'It seemed that whichever way Mike moved there was a shot because with Mike, no matter which way he turns it's pure muscle.'
Although those muscles are undeniably impressive, 27 year old Mike Vona is more than just skin and muscle, and as always, photographer Stephen Kahrs knows how to beautifully capture the entire package. Not all photographers who shoot fitness, know how to blend personality and emotion into their imagery. Sometimes the images look more suited to an anatomy text book than they do art, especially when the focus is solely on a pumped up physique.
Stephen is one of my favorite capturers of the male physique because of his systemic visuals of the models he shoots. As spectacular as Mike's body is, especially his arms and chest, it was his face that had me contacting Stephen about featuring their work together. Mike's nose, mouth and brown eyes create a unique look when photographed, especially in some of the profile shots that Stephen Captured.
'Mike's a fun, yet intelligent young man, who was quick with a joke, or a laugh, yet he gives it everything he's got to create a great image. When I shot with him the first time, he was a newbie for sure. We started out shooting with the typical ho-hum slacks and dress shirt. I think he may have only brought one pair of pants and a shirt honestly. After about 15 minutes he literally felt that he needed to focus on fitness while he was in my studio.'
'After stripping down to his underwear, we shot for about 20 minutes then the shoot really came around and we were getting some really nice images. With every move his body evokes a masculine essence. It took a little bit to convince him to don the black pvc shorts, but they really gave some of the images an erotic feel and after much joking about it, There was good reason to because those shorts were extra tight on him! I know that he was glad he decided to be bold and wear them.'
Since this shoot, Mike has been busy living and travelling between Boston and New York working with some of the industries best photographers. When corresponding about the piece for FH, Mike and Stephen decided it was time for a second shoot. I look forward to the results!
