About Rob Sims

After 15 years of shooting professionally for more than 80 magazines all over the globe, Sims settled in Los Angeles in 1991 and began photographing celebrities like Halle Berry, Pam Anderson, and Whitney Houston from his Melrose studio. From this base, he shifted to his glamour and fitness photography specialty, shooting thousands of models, managing several internet ventures, and producing a multitude of DVD’s, including collaborations with National Lampoon.

Rob Sims

Rob Sims is a world-renowned fitness and celebrity photographer with a legacy that spans decades. Known for his stunning ability to capture strength, beauty, and emotion in a single frame, Rob has photographed over 400 magazine covers and tens of thousands of editorial features worldwide.

Before the digital era, Rob built an iconic archive of more than 18 million film slides. Today, his digital catalog exceeds 5 million images of fitness women, celebrities, and elite athletes. His unmatched eye for detail and storytelling has made him the go-to photographer for both rising stars and legends of the industry.

Rob owned and published his own magazine and has built a loyal audience through three photography-focused Facebook accounts, followed by more than 15,000 fitness competitors — many of whom become paying clients featured in his portfolio and publications.

He travels extensively across the United States and internationally, organizing exclusive photo shoots, workshops, and fitness magazine opportunities. His work blends art and professionalism, consistently delivering images that are bold, empowering, and timeless.

Rob Sims

Rob Sims was born in England and took his first photographic lessons at the age of 12 when he was hired and taught how to print color photos till the age of 15. Rob aged 15 left England on his motorcycle and traveled for 16 years around the world studying photography in the major schools as he journeyed and sold travel photos to the travel magazines. Rob Sims was trained using a 4 x 5 film camera in a pitch black Studio and earn't a master's degree in photography and video. Rob became as technically perfect as you can get in photography and as Rob traveled around the World he shot for the major movies in Asia was hired by Suzuki motors in Australia, and when he came to America, this celebrity worktook off, photographing all of the biggest names in the business. 1996 Bob Kennedy, the publisher of musclemag, asked Rob if he could teach photography to his photographers who were shooting women like men.

After sending Bob, some examples of what he could teach Bob Kennedy hired him exclusively for 15 years, and Rob helped start Oxygen magazine by shooting 11 covers thousands of pages and over 40 fashion spreads.

Today, Sims is one of the world's most published photographers, shooting approximately 350 cover shots and 4,000 published photographs a year. Some of the publications featuring his work include American Curves, Muscle Mag, Oxygen, Maxim, Loaded, Iron Man, Flex, FHM, Stuff, News Week, Hello, Today's Black Man, Today's Black Woman and Today's Black Man Swim Suit Issue. Sims has also shot for some of the biggest companies and organizations in the world, including Chanel, Nike, and the San Francisco 49ers, as well as all of the largest P.R. companies in Los Angeles.

Rob Sims now is the chief photographer of the high selling newsstand magazine “American Curves” competitor's only magazine and has the power to guarantee publication to whomever he photographs, so jump on board and take advantage of Rob's unique talents and wisdom.

Rob Sims Photography: Master Photographer

Before fitness magazines were filled with sexy and glamorous photographs of beautiful women, there was a time when fitness modeling was entirely different. The female fitness models were photographed much like the men: as physical specimens with bulging muscles, lacking any makeup or charisma. The sex appeal found today within the world of woman's fitness came nearly 17 years ago when master photographer Rob Sims was hired to teach fitness photographers how to shoot women. Until this point, Sims was an accomplished celebrity photographer shooting the likes of Pamela Anderson, Tom Hanks, Carmen Electra and other top celebrities. Sims quickly exchanged the model's tops for items like sand, seaweed, and shells, and began shooting women in postage-stamp bikinis and the skimpiest g-strings the world has ever seen. During these times, Sims and his models created all the poses that modern swimsuit and lingerie models are still using today. Instead of flexing their muscles, Sims told the models to arch their backs, open their mouths, and spread their legs. The sex appeal in fitness and swimsuit modeling was born, as was the modern female fitness model.

Today, Sims is one of the world's most published photographers, shooting approximately 350 magazine covers and 4,000 published photographs a year. Some of the publications featuring his work include American Curves, Muscle Mag, Oxygen, Maxim, Loaded, Iron Man, Flex, FHM, Stuff, News Week, Hello, Today's Black Man, Today's Black Woman and Today's Black Man Swim Suit Issue. Sims has also shot for some of the biggest companies and organizations in the world, including Chanel, Nike, and the San Francisco 49ers, as well as all of the largest P.R. companies in Los Angeles.

