She was crowned 2021’s Lenda Murray Norfolk Classic Women’s Physique Overall Winner the night before.
Sometimes the stars align just right and magic happens. Such is the case with my recent session with Elizabeth Campos.
I love doing fitness sessions but it’s been a while since I worked with a fitness competitor. It’s been so long that examples don’t even exist on this page. You’d have to go back in time to see an previous page of my images to see my work in this genre. I’ve been looking for people to work with to get myself back into the game for a few months now.
Enter Amira Juma. She’s an amazing friend who is also friends with Elizabeth Campos. Elizabeth was coming into town to compete in the 2021 NPC Lenda Murray Norfolk Classic competition and wanted to get some pictures taken the morning after the contest was over. Amira suggested me.
Elizabeth and I messaged back and forth in the weeks leading up to the contest and our session. Plans were made so that we maximized our time together and she got the style of images she was looking for.
She was looking for poses, lighting, and situations that would both complement her physique and show it off. We decided it was time to take it to the streets of downtown Norfolk. I decided that we would start at the Battleship Wisconsin. I figured the curvy lines and raw power of the ship would provide the perfect backdrop to showcase the results of her hard work and dedication. We would then disappear into the back alleys for a harder, edgier look that would play well with her hard body and smooth skin.
I knew that this was not the time for soft, ethereal light. This also not the time for demure glances and poses. I wanted everything to align with the concept of a strong, confident, fierce woman with the outfits to match.
Let me make this clear. I am not an expert in the field of bodybuilding. Not even remotely. But I’ve been told, and have found it to be true, that the best time to do a photoshoot is the morning after a competition. As long as they maintain their diet until after the shoot, that’s when the athlete’s “look” peaks. Not before. After. Plus, with the contest over, they are always more relaxed and can have some fun. That’s why we went with Sunday morning.
The icing on this particular cake came in the form of Elizabeth placing first in the Physique class Saturday night. What an amazing accomplishment. Sunday morning she was in front of my camera. She was pumped, physically and mentally, for this session.
What an amazing experience it was working with her. She came ready to rock and she did. After all her hard work the day and night before, she still had so much energy and was filled with joy. She was grace personified with her personality and movements but also in working out in the public. While it was early Sunday morning, there were still people around. They would stop and say how amazing she looked. She would thank them with a smile, we would let them pass, and then she picked it up right where she left off. She handled it all seemingly effortlessly.
We ran out of time before running out of ideas and outfits. I knew I had stuff that was next level for me during the session so I was happy. I’ll leave Elizabeth’s response to close this entry. For the record, I can’t wait to go again when/if she’s in the area.
“I am beyond happy with these pictures. Mark captured the beauty/sexy/fierce that is behind the muscle. As a female who competes in bodybuilding, I tend to shy away from the camera for fear of looking to aggressive or hard. But Mark capture the fierce beauty and sexy side of bodybuilding.
We had so much fun. I’m grateful that he walked me through the posing and he always made me feel comfortable and confident. Mark is a true genius and artist behind that camera.
Thank you sooooo much Mark ❤️❤️❤️
Can’t wait to work with you again “
Photography by Mark K 
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