The photographer on bringing a fresh perspective to snapping dancers
Michelle Z Simmons met up with ballet dancer Lucas Labrador in downtown Roswell, a suburb of Atlanta. Simmons had been a photographer for only a few years, but had developed a love of shooting dancers. “I had photographed my niece, who is now with Virginia’s Richmond Ballet, and wanted to get more experience,” she explains. “Dancers have been photographed many, many times, so I wanted something different from the classic ballet shot.”
With that in mind, she asked Labrador to wear casual clothes instead of traditional ballet attire and arranged to meet in an area filled with restaurants and shops. “Unfortunately, as the sun went down and the lights were coming on, the traffic and crowds increased, making the location feel messy,” Simmons says. “We walked around to a back alley and it was perfect. I grabbed some sunglasses and a hat out of my car, and we just played ideas off each other until we got some shots we loved.”
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