When I set out to make these images—or really any images—I usually have a loose idea of where I want to go. But once I start shooting, I find myself following the light, the movement, what's happening around me, and honestly, what's happening in my own head.
As the light started to fade, the closest way I can describe the feeling was Coney Island after the sun goes down. That mood. That light. That strange place your mind goes when you're lying in bed somewhere between being awake and dreaming.
I don't really want to make the typical dancer photo... or the typical anything, for that matter. I'm less interested in photographing a dancer than I am in creating something that makes you feel something. At some point it stops being about the model or the photographer and becomes about what's being made between the two.
This frame feels like that moment in a dream that you can't quite explain but somehow remember.
Fun fact... I was so focused on getting the technical aspects right that I felt like I wasn't quite getting the shot I had in my head. After a few attempts, I abandoned the idea and moved on. This was one of those few frames.
I had no idea what I had until I got it into the lab and started experimenting. A little dodging, burning, contrast, and a few other ingredients... and it ended up becoming one of my favorite images from the session.