recreational sport in school or outside of school, I never did anything like that. 39 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:46,000 But in 2017, I was at my highest weight. I was almost 200 pounds and I was getting married. 40 00:03:46,000 --> 00:04:02,000 And so I decided I really need to get my poop in a group and not only for health reasons, because the same year my dad got diagnosed with diabetes that he inflicted upon himself. 41 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:08,000 And I said, hail to the know, I'm not doing that. And also I wanted to look good in my wedding. 42 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:20,000 So I actually started CrossFit as just like a way to get into fitness in general, had no idea what I was getting into. 43 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:28,000 But I quickly realized that after losing 40 pounds, the cardio was great. 44 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:38,000 But I enjoyed the heavy lifting, so the heavy cleans, the heavy deadlifts, the heavy squats, things like that. 45 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:49,000 And so with CrossFit, CrossFit being so expensive, it was no longer accessible to continue to do that. 46 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:59,000 So I somehow magically found out about the powerlifting community and at the time I had no clue what that either was, but I knew that it sounded cool. 47 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:03,000 And I knew that it involved heavy lifting. 48 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:18,000 And I just so happened to go to this 24 hour gym where there was a couple like Jim Bros. They were like, yeah, we know some powerlifting people and it just so happened that I stumbled across. 49 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:24,000 John Oldham at a knock loose concert. 50 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:34,000 And somehow got connected in. Yeah, he I posted a video of me and the pit and he's like, that's me right there and I was like, oh, that's so cool. 51 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,000 I don't know who you are. 52 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,000 At the time I had no clue who he was. 53 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:45,000 But little did I know that's crazy. Yeah, I had literally no idea who he was. 54 00:05:45,000 --> 00:06:06,000 But after that, that's when I kind of fell into like the diamond K like I was starstruck by Percy as the less and Jacob and just that whole intertwined group and I said I want to be a part of that so 55 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:24,000 in January of 2020, literally right before the pandemic, we joined diamond K, got less as our coach and started training and train through the pandemic, even though that was nearly impossible. 56 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:38,000 And it's been love ever since like everything about powerlifting has been extremely humbling character building and just the most. 57 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,000 What are the most valuable things have ever done for myself truly. 58 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:48,000 That's funny because Ronald Torven also did CrossFit first. 59 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,000 I did not realize that's how he started. 60 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:55,000 CrossFit the powerlifting hundred and sixty five pounds. 61 00:06:55,000 --> 00:07:00,000 I can't imagine him being like so small. 62 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,000 Yeah. 63 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,000 Yeah. 64 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:12,000 So started CrossFit found powerlifting and your first powerlifting meet was in 2019. 65 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:13,000 Is that right? 66 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,000 Yes, it was in 2019. 67 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:29,000 It was golden eight and had literally I was only six months into powerlifting when I did my first meet and so I had no clue about the thing. 68 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:34,000 I mean, I went in with the best mentality I could. 69 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:35,000 I got over hyped. 70 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:41,000 I had pulled a 300 pound bedlift and slammed it and missed it because of that. 71 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,000 I got food started. 72 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:50,000 And I'll never forget diamond K people are all the same. 73 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,000 It's just the energy is so aggressive. 74 00:07:53,000 --> 00:08:05,000 Yeah, like you just you just like yeah, I know it was incredible to be able to compete and I actually in that very same day made lifelong friends. 75 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:12,000 And in fact, one of them I was a fried in her wedding and that's when it. 76 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:17,000 Things bigger than powerlifting way bigger way bigger. 77 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,000 Yeah, just goes back to the community aspect again. 78 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,000 We talk about it every time every time. 79 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:28,000 But the community is it's a world class. 80 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:33,000 You just meet like you said lifelong friends. 81 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:39,000 That's what keeps people coming back like Brian says. 82 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,000 The community aspect is what everyone has mentioned. 83 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:54,000 It's kind of unequivocally what keeps people in it or going even if they are competing anymore and they find other avenues to still help like you have. 84 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,000 I don't know if you ever plan on competing again. 85 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,000 I'm sure everyone would love you to do that. 86 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:07,000 But I think you may have found a better niche in that it's something you might enjoy more than being on the platform. 