In a 1996 issue of Muscle Mag, Sims photographed the first ever swimsuit/lingerie issue, which undoubtedly left his mark on the business and helped Muscle Mag’s sell-through rate skyrocket. Robert Kennedy, founder of Muscle Mag and American Health and Fitness, found Sims to be the most gifted and hardworking photographer around, and made Sims his exclusive photographer. After issues of Muscle Mag were pulled from the shelves due to the extreme content of Sims’ work, Kennedy founded a new magazine, American Curves, to feature all of Sims' hottest shots. Sims was named the chief photographer, and was asked to appear and be interviewed on “Access Hollywood” and other mainstream television programs to advertise the new magazine. With Sims' help and expertise, American Curves became the nationally top-selling magazine in 7 11.

Sims career in photography began at the age of 12, and he studied at some of the world’s best photography schools in England, Israel, Australia, and America. His academic achievements set him apart from other photographers, and have helped him hone his art. However, since a compromise often must be met between good art and good business, publishers frequently use sub-par photographers that are allegedly “good enough” with aims of creating a cheaper product. To avoid this marginalized reality and business model, Sims has founded two magazines of his own, which happens to make him one of the only photographers in the world to also be a publisher. He owns Fit Models International, a glamour photography magazine, and Fit Body Magazine, which is focused on women's fitness and health. As the sole photographer for both magazines, Sims’ has complete control over the content that is published, and is no longer faced with the embarrassment of being affiliated with cheap wannabes or average guys with cameras. Sims is also able to choose the caliber of personnel necessary to produce a successful magazine. He gives special credit to his staff, including Shannon Rosales and Leslie Chan, who Sims recognizes as "some of the world's top make up artists and stylists.” Together, Rosales and Chan can turn anything into a sexy garment to barely cover up the models and make them look great.

When looking for new models, Sims states, “there are three ingredients that make a great model: passion, facial look, and physique.” Sims is clearly an expert on finding and publishing models with these qualities, which is why fitness magazines and competitions, like the Galaxy and the Fitness America Pageant, bring him on to find models that can be published for advertising.

Sims likes to work with new models to avoid running into the bad habits that other photographers tend to teach. With the unique ability to guarantee national and international publication to any model he works with, he is undoubtedly the photographer to begin any model’s career. By starting with models that are fresh and hungry, Sims is capable of building careers and turning the unknown into sex symbols, which something that he is known to do. Some of the big names that shot exclusively with Sims include Torrie Wilson, Rachel Moore, Moca Lee, Danielle Edwards, Sarah Orbanic, Tanya Merryman, Tina Rigdon, Tonya Elliott, and Christina Linehan. Sims was able to give each of these models page after page and cover after cover, which helped lead to their fame and future publishing success. Some of the models that shot with Sims, such as Torrie Wilson, Tamara Lynn, Christina Linehan, and Nicole Ferrari, were even recruited by Playboy magazine.

Sims is now producing a television program, “Bikini All-Stars,” which is being aired on MavTV. He has 39 episodes a year where he and his crew shoot and interview the world’s hottest models, giving them international exposure. With MavTV, Sims is in charge of finding models to produce television programs with, and in return, he is given shares of the network, advertising, and cash. On a similar note, Sims produces videos on a monthly basis featuring various models in beautiful locations such as Jamaica and Cabo San Lucas. He also teaches photography seminars and advises new magazine publishers. As an outgoing sports fanatic, Sims hopes to begin using themes of extreme sports in his photo shoots by incorporating fast cars and surfboards with beautiful scantily dressed models. This will definitely be a project to look out for since everything that Sims touches in photography turns to gold.

Press release

MavTV partners with Rob Sims, world-renowned fashion & fitness photographer

MavTV is teaming up with world-famous glamour and fitness photographer,Rob Sims, to expand on one of the network’s goals of offering compelling HD programming that focuses on beautiful women.

Rob Sims will be looking for fresh, new talent to join the network as “Mav Girls” for several series ideas that are currently on the drawing board for 2009. He will serve as a creative director finding “Mav Girls” to help promote the network’s visibility and add to the stable of original HD programming content targeting men.

“MavTV is excited to have Rob Sims commitment to find us top models that want to help us promote our brand and draw attention to the HD original programming content produced by our company in a variety of different genres targeting men. Rob is a powerhouse in the world of glamour and bikini model photography, so attractive talent seeks him out. Using Rob’s photography skills and contacts will help the MavTV brand build on our ability to entice great looking women into shows on the network to both promote the brand and our original series,” said Steve Severn, CEO of MavTV.

As MavTV broadens its original series lineup centered around motorsports, ultimate fighting, gadgets, comedy and beautiful women, Sims will add over 20 years of experience and a keen ability to find, train, and shoot top models. Each year, Sims shoots more than 25 magazine covers and 3,000 pages for some of the world’s top publications.

