From Novice photographer in September 2008 to being an official photographer of the 2009 IFBB Mr. Olympia…that’s how far Fivos Averkiou has come in the last 12 months, an incredible rise to photographic prominence for the popular and highly respected 2-time NPA/ANB British Bodybuilding Champion. His first ‘job’ was at the NPA South East 2008, sat next to his good friend and fellow ace photographer Eric Guy. The NPA British Finals followed a few weeks later, and you can see some of Fivos’ excellent work from Britain’s top competition here on the NPA web-site in the ‘Show Reports’ section.
With 20 years of competitive experience behind him, Fivos has got to know a lot of people in this sport of ours, and from a competitive point of view he knows how much value each competitor puts on having top class photos taken of that day in the life when you look your best ever! This year has also seen Fivos do gym shots of numerous UKBFF competitors, among them the highly regarded and current UKBFF Overall British Champion James Llewellyn, with his photography appearing in Flex magazine.
It must be pointed out that photography is a hobby for Fivos, it isn’t his real job, but a passion of his. This passion led to him applying to the good people who run the IFBB Olympia for a press pass, asking for permission to shoot the contest for Flex magazine. This application took quite a while, and involved him sending numerous examples of his photography for approval, to basically show his work was good enough – well, in a nut-shell, it was, and while Fivos has always wanted to go to ‘The Big O’ he never imagined he would be going to shoot the show alongside such legendary photographers as Chris Lund and Kevin Horton, but he is, and he’s delighted about it!
In his own words, here’s Fivos:
‘As most of you know I’ve been really concentrating on my photography since I shot my first bodybuilding contest (NPA South East) last September. Since then I’ve been shooting more and more and been fortunate enough to get my work published in Flex etc... I began looking at the remote possibility of trying to see if I could shoot the Mr. Olympia 2009, which I really never thought would be possible…basically is not as though its my full time job, I’m not known in the industry etc…press/media is proper locked down by Weider and the fact is there are a very limited number of press passes available for the event. Anyway, I downloaded the press application form months ago and after many e-mails and submissions of my work etc…I received the following e-mail;
August 21, 2009 Dear Applicant Please find below important information regarding press credentials for Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend, Thursday, September 24 through Sunday, September27, 2009.
The following people have been APPROVED for press credentials from Weider UK: Averkiou, Fivos - Photographer PRESS CREDENTIAL INFORMATION Press Office: Orleans Hotel Salon A (second floor up the escalator)4500 West Tropicana Las Vegas, NV 89103 Press Office Hours: Wednesday, September 23 - 9am -5pm Thursday, September 24 - 9am -5pm AND before Meet the Olympians 5pm-8pm Friday, September 26 - 9am - 12 noon Identification Required: A valid photo ID (e.g. driver license, passport, etc…) will be required to collect press credentials. IMPORTANT NOTICE: Without the express written consent from Mr. Olympia, LLC, videotaping any part of the Events is prohibited. All violators will be removed from the premises immediately. If for any reason you, or any of your party, will be unable to attend the Olympia Weekend, or unable to collect your credentials at the appointed times please notify me immediately. Sincerely, Nune Gazdhyan 2009 Mr. Olympia Coordinator
‘So now I’m off to the Mr. Olympia 2009! Not only has this been a competition that I’ve always wanted to go to when I first started training over 20 years ago, now I am an official photographer for the event!
I’m going to make the most of this amazing opportunity. I’ve already been speaking with Kevin Horton (the Number 1 photographer imo) and will be linking up with him. I want to thank all you guys who have supported me and always commented on the quality of my work. When I get back I’ve got a few more shoots lined up as well as shooting the UKBFF Finals and of course the NPA Finals. I’ll never forget where I started – I have been competing with the ANB/NPA since 1990, and while my contest planning was going well for the NPA Britain Finals this October, and my first year as a Masters competitor, this opportunity to shoot the Olympia is one I couldn’t turn down! But I’ll still be at the NPA Britain though, taking photos next to Eric Guy, who has been a big help to me. And I’ve been told I already have a press pass for next years Arnold Classic as well!’
Well done to Fivos, a Champion who has a real passion for the sport. Check out his web-site on www.fivosphotography.com
Fivos’ choice of camera? A Canon EOS 1D Mark III with professional Canon L series lenses.
I have selected the photographs accompanying this article from the NPA Britain Finals 2008 – the clarity of the photos is just fantastic, and I hope you like what you see, but will you recognise them all?? After all, not all their faces are showing, but you’ll have fun guessing, especially if you were there on the day!
Michael Phillips Secretary – NPA
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