87 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,000 Which would be the photography. 88 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,000 Yes. 89 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:16,000 So that can kind of segue into another question. 90 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:25,000 So, so first of all, how so I know you said your artsy kind of growing up and when you're, I guess, younger. 91 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,000 So I guess how did you start with for talk? 92 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:34,000 How did you know that photography was something you like that you wanted to do just in general to start with and then. 93 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:42,000 And then kind of how did it come about with photographing power lifting meets. 94 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:58,000 So when I was in high school, I actually took two years of photography, but it was more so not even digital at the time it was like actual going into a dark room and processing film, which was really cool. 95 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:09,000 But, you know, we're in a digital age. So that wasn't very much like the dying art form. Unfortunately, I just was always into photography. 96 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:16,000 In fact, the year after I graduated high school, I begged my mom to buy me a professional camera. 97 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:22,000 And I used it probably a handful of times because I had literally no idea what I was doing at the time. 98 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:31,000 I was cool because I had a nice camera. I ended up selling it to help pay off my car, you know, just adult things. 99 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:49,000 But then I ended up meeting one of my best friends who is a wedding photographer and we spent a lot of time like just doing one on one shoots like I would practice with her camera and she would shoot me and I really enjoyed the creative aspect of that. 100 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:57,000 And so it kind of inspired me to want to pursue things from my perspective because we're completely different opposite aesthetics. 101 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:18,000 She's very like light and glowy and soft and pretty and I have this very just like dark and real and almost macabre aspects artistically and powerlifting was the absolute best segue into capturing that. 102 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:32,000 And it just so happened that everything lined up perfectly because the people of Diamond K were extremely receptive to me taking pictures or videos or whatever and it just all fell so naturally into place. 103 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:44,000 I couldn't even have asked for like a better introduction into that and it ended up that I shot my very first meet and I'm okay less was competing that that time. 104 00:11:44,000 --> 00:12:06,000 And ever since then, like, I just felt so welcomed and appreciated so I kept coming back like I would just show up with my camera and people are like, Hey, are you selling these pictures and I'm like, Yeah, if you want to I've taken your pictures so it just became a thing and like I connected with all three of you because of it and 105 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:29,000 even if I wasn't taking your pictures like if you were spotting or loading or just hanging around and supporting like it just all became just a part of what motivated me even more to pursue the photography aspect of it because I wanted to capture everyone and doing and participating and it fulfilled me truly. 106 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:43,000 Yeah, it's a pretty niche sport they were a part of and the community is very welcoming to people and that makes it probably a lot easier to go in and photograph people even if they might not pay for them or want. 107 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,000 Yes. 108 00:12:44,000 --> 00:13:04,000 It's so cool what you do because a lot of people you know they go through power to prep they prep for months and months on the end for this day and some people like it's their first meet or they have really big goals and you capture some of the most like cool moments for these people and 109 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:31,000 I think I've been myself included because I kind of met you whenever I was going to do the game classic last year up in Sheffield and I think you had posted on Facebook and the Facebook group and I kind of reached out to you and then after I got those pictures back I was like this is so bad ass like because you take you know it's a it's a moment that you've been preparing for for so long and 110 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:35,000 you kind of capture those moments and I just think that's so cool. 111 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:45,000 So, well, thank you that means a lot. Seriously, every time I hear feedback like that it just makes my soul just like glow with happiness. 112 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:58,000 I'm always excited to get pictures from Taylor after me. I'm always excited for it because I know they're all all of them. I love all of them only post like a couple of them but I love every single one of them she does. 113 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:16,000 Yeah, and it does help because only recently have we had more digital media at Alabama meets but that was like the only media you got was if Taylor was there or now if Sorenson Alex Alex Alex is there. 114 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:34,000 Really only two ways you get pictures now. I know I think at the mayhem last year, the Maverick mayhem meet they contracted white lights media maybe or whoever it was I think it was three white lights. 115 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:42,000 They came and did it and they did video and pictures. I don't even know if you read that one but I know I wasn't at that one. 116 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:49,000 You competed at that. That's what it was. You competed at that one. You competed at that one, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. 117 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:53,000 Oh, yeah, that was the one at the Maverick Mayhem in Montgomery. 