“If viewers want to get up close and personal with my models, HD is the only way to truly see it and MavTV will become an excellent showcase for my work,” said Sims. “No other cable network is committed to searching out and shooting the hottest models, so I am really looking forward to helping MavTV give men more of what they really want to see in a Maxim style format.”

Sims will add a new dimension to MavTV’s current female-focused series offerings such as “Bikini Allstars,” “Best of the Best,” and “Fitness Beauties,” as well as participating in the creation of additional reality shows offering viewers behind-the-scenes action and personal interviews with the models.

MavTV is a 24-hour cable and satellite television network targeting the male demographic. It was launched on October 1, 2004 and is available in over 70 markets across the U.S., in Canada, the UK, Africa and Australia. With a variety of original programming that includes series like “AMA Motorcycle Racing”, “American Tailgater”, “Bikini AllStars”, “Ultimate Combat Experience”, and “Lucas Oil Motorsports Events”, MavTV also launched an HD feed in August 2008. In March 2008, the independently owned and operated MavTV partnered with Lucas Oil Products (www.lucasoil.com) in a comprehensive strategic agreement that includes a significant investment by Lucas Oil in MavTV.

Contact(s): MavTV: Steve Severn, CEO, steve.severn@mavtv.net, (818) 889-3005 FitModels, International: Rob Sims, rob@fmimag.com, (310) 926-7454

Why shoot with Rob Sims Photography

Written by: Fiona Sofino

World famous magazine photographer, Rob Sims is now published in over 40, 000 tear sheets and averages 20 or more fitness magazine covers every year. His work is featured in 80 of the top magazines, including the top ten men's magazines, and in over 150 TV shows. He owns both FitBody Magazine and FitModels International Magazine. He can get a model exposure to over 50 video production companies, TV stations, legitimate producers, and commercial companies. Being such a powerhouse in the fitness industry, Sims can successfully send a model to the next level in their modeling careers.

Rob Sims always asks models a few questions before he shoots them, simple fundamental questions to see if they know what they’re doing. Such as “What are you going to do with a portfolio? Who is ever going to pay you? Why do you want to go into the business? How are you going to get there? Most models can't answer any question correctly because they have no idea what they're doing. Why would anyone get into a business and stay for years, and not know the answers to any of these simple basic questions? I shot a girl six months ago who had been in the business for six years, and didn’t know the answers to any of those questions. She'd never been published, and never made a penny. Does being told your beautiful put food in your stomach and pay your mortgage?” Many models don’t look at modeling as a high paying job, so Sims opens their eyes to the possibilities. Last year at the Arnold Sports Festival 2010, Sims took his top model, Katerina Schload, by the hand and introduced her to all the top CEOs of the nutrition companies, and since then she has had a bidding war for the Arnold Sports Festival 2011, Olympia Weekend 2011, and other expos. Many videos are out there with models praising him for his knowledge and professional advice, which make it very clear that he is not only a very highly experienced and educated photographer, but he is also a master and a teacher. Sims is in a division of his own. He knows it and handles it calmly and confidently.

Sims has guided thousands of models to successful careers in the fitness business. He confidently states, “Would you go to a doctor who doesn't have an office, never graduated from medical school, and doesn’t have a receptionist or nurses? Would you work with a lawyer who isn’t established, never passed the bar exam, or has never been to court? Why would you shoot with a photographer who’s never been published and never made a penny with their work and expect that they're going to take you somewhere? Models that connect with me will be taken to the next level, their name will get out to the public, and the model will be getting paid in the process.” All models that work with him receive copies of all the photos and HD video footage taken at the shoot, so the models can accurately critique themselves and improve their poses. Sims sees life and modeling as a jigsaw puzzle. He puts the pieces together, so it all works. Rob Sims began his career at a very young age traveling to distant and rugged locations such as Tibet, Outer Mongolia, The Silk Road, Siberia, and Africa. He left his home in the UK and ventured off to explore the world. Driving around the eastern continents for 16 years on his motorcycle, Sims lived and hung out with the locals gaining access to off-limit locations and taking amazing rare photos of locations most photographers couldn’t get to.

He made his living by selling these photos to travel magazines.

