"Bodybuilders" by Dean Chalkley

Dean Chalkley is a photographer and filmmaker based in London. He grew up in a small town on the Thames Estuary called Thousand-on-Sea, Essex, UK. Initially studying to be a tailor, he soon preferred a camera to scissors and eventually earned a degree in photography from Blackpool and the Fylde College. While still in college, he began shooting for Dazed and Confused magazine. Since then, Dean has continued to capture his love of culture and music through photographs, working with many publications, record labels and fashion brands.

Over the years, cinema has become part of Dean's creative work. His films are often very personal and experimental. The first of these is "Strip" (Strip), filmed in 2000 - a short film about parallel time continuums. And the newest is 2012's The New Faces, a short documentary about the mod subculture.

1. Author on his project: The Bodybuilders started as a personal personal project and then got a sequel when Amelia Gregory of Amelia's Magazine saw my initial results. Amelia asked if I would like to continue the series of photographs to be published in her magazine. After a couple of months, the photos were printed.

2. “I have been interested in bodybuilding for many years. I myself have been in the gym for a long time and regularly. I consider it just a wonderful place, a “cathedral of overcoming difficulties”, both physical and mental.”

3. "Quite quickly, I realized that this is also a very exciting process, addictive and requires incredible focus and discipline."

4. “Serious training in the gym can be compared to a religious experience. It is as if you are taking a solemn vow - this is a sacrifice and a kind of self-flagellation. You are not just pumping muscles, everything is much deeper.

5. "The greatest influence on me in creating this series of photographs was Serge Litsis, who worked with me in the same room in London." He is also dedicated to the second film of the author in 2005 with the same name "Bodybuilder".

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