118 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,000 That was Powerlifting America that shocked us. 119 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,000 Or Powerlifting North America. 120 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:22,000 Yeah, I was going to say and one thing too is like a lot of these media companies like I've competed in several bodybuilding shows and the only pictures that can be taken at those are the media company that's shooting the event and you have to go through it's kind of like you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get pictures ordered you have to do it way ahead of time. 121 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:36,000 The prices are outrageous. You have to fill out all these forms and I just and I never personally got any stage pictures just because it was so it was in my opinion just hard to do. 122 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:42,000 So but it was like he made it was so easy to kind of like just talk to you and you were there. 123 00:15:42,000 --> 00:16:06,000 And so they're very you were just very available. And I guess to another thing is like with bodybuilding, you know, you're getting these certain stage shots but in powerlifting, since it's a performance sport, you get all these cool pictures like you get on the platform to get like walking up to the platform, like sitting down like these like, I don't know, it's just, I think it's 124 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:12,000 you can you can like capture a lot of more emotion with powerlifting and you can bodybuilding for sure. 125 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:16,000 Yes, very raw and real moments. 126 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,000 Yeah, can. 127 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:26,000 Yeah, as candid as you can be when she's feeling down, smiling at you, take a picture of you. 128 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:30,000 And your eyes are just like bleeding from the moment. 129 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:36,000 Your eyes are bleeding and hers are hers are all glittery. Yeah, there's just chalk everywhere. 130 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:43,000 No, it's funny. I'll go look at the pictures she did. Yeah, and I'll see veins popping in my forehead. I never knew I had. 131 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,000 Yeah, of course. 132 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:49,000 That's the good stuff right there. That's the great stuff. 133 00:16:49,000 --> 00:17:13,000 And I want to transition from that into you're someone that's pretty open about mental health struggles that you might be going through. And I want to know which has been better for you, the photography or like barbell training in terms of like helping you settle your emotions and feel normal again. 134 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:37,000 I mean, that's that's a really deep question because I feel like they honestly play hand in hand. It really just depends like what season I'm in discovering photography has really helped to heal my inner child so I feel a lot more joy and just overall happiness that I feel like from the barbell aspect of it. 135 00:17:37,000 --> 00:18:02,000 It's really empowered me as an adult woman that I am strong and I'm capable. And that's one reason I really encourage women of all ages, young, old with health issues, completely healthy to pick up weights and lift them and it not for even a sense of like health, but like a sense of empowerment 136 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:27,000 and that I found a lot of the times if you feel empowered, you feel more mentally stable and confident in yourself to tackle these issues when you have maybe depression or anxiety, because you can rely on the fact that I can do this, you know, and also on on top of that it just it pairs and circles 137 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:40,000 and it's a really important fact to the community like you always have someone to rely on in this community, but I really truly think for me personally, they play an equal role for different reasons. 138 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:49,000 Yeah, I think that makes a lot of sense. I would probably say most people have that might not be photography for them, but they have something else. It'd be hard to just have one. 139 00:18:49,000 --> 00:19:10,000 I think for just for like myself, like years ago, I was probably the most difficult time in my life. It was right during COVID like 2020, like right when COVID kind of started everything was kind of shutting down and my son, he was in the NICU for six months after he was born, he was born at 26 weeks. 140 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:22,000 And so I had a lot of things in my life that were just that were out of my control. And but I felt like going to the gym, the weights were always the same. 141 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:39,000 Like this amount of weights always gonna be this amount of weight, and I can always put forth the effort and kind of know what the outcomes going to be. So for me personally, that was huge for me, the gym and you know, I know it's maybe a cliche to say, but 142 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:50,000 that helped me so much just having a having something that was in my control and that I could, you know, kind of dictate the outcome. 143 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:51,000 So, 144 00:19:51,000 --> 00:20:01,000 Yeah, I completely agree. And I'm a very, I try to think of myself as like a more structured person. 145 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:15,000 So that's why I enjoy powerlifting programming. It's because I can see like this is what I'm doing today. You know, this is what it's expected of me. And then I would get the feedback and then I would proceed from that point. 146 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:26,000 I, I mean, I commend people that can just go into the gym and throw down whatever they want whenever they want, but I enjoy powerlifting because there's a structured program. 147 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:32,000 And there's an expectation and you're building for whatever specific purpose for an goal. 148 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:33,000 Yeah, for sure. 149 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:44,000 I think that's something else that probably helps with the mental health side of it is having setting goals and finding ways to actually go after and achieve those goals. 