Swimsuit

8 Spectacular Photos From Camille Kostek’s Favorite SI Swim Feature

The model landed the cover of the annual publication as a rookie in 2019.

Cara O’Bleness

Camille Kostek

Camille Kostek was photographed by Josie Clough in Kangaroo Island, Australia. 

Camille Kostek has been part of the SI Swimsuit family ever since she co-won the brand’s Swim Search open casting call in 2018. That year, she traveled to Belize, where she was photographed by Yu Tsai.

The 31-year-old Connecticut native has returned to the fold each year since, and was honored with the magazine’s cover after her rookie photoshoot in Kangaroo Island, Australia. In 2020, she posed for the publication in the Dominican Republic, then traveled to Hollywood, Fla., and St. Croix with the brand. This year, she returned to the Dominican Republic for her feature in the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue.

When we recently caught up with Kostek during Miami Swim Week, she revealed that (perhaps unsurprisingly), her favorite photoshoot over the years was her cover feature in Australia, which was captured by Josie Clough.

“It really was like stepping into a storybook,” she said of the location. “It was the most euphoric day of my life, and that photoshoot ended up being my first ever cover for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, and one of the best years of my life.”

Kostek also revealed that the photo that ended up being on the cover of the magazine was a “test shot” from her first swimsuit of the day.

“I remember MJ [Day, SI Swimsuit editor in chief] saying, she’s like, ‘It was just you. It was just effortless, it wasn’t over-posed,’” the model shared. “And that photo changed my life.”

In honor of Kostek’s life-changing cover girl moment, we’re throwing it back to a few of our favorites from Kangaroo Island.

MTY5MjQzMjY0Njg4ODU4NDAx
MTY5MjQzMjY1MjE5MDQ0NjQx
MTY5MjQzMjY1MjIzNjMyMTYx
MTY5MjQzMjY0NjgzOTQzMjAx
MTY5MjQzMjY0Njg4MzM0MTEz
MTY5MjQzMjY1MjIzMzcwMDE3
MTY5MjQzMjY1MjI0NTQ5NjY1
MTY5MjQzMjY0OTUzMDM0MDE3

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Published
Cara O’Bleness

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.