Cover model and pro bodybuilder Amer Kamra is no stranger to us here at Arsenik Studios. Amer Kamra is a Toronto native that’s been shooting with us since 2010. His first fitness photoshoot was with us and in that time he has landed 12 magazine covers and hundreds of magazine publications and articles.
When Amer approached us in 2010, he said his biggest goal was to be on the cover of a magazine. A decade later, he is one of the most published male fitness models in Canadian history. We interviewed Amer on what it takes to be published in a magazine from the perspective of a fitness model.
Amer gave us his top three pieces of advice to get published in a fitness magazine.
First, it all comes down to how you look. You want to present yourself in the absolute best way possible at a photoshoot. The reason a magazine will publish you is because of your marketability. The more marketable you are, the more likely your images will sell magazines and/or products.
You must show up looking your absolute best physically, aesthetically, which is not limited to your muscles alone. You have to make sure that you are manicured well, hair groomed, shaven, tanned, good clear skin, and of course with a positive attitude. You wear on the outside how you feel on the inside. If you feel your best, you are going to look your best.
Second, you must work with a notable and credible photographer. I cannot stress this enough. If it weren’t for Arsenik Studios, I would not have landed a single magazine cover, never mind a dozen. An exceptional photographer not only takes your pictures but also guides you, poses you, and brings out the best of you in a photoshoot. It doesn’t just come down to lighting and cameras. It comes down to a photographer’s experience, their eye, and that they know what to look for when photographing a model for magazines. Over the years of working with Arsenik studios, 80% of my images in magazines have come from working with Arsenik Studios alone.
The third thing is consistency. In our first photoshoot together, I landed a front-page wallpaper on Bodybuilding.com. This was a pretty big deal but one of my biggest goals was to land a magazine cover which took a few attempts. It took a few attempts because I needed to get comfortable and experienced in front of the camera but I also needed to learn to push myself to my absolute best in terms of my physical shape. Like anything in life, once you generate and build momentum it becomes easier.
Photoshoots are one of the greatest ways to push yourself. Each year, I would set a goal of doing at least one shoot with Arsenik, and each year I got better and ended up in more magazines. This also really helped to catapult my online fitness coaching business Hammer Fitness because I had many images to use for branding and marketing.