150 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,000 Oh, absolutely. I mean, yes, 151 00:20:46,000 --> 00:21:02,000 Yes, like that. And then the gym being consistent, especially if you're on program or you have a coach, you kind of feel self obligated. You have to go in there and do it. And you got to, you know, try your best at it and put forth your best effort to get to the goal you want to be at. 152 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:15,000 Yeah. And it tends to, you know, just like with anything in life, I feel like as you, if you are on program or in prep, and you're, if you have consistencies in your life, that's going to carry over to other aspects of your life. 153 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:28,000 Like how disciplined you are with everything else or, you know, just, just putting in effort work hard at something. So I feel like there's a lot of carry over. 154 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,000 Oh, there absolutely is. 155 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:35,000 Doing a little better help Friday night at the barbell. 156 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,000 Hey, everybody needs it. 157 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:54,000 For sure. So I'm always open, like, for anybody to vent to me or to come to me like anybody because I understand what it's like to feel alone and isolated and there's absolutely no sense in having to feel that way. 158 00:21:54,000 --> 00:22:01,000 Especially alone and isolated. It's hard to feel in the community of powerlifting. 159 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:09,000 Because as small as it is, a lot of people go through the exact same thing that you might be going through. 160 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:20,000 And there's always ears that are open. You just have to actually reach out. It's hard for other people to reach out to you when you're struggling because we not everyone knows. 161 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:40,000 That's very true. That's very true. But I think that's also one of the reasons that I tried to use social media as like a platform to speak about it, because there still isn't a very much like a stigma around mental health and, you know, it, the expression I kind of hate it. 162 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:49,000 It's okay to not be okay. Well, I mean, yes, but I think we just, we need to understand that there are different levels. 163 00:22:49,000 --> 00:23:00,000 There are different levels of okay and like when to be able to step in and actually intervene with people that we care about because we want them to still be here in the future. 164 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,000 Yeah, a functioning alcoholic is still an alcoholic. 165 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,000 Very much. 166 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:14,000 That's good. Well, let's bring it back around. 167 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:26,000 We can come back to it, but what are what have been some of the more fun experiences that meets shooting or competing? 168 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:31,000 Yeah, or like a, or like a funny, funny experience, funny story or something. 169 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:46,000 So I do have one that's kind of embarrassing, but it is funny and wholesome at the same time. So when I competed in my last meet at at Maverick, my prep had not gone according to plan. 170 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,000 So that that meet was in March. 171 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:55,000 I got in a car accident in February of that same year. 172 00:23:55,000 --> 00:24:05,000 I had like basically third degree burns on my hands. My steering wheel, the airbag deployed and it burned my hands. 173 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:12,000 But I also hit a car at a dead stop going 60 miles an hour because they stopped in the middle of the interstate. 174 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,000 It's a long story anyway. 175 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:32,000 So I, I wanted to bail out the meat, but Jacob was like, you prep for this long, like you just commit, go have fun. Like this is what you came for, you know, even if you don't hit the numbers that you expect or want, just have a good time. 176 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:49,000 So I went into it with the best mentality I could. However, on my second bench attempt, I caught a horrible cramp in my lower back and I knew that that was going to absolutely transfer over to my dead lips. 177 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,000 And it did. 178 00:24:52,000 --> 00:25:04,000 It got my opener, fought like hell on my second and could not get my third off the ground. So I was very defeated. And I, I remember when they were doing awards. 179 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:12,000 I was back behind like where the banners were and stuff and they were calling out everybody's name in their weight class and what place they got. 180 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:23,000 And I heard my name and I'm like, actively crying, by the way. And I said, wait, did they just say my name. 181 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:31,000 And everybody that was in the little circle right there was like, yeah, they called your name and they started to push me and I was embarrassed because I was like crying. 182 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:49,000 And so I step up on the stage and I'm like me, me, I have whatever I place. I mean, it was third place, but um, yeah, they were like, yeah, and everybody was confused as to why I was crying and like what was going on. 183 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:53,000 And I'm so happy. 184 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:56,000 That's exactly right. I was like, I know. 185 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:06,000 Well, you played it off well because I was there and I didn't realize you were crying for that reason. So, see, and that was a big competition too. 186 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:14,000 That was Andrew Lynch and Liz Rubinow. I don't remember how to say her name, but the Fortis fitness crew. 187 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:15,000 Oh yeah. 188 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:17,000 And her husband was there. 