George Kontaxis Sexy Fitness Model Photography

People are used to seeing sexy fitness models gracing the covers of muscle magazines and appearing in supplement ads.  However, one thing that many people aren’t used to seeing is these same hot fitness models in the style of photography that world renowned photographer George Kontaxis uses.  Let me tell you, it is very sexy and you can see for yourself here!
Back in school, art wasn’t exactly my thing.  While the other students were recreating Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting The Starry Night, I was busy painting a stick figure that looked like it was humping a tree.  And if you were to combined my art with me having to photograph some of the sexiest women in the world it would be an absolute disaster since we all know I can’t handle myself around females of that caliber.

George Kontaxis, on the other hand, is a guy who actually can handle himself around beautiful fitness models and also knows a thing or two about artistic expression.  His extremely interesting combination of sexy photographs and art has landed Kontaxis’ work in Musclemag, Planet Muscle, American Curves, M Magazine, and many more publications.

He’s also worked with some of the best fitness models in the industry including one lady that I have written about and interviewed in the past in Timea Majorova Sexy Pictures and Story. You can see a lot of his work at his site GeorgeKontaxis.com and you can also check out his new 2009 Body of Art calendar among the pictures we have too.

Fortunately, I just recently got an opportunity to talk with him about his interesting and amazing style of photography as well as how he got into the game and what it takes for people like you to get into a major supplement ad or appear on the cover of a magazine.  Let’s find out what he had to say!

George Spellwin: Have you pretty much known ever since you were
young that you wanted to be a professional photographer or was it
something that you discovered later on?

George Kontaxis: I always had an interest since I was a teenager and photography was a hobby and something that I wanted to learn more about and improve my skills on in order to take better pictures.  However, I was not having the intention of becoming a professional photographer when I first started taking pictures.

I was studying for my Bachelor’s degree in Management at the University of London and I had a lot of free time.  So I decided I wanted to pursue more of my hobby of doing photography and bought a cheap Canon camera and a photography book and started learning on my own and experimenting on all kinds of subjects.

One thing led to the next and before I knew it, I started shooting fitness models and submitting my work to international fitness magazines such as Musclemag, Planet Muscle, and more.  Things kept growing from there in my career and I eventually moved to Los Angeles making photography my full time profession.

George Spellwin: What are some of the highs of being a professional
photographer and getting to take pictures of sexy models for a
living?

George Kontaxis: The main thing that I enjoy about being a photographer is the creativity involved in producing artistic fitness images which is the type of images that I specialize mostly on.

Planning the photo shoots, organizing the creative team that is going to work on the shoot, the intensity during the shoot to capture the magic moment in a short amount of time, and then seeing the results of your hard work printed in magazines, calendars, books or other types of publications is very fulfilling.

As a photographer you are the one who organizes the whole production and are responsible for everything going well.  So the final result is orchestrated by you, in cooperation with the rest of the creative team of course.  When working with some of the most beautiful models in the industry, who happen to be top professionals in what they do, the results you can achieve through this cooperation are amazing.

Another advantage of the job is that every project is unique and different than the one before in terms of the people involved as well as what you are trying to achieve creatively.

So I am always in a new situation trying to create magic behind the camera and that is very exciting.  Also meeting new people... very creative individuals who are the best at what they do…both the models as well as the rest of the creative team, the make-up artists, assistants, light technicians, etc. is a great experience and it gets even better when there is traveling involved to exotic destinations.

George Spellwin: Likewise, what are some of the lows that go with the job?

George Kontaxis: I wouldn’t say there are any lows.  Like any other business there are many challenges which you have to overcome to achieve your goals.  There are definitely long hours and it is not a 9 - 5 job, however, when your job happens to be your passion, like it is in my case, it is much easier to overcome any obstacles that come your way.

George Spellwin: Are there any new fitness models or celebrities that you’ve been working with recently that you enjoyed photographing or would like to talk about?