Sims loved to get dirty and even with his switch to shooting fitness models you’ll still find him rolling around in the mud. During his travels, Sims received over seven years of education in photography from the best photographic schools in the world. Trained in a pitch black studio on a 4x5 camera, he learned that if he didn’t light the subject correctly, it wouldn’t appear on the film. He received training to turn his light meter off and shoot slide film with perfection. His formal education is in all aspects of photography, including advanced photographic skills, B/W master printing and color printing, including two years of body language which makes Sims able to know how someone feels before they even know it themselves. This ability allows him to coach his models to feel their poses, not just do them. After traveling around the world shooting exotic locations, Sims went on to shooting celebrities such as Halle Berry, “the Bay Watch girls,” Tom Hanks, Gabrielle Union, Pamela Anderson, and Van Dam. Sims was shooting most of the top celebrities in the business at that time. Later, Sims was asked to train a fitness photographer on how to shoot women which went successfully, afterwards causing many other photographers to seek him out for lessons. Sims connected with Bob Kennedy, major fitness magazine publisher, and became his exclusive photographer. Together Rob Sims and Bob Kennedy changed the business to what it is today. Before Sims entered the fitness industry, it was simply bodybuilding women doing manly poses in a string bikini. Sims brought in make-up artists, sexier swimwear, and taught the women to do more sensual and seductive poses. Sims claims fitness is more of a niche, where you are looking for the hardest body, the softest pretty face, an amazing personality, or as Bob Kennedy taught him many years ago, PIZZAZ. “A girl like that is worth a fortune,” he claims.

Sims resume is extensive with his list of celebrities, starting 11 successful magazines, to being a huge part of bringing “Stuff” magazine from the UK to the US. What you see is what you get with Rob Sims photography as he does not retouch his images, nor do most of the magazines he works with apart from the covers. He averages approximately 20 covers and 2,500 inside pages a year. With his training in magazine layouts, marketing, and design, he usually accompanies the magazines to the printers where he works on the press and makes sure that he and the magazine get the best package they can. He’s held seminars for photographers of all ranges. He’s shared his mentoring skills with both photographers and models educating them with business planning and other skills to aid them in the industry. He is an excellent photographer, businessman, and mentor. Not only is he the most published fitness photographer in the industry, but when Sims takes his work to a magazine it goes directly to either the art director or publisher themselves. Typically, when photos are submitted, they go through 2 or 3 people before even reaching the art director. When models shoot with Rob Sims, they are guaranteed to be published as long as they’ve got what it takes and successfully make that connection with the camera. He can successfully take a model as far as she wants to go. With his life experience, extensive education in photography, and his in-depth knowledge of the fitness industry, why would a fitness model want to shoot with anyone else?

Famous magazine photographer, Rob Sims is now published in over 40, 000 tear sheets and averages 20 or more fitness magazine covers every year, and just photographed his third Times Square Reuters Billboard.

His work is featured in 80 of the top magazines, including the top ten men's magazines, and in over 150 TV shows. He owns both FitBody Magazine and FitModels International Magazine. He can get a model exposure to over 50 video production companies, TV stations, legitimate producers, and commercial companies. Being such a powerhouse in the fitness industry, Sims can successfully send a model to the next level in their modeling careers. Rob Sims always asks models a few questions before he shoots them, simple fundamental questions to see if they know what they’re doing. Such as “What are you going to do with a portfolio? Who is ever going to pay you? Why do you want to go into the business? How are you going to get there? Most models can't answer any question correctly because they have no idea what they're doing.

Why would anyone get into a business and stay for years, and not know the answers to any of these simple basic questions? I shot a girl six months ago who had been in the business for 6 years, and didn’t know the answers to any of those questions. She'd never been published, and never made a penny. Does being told your beautiful put food in your stomach and pay your mortgage?” Many models don’t look at modeling as a high paying job, so Sims opens their eyes to the possibilities. At the Arnold Sports Festival 2010, Sims took his top model, Katerina Schload, by the hand and introduced her to all the top CEOs of the nutrition companies,and since then she has had a bidding war for the Arnold Sports Festival 2011, Olympia Weekend 2011, and other expos. Many videos are out there with models praising him for his knowledge and professional advice, which make it very clear that he is not only a very highly experienced and educated photographer, but he is also a master and a teacher. Sims is in a division of his own. He knows it and handles it calmly and confidently.

Sims has guided thousands of models to successful careers in the fitness business. He confidently states, “Would you go to a doctor who doesn't have an office, never graduated from medical school, and doesn’t have a receptionist or nurses? Would you work with a lawyer who isn’t established, never passed the bar exam, or has never been to court? Why would you shoot with a photographer who’s never been published and never made a penny with their work and expect that they're going to take you somewhere? Models that connect with me will be taken to the next level, their name will get out to the public, and the model will be getting paid in the process.” All models that work with him receive copies of all the photos and HD video footage taken at the shoot, so the models are able to accurately critique themselves and improve their poses. Sims sees life and modeling as a jigsaw puzzle. He just puts the pieces together, so it all works.

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