189 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:18,000 Corey Elder. 190 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:19,000 Yeah. 191 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:20,000 Yes. 192 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,000 So that was a big competition. That was a lot of. 193 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:24,000 Yes, Corey was there. 194 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:27,000 500 dots people all in the same meat. 195 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,000 Yes, it was extremely intimidating. 196 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:31,000 You mean welcoming. 197 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:47,000 I mean, I'm proud of myself that I committed to it. Yeah. Yeah. Welcoming. Uh huh. I mean, I did have a lot of fun other than me being pissed off about my deadlifts, but you know, yeah, everyone has had one of those moments at least. 198 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:52,000 Actually, if you only, I was going to say, if you only have one of those, that's probably a good day. 199 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:53,000 Yeah. 200 00:26:53,000 --> 00:27:07,000 I don't know if you remember this Bryant, but I had the longest grind of a squat ever on my third attempt. Like, I just stalled and then everybody in the room like erupted. 201 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:11,000 Um, and I got it. And I was, it was great. 202 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:12,000 I love watching that. 203 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,000 I've never gone around before. 204 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,000 Dude, I'd love to say a good guy. 205 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:22,000 I think the 20 seconds. 206 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:24,000 I don't think you feel that great. 207 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:27,000 Lower background may have come from that. 208 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:30,000 So Taylor, I have a question. 209 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:37,000 So you may be able to help some people with this. So say you just want to take a good picture with your iPhone. 210 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:48,000 Do you have any like tips and tricks to like, or settings to like take a good like just a nice, I don't know, say it's like a gym picture or something. 211 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:55,000 Well, some things you can do with just an iPhone to make your normal Instagram pictures like a little better. 212 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:58,000 Um, I mean, there's a couple different. 213 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,000 If that makes sense at all. 214 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,000 Yeah, no, absolutely. There's, there's a lot of different options. 215 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:14,000 I mean, it could work for iPhone or Android. I'm personally team iPhone, but Lightroom is free unless you get Lightroom Plus, which I have. 216 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:24,000 But you can do just about everything in Lightroom and it can even auto correct or just light or brightness or what just whatever you want to play with. 217 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:36,000 But just in general on your photos, if you go to pull it up and try to edit the picture, it'll bring up on the bottom of the screen, all the different options. 218 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:51,000 And usually I found there's a feature on there that people don't think about. It's called highlights and that can actually play heavily into the saturation of the picture and make it look really high quality on an iPhone. 219 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,000 So yeah, interesting. 220 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,000 Nice. 221 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:58,000 Camera tricks with Crowder. 222 00:28:58,000 --> 00:28:59,000 Oh, I like this. 223 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:10,000 Oh, I got another question. This is I'm just throwing a few of these off the wall. Sorry guys, but have you ever had someone ask like you shot pictures in a meet or something and they're like, Hey, they send you message. 224 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:21,000 You're like, Hey, did you just like pop my shoulders out a few inches or could you show my waist down? Have you ever asked somebody to like photo shot pictures of them before? 225 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:29,000 You may not be able to like put them on last or anything. 226 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:30,000 Adobe gains. 227 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:45,000 So there's actually two things that I have been asked before. One of them was a person asked me. I mean, I won't. I don't know if I can remember who it was, but they they did ask me to paper in their ways. 228 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:48,000 It was a guy, believe it or not. It was not a woman. 229 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,000 Was it Josh? 230 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:56,000 No, no, no. 231 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:01,000 I embrace the 308 super heavyweight. I embrace it to the fullest extent. 232 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,000 BBW. 233 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,000 BBW. 234 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:12,000 BBW Smurf. Yes, sir. 235 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:20,000 Believe it or not, the second one, both people were males. It was that makes a lot of sense. 236 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:24,000 Ask me to do anything with their pictures. 237 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:38,000 But this guy actually asked me because we all know that singlets are not flattering and we also know that guys unfortunately have to wear whitey tidies. 238 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:48,000 This guy asked me to Photoshop out his junk because he knew he was a little too happy. 