Page 52 - Demo

52 || FITNESS MAGAZINE || JANUARY 2016 By: Darcy TharpOST Fitness had the pleasure of interviewing Chicago based professional photographer, Don Bersano. We actually published his images of Ashley Kaltwasser in our December issue, and so this time we feature him directly. Don brings over thirty years of combined experience in the field of photography. His ability to blend fitness and glamour along with his imaginative use of lighting, color, and warmth in his images has made Don%u2019s work instantly recognizable throughout the industry for years. His images have appeared in numerous publications in the United States and abroad including Oxygen, Planet Muscle, Muscular Development, Maxim, FHM, Fitnorama Magazine United Kingdom, Muscle and Fitness, and Playboy to name a few. He has also produced ads for numerous supplement companies, fitness apparel, and swimwear companies. Don has worked with many of the top names in the fitness industry and continues to always challenge himself creatively, photographing both professionals and beginners who are seeking amazing images to add to their portfolios.MFM: How did you get started and what first interested you about photography in the first place?DB: I attended a private grade school in the late 60%u2019s early 70%u2019s where we did not have extracurricular classes such as photography. When I was in 8th grade one of our science teachers offered to teach a photography class after school to students in our grade that had an interest in learning how to use a camera. I started attending the classes with about 7 other classmates using my parents%u2019 only camera, a Kodak Instamatic 126 film cartridge camera (which by the way I still have and proudly display on a shelf in my studio that contains various antique camera%u2019s from family and friends). The classes only lasted a few weeks, but at the age of 14 I fell in love with photography and all the creative things I could do with it.