I most likely startled Leah when I first met her; Matt & I were at the gym one evening this past Spring and I saw someone walk by and registered the word “Bolshoi” on her shirt. “SHE’S A BALLERINA!” I didn’t even have my phone with me- I had to borrow Matt’s. But I walked over, interrupting her workout and brashly asked “Hi… are you a dancer? I noticed your shirt and figured you had to be…”

Sure enough, she is! Leah’s a ballerina with The Washington Ballet, and I was so, SO excited she was willing to shoot with me! I’d been dreaming of the idea of photographing a ballerina amidst a a staircase full of candles, and with Leah, I knew I’d found the perfect dancer for it. We got together in DC and shot a bit while waiting for the sun to go down, and as the skies clouded over and we raced against the rain, we got the exact shot I’d bee envisioning, the one above! (You can read about my process for that here!).

Leah, thank you so much for not being totally weirded out by this random photographer interrupting your workout! I’m so grateful you were willing to collaborate with me- it was such a privilege to photograph you. All my fingers are crossed that we’ll have a chance to do it again! Once the throes of Nutcracker season are over, obvi :).

Shot on a combination of Portra 400 & Fuji 400H, processed by The FIND Lab (with a few digitals thrown in for fun).