239 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:52,000 That's funny. That's funny. 240 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:55,000 I thought you were going to say that you like Photoshop. 241 00:30:55,000 --> 00:31:02,000 Not a reduction. That was surprising. 242 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:08,000 That is so funny. We might have to have that done at some point. 243 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:14,000 I told you, all you got to do is take an extra pair of deadlift socks with you and just put them in your singlet when you go to your... 244 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:20,000 I agree. I think you stuff a bunch of socks and just see what they say. Like, what are they going to tell you not to go on the platform? 245 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:22,000 Sorry, man. 246 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:25,000 That's me. What are you talking about? 247 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:29,000 What are you doing? 248 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,000 Oh, yeah. Go ahead. Pat me down, Chris Webster. 249 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:35,000 How would I know? 250 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:37,000 Oh, my God. 251 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:41,000 It's like you just put a plantain in your singlet for your third deadlift. 252 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,000 What? 253 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,000 And they're like, what? 254 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:47,000 You're going to get super hyped for that last second. 255 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,000 I was in the back. 256 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,000 That's good. 257 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,000 Oh, man. That's funny. 258 00:31:55,000 --> 00:32:03,000 Well, you kind of already answered this, but I was just going to say, like, what or ask, what keeps you coming back to meets? 259 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:16,000 Like, if you're not competing as much anymore, you keep coming back to do photography and you're at pretty much all of the WRPF Alabama meets, even though you have a career. 260 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:19,000 What makes you come back? 261 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:23,000 Absolutely. It's the people. 262 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:32,000 I love the creative aspect of it, honestly. And I feel like every time I'm behind the lens, every meet, I feel like I'm learning something because I'm self taught. 263 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:39,000 Like I did not go to school. I didn't really study under anybody. 264 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:51,000 But definitely the people and then a close second would be because it fulfills me creatively, but definitely people 100%. You guys are amazing. 265 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:58,000 Everyone say you're amazing. Most people just go on the platform and lift. Like they don't even think about that. 266 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:00,000 Exactly. 267 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:07,000 You're the one that actually has to get out there and motivate people and think the whole time, try to get shots around people. 268 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:11,000 You probably should have been a contortionist instead because that's where you're headed. 269 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:24,000 Well, I guess it pays off that I have extremely flexible joints, especially in my ankles. So that's why I can just sit on the ground for hours. 270 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:26,000 Couldn't be me. 271 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:28,000 Legs would explode. 272 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:30,000 Couldn't be me. 273 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:35,000 And I'm comfortable like that too. That's what's really bizarre. 274 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:38,000 You say Josh? 275 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,000 Just in the front of the platform. 276 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,000 Getting that third attempt squat. 277 00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:46,000 They're like, sir, can you... 278 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:48,000 Shut up! 279 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:50,000 We can't give the start command. 280 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:54,000 So I'm gonna get out of the way. 281 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:56,000 I'd love to see that. 282 00:33:56,000 --> 00:34:00,000 So funny thing, I actually do photography. Some, I haven't done it in a while, but I do a little bit of it. 283 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:02,000 So me personally... 284 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:04,000 You've seen a little Instapage that you have? 285 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,000 Yeah. 286 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:16,000 Me personally, I do. I enjoy doing nature stuff and landscapes and buildings and stuff like that. 287 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:21,000 So outside of doing meets and people, what do you like to shoot the most? 288 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:23,000 Doing meets and people. 289 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:28,000 Well, like shooting the power of the meets and shooting the people in the power of the meets. 290 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:37,000 I mean, that's pretty much what I do. I actually have a part-time job shooting for Diamond K. 291 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:39,000 They're crossfit now. 292 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:47,000 But truly, I think what I enjoy shooting the most is just the candid expressions of people. 293 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:51,000 I would do street photography if I had time to do that. 294 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,000 Probably not in Birmingham. That'd be a little scary. 