George Kontaxis: Every individual I work with is unique and with everybody you get to achieve something different creatively using their unique personality and appearance.  So the work is always fresh and exciting.

I just finished shooting the 2009 calendar of male model Rob Riches working 3 days in a row to get the results we wanted, shooting from sunrise to sunset, and sometimes even longer staying up late during the night!  We shot in the beaches of Malibu, the Canyons of Red Rock, some high end studio images as well as going to Vegas for the last part of the shoot and shooting in the dry lakes and the desert landscapes of Nevada.

Overall, it was a very intense 3 day shoot and great experience and the results we got are amazing.  The calendar should be out in the next few months and I am very excited about seeing the finished product.

George Spellwin: Continuing on with this theme, I’ve done an interview with the famous fitness model Timea Majorova and I know that you have worked with her in the past.  What’s it like working with her?

George Kontaxis: Timea is one of the top professionals in the industry with many years of experience in front of the camera so she is really easy to work with.  She knows the process and she knows how to pose so my job as a photographer becomes effortless and the level of creativity we achieve is very high.

Especially when you work with somebody many times over a period of a few months, or years, you build a rapport and learn to cooperate better with each other.  So every time I work with Timea is better than the one before and I am definitely looking forward to working with her again!

George Spellwin: Now everyone always sees the finished product of these excellent and sexy pictures but don’t realize how much work goes into a shoot beforehand.  So I was wondering if you could tell us what kind of preparation goes into a shoot before it happens.

George Kontaxis: There is definitely a lot of preparation beforehand apart from the work done during the shoot to get the final results that people end up seeing in the magazines or other publications.

As a photographer, you are the one that has the creative vision about what you want the images to look like.  So you have to oversee all aspects of the process from scouting locations, to organizing the creative team such as make up artists, stylists for the clothing used, light technicians and assistants, finding fresh ideas about the type of images you want to create.

So there is a lot to coordinate in order to achieve the final results. The amount of time you are shooting as a photographer is not long so everything has to be well coordinated beforehand to make sure you work efficiently during the shoot and get the results you want.

George Spellwin: How much of a factor is location and setting such as the beach versus a studio when it comes to hotographing
someone?

George Kontaxis: Each one has its own challenges and advantages in terms of what you have to do to achieve the results you want.  When shooting outdoors on location you always have to be prepared to deal with unpredictable weather conditions which is a challenge.   However, when shooting on a beautiful location, you automatically have a great backdrop to work with.  When working on the studio, you can control the whole process much more – especially in terms of the light – than you do on a location.

George Spellwin: Are there any other projects that you are working on besides photography or are your interests focused primarily on photography?

George Kontaxis: I am also an actor and spending my time between my two passions for photography and acting, which are both creative outlets.  So I stay pretty busy and fulfilled between the two.

George Spellwin: Speaking to any future hopeful models or bodybuilders who dream of appearing in a supplement ad, or any
other kind of ad; what are the most important steps they must take to make such a dream happen?

George Kontaxis: Being 100% professional is number one like in every business I think.  You are going to be working with other people so being a team player and easy to work with will make other people want too work with you and will help you get faster to your goals.  Of course having a great physique is necessary for a fitness model, as well as having a good business sense and marketing skills to promote yourself.

Creating some great images for themselves so they can present themselves in the best possible way is probably the most important step and then promoting themselves to fitness magazines and supplement companies so they can be seen by the people who are looking for models to promote their products.

George Spellwin: Is there anything else that you would like to add?

George Kontaxis: I just finished shooting my 2009 art physique calendar which is going to be for sale on my website as well as at the Olympia weekend at the end of September.  It is featuring my best images from the work I have done with fitness models, male and female, over the last 3 years and you can see some of the best fitness models featured such as Monica Brant, Timea Majorova, Sherry Goggin, Sharon Bruneau, and more!

Author: George Spellwin