KOSTAS KOSMIDIS

Inspired by the female figure, Kostas Kosmidis creates unique portraits of women. He has worked for Playboy Greece and has also published his own calendar. Enjoy his interview!

Can you tell me a little about you?

Hello there Sinners and Saints. I am Kostas Kosmidis, also known as Kostas Kappa. I was born in Thessaloniki in 1975. I joined the Hellenic Air Force in 1993 and ended my career as an officer in 2019. I love art and photography, cinematography in particular. I try to express myself through those mediums and I believe in storytelling. I love sensual, erotica and glamour photography. 

How and when did you get into your profession?

Back in 2011, I was involved in a serious car accident with my motorbike. After that close to death experience, I wanted to do all the things I postponed in my life until then, so I joined photography classes. That was it. Love at first sight. For the next 5 years my life was working, shooting, learning, editing, shooting again. It didn’t take me long to go from landscapes to portraits and then mostly female portraits, boudoir and nude.

What does photography mean to you?

It’s the air that I breathe. My life. After 8 years of doing it as a hobby I resigned from the Air Force (a steady job with a good salary) to do it professionally. I have not regretted it since, not even during Covid’s difficult times.

Could you describe your style in three words?

Intimate, provocative and sensual.

Where do you get inspiration from?

Women. The most mysterious, beautiful, worth exploring entity in this world.

Do you think in advance what you want in the picture ?

Well in general I always have a plan. Maybe a setup or a feeling that I want. Sometimes I may have a specific picture drawn in my mind that I want to create. But I always think that the process of creating is more important. That’s why I love to work with models that consider themselves artists too. So after a lot of talk and discussion in advance about the general idea and what we both like, we are free to create together amazing photography.

Studio, on location or both?

I am a huge fan of Helmut Newton. Newton said that “I don’t like white paper backgrounds. A woman does not live in front of white paper. She lives on the street, in a motor car, in a hotel room.” So it’s location, location, location.

What has been your most memorable session and why?

As a professional it has to be my first pictorial for Playboy Greece (Summer 2019 issue) with Gian Mamaki. It was the first project that was completely organized by me and it was a great day. We had a lot of fun and the result was amazing.

Nikon, Canon or something else? Favorite lens?

I started with an Olympus kit DSLR. I moved to a semi-pro Nikon camera and when I changed to full frame I went to Canon. I love the colors and the feeling of it and I think I will stick to it for a long long time. As for lenses, I should say the Sigma Art Series, with the 50mm 1.4 as my favorite.

What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business?

Well,  the classic one. Shoot, shoot and then shoot again. But not at random. Focus on what you want to present to the world. You have to do it with love and aesthetics. Aesthetics is the combination of all the things we lived so far. Every movie we saw or song we heard. Every place we visited. Every person we touched, loved or lust. So after all that shooting, my second advice would be to live and experience things that will be later a part of your photography. Your unique fingerprint. Your identity.

“My advice would be to live and experience things that will be later a part of your photography. Your unique fingerprint. Your identity. ”

Follow Kostas Kappa on instagram