295 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:56,000 Someone would probably take my camera. 296 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:58,000 Or my life or both. 297 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:00,000 But yeah. 298 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,000 I think that makes sense. 299 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,000 Yeah, shut up. Magic City. 300 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:08,000 I think that makes sense. I like candid photos as well. 301 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:12,000 I think as far as people go, that's the way to do it. 302 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:18,000 What keeps you from doing photography full-time and do you want to do photography full-time? 303 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:21,000 Because I know there's a lot of power-listing meets you can go to. 304 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:27,000 If you got a little gas-saber beater car, you can be driving all over the U.S. doing them every single weekend. 305 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:29,000 That is actually a fantastic question. 306 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:33,000 And I have gone back and forth about that so much. 307 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:39,000 Because I feel like there's a part of me that truly has a dream to be able to pursue this full-time. 308 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:51,000 However, I feel like from a stability standpoint, I love to know that I'm expecting a paycheck. 309 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:55,000 And I will say it's not just even just a paycheck in general. 310 00:35:55,000 --> 00:36:05,000 I feel a sense of fulfillment at my job and children's because I, on the other side of things, enjoy healthcare. 311 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:11,000 I think it's really fascinating and I think I'm fairly good at it. 312 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:17,000 I'm actually an educator there so I teach other technicians how to make IV infusions. 313 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:21,000 So I feel like that's a pretty important job to have. 314 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:29,000 I mean, Carson can understand he has a son that needs medications. 315 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:42,000 So I've been doing healthcare and pharmacy for 11 years and I have felt truly that that is something that brings me a different kind of fulfillment on a professional level. 316 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:46,000 And then photography fulfills me in a creative standpoint. 317 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:54,000 So I wish I could do it full-time, but I feel like healthcare needs me in a certain capacity. 318 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:56,000 Gotcha. That makes sense. 319 00:36:56,000 --> 00:37:06,000 For people who didn't hear it before because we weren't recording, but Taylor works at the famous Children's Hospital in Birmingham, world-renowned. 320 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:07,000 We're pretty cool. 321 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:10,000 It's a pretty decent place. I've been there once, maybe twice. 322 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,000 Yeah, that's a big place. 323 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,000 Massive. 324 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:18,000 I went there. I'm a nurse. I work at the hospital here in town, but I went to shadow there. 325 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:29,000 I work on the rapid response team for the hospital, so I went to shadow their children's rapid response team because we have some increase in pediatric emergencies and stuff here at our hospital in town. 326 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:30,000 Yeah. 327 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:39,000 And they were like, yeah, we've got between inpatient and outpatient areas, like I think they said like 1,500 to 2,000 nurses. 328 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,000 And I was like, that's crazy. 329 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:46,000 I was like, our hospital has like a few hundred. That's crazy. 330 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:47,000 Yeah. 331 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:53,000 People come from all over out of state. It's a big, big, it's the Mecca. 332 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:59,000 The hospital is as big or bigger now than the university over there, than UAB University. 333 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:03,000 Yeah. And it's continuing to grow as well. 334 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:05,000 Yeah, it had buildings every year. 335 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,000 Yeah, definitely. 336 00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:15,000 Okay, so Taylor, if you, we always ask this question at the end. 337 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:27,000 So if you could sit down or just hang out with anyone from the fitness industry past, present, future, it could be powerlifting, could be bodybuilding, some other avenue and sports or fitness. 338 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:31,000 Who would it be and why? 339 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:35,000 I think that that is a fantastic question. 340 00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:46,000 I mean, I have a lot of people that have come and gone in my, I guess people I aspire to meet or just inspire me in general. 341 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:59,000 But truly the people that I'm around, as in you guys inspire me enough to where I don't really look up to anybody else because at the end we're all human. 342 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:05,000 Like, I want to be able to have a human experience with the people around me. 343 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:09,000 I know that's kind of like an unorthodox answer. 344 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:12,000 But that's good. We like it. 345 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:20,000 I don't really idolize anybody because at the end of the day we're all human and I just, I appreciate the people that are around me. 346 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:22,000 I think that's a great answer. 347 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:23,000 I like that. 348 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:28,000 Yeah, I'll say that's probably the best answer we've got on that question. 349 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:37,000 Like, besides, you know, all the famous people and stuff, I think that's the most genuine answer that we've gotten. 350 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,000 Yeah, outside the box. 351 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:43,000 I'm a pretty outside the box kind of girl in case you haven't figured that out yet. 352 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,000 No, I think everyone, I think everyone would agree to that. 353 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:57,000 So did you have a final message for anyone for mental health or lifting or photography needs? 354 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:09,000 I think the main message I would want to express the people out there is that you're never too old or too young to get into what makes you truly happy. 355 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:25,000 And this is coming from someone who went from being 18 and thinking that they wanted to become a photographer to giving it up and then picking it up over 10 years later, basically, 356 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:31,000 and enjoying it more than I ever have. And it's been one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done. 357 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:41,000 And then don't be afraid to take a chance and don't be afraid to fail because I feel like we learn more in our failures than we do in our success. 358 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:47,000 So, and that comes with mental health, physical health, friendships, relationships, whatever. 359 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:49,000 So just don't be scared. 360 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,000 Don't be scared, homie. 361 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:54,000 Don't be a blue. 362 00:40:54,000 --> 00:41:08,000 Tell everybody how they can find you on social media, like your regular Instagram and then your Grittin' the Grain page. 363 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:10,000 So what are your ads? 364 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:12,000 So my... 365 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:18,000 Ask Grittin' a tale and he just tells me. 366 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:21,000 But I said it really fast so maybe she can slow it down. 367 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:35,000 No, no, it's okay. So if you are wanting to follow me on my personal lifting mental health journey with the occasional sprinkle of memes at TechnoTay on Instagram, 368 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:42,000 that's pretty much my primary way of communicating through social media because I'm a visual person. 369 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:52,000 If you are just interested in my photography, you can contact me at the Grittin' the Grain and that is... 370 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:55,000 My page looks like it's just a black and white aesthetic. 371 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:58,000 However, I do also do color. 372 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:01,000 Which one put that out there for anybody who's not aware. 373 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:03,000 I just really like black and white. 374 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:05,000 Yeah, they look fantastic. Both do. 375 00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:11,000 But everyone can tell that you definitely love the black and white the most. 376 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:17,000 It catches emotions completely different than color. 377 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:20,000 It does. I think that'll be it from us. 378 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:31,000 But I wanted to say if we've got a lot of good feedback from these and if people are going to give feedback, do it as a review. 379 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:34,000 We want to bring it up on the podcast and talk about it. 380 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:37,000 And I don't want to talk about your DEM because that's too personal. 381 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:42,000 But if people are enjoying these episodes and I know everyone's going to love this one with Taylor. 382 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:46,000 If you want to give us a review, shoot it over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 383 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:47,000 Let us know. 384 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:50,000 Get your fingers working and type out a review. 385 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:52,000 We can talk about it even if it's a bad review. 386 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:54,000 I think those would be even funnier. 387 00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:56,000 Those would be funnier. 388 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:58,000 And we can review your review. 389 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:00,000 The review here. 390 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:07,000 And I was going to say we've got, now we have social medias out for the podcast. 391 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:09,000 We've got other stuff coming out soon. 392 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:11,000 Now we got video. 393 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:16,000 We got badass people like Taylor on and we're going to have even more badass people on soon. 394 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:19,000 Carson can read us out. 395 00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:20,000 Alright everyone. 396 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:26,000 So that was your Friday night at the barbell with Josh Bryant and myself, Carson. 397 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:27,000 We'll see you next time. 398 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:30,000 Peace.