I wanted to create an image that felt like it was photographed from directly overhead, without actually shooting from above. Cosette Alomia is en pointe and folded deeply forward at the waist, which completely changes the way her body and costume read to the camera. From this angle, the tutu becomes an almost perfect circle around her, while her legs create a strong vertical line through the center of the frame. That combination gave me the graphic, almost geometric feeling I was looking for while still keeping the elegance and discipline of ballet at the heart of the image.
I photographed this with a Nikon Z8 and an 85mm f/1.8 lens. My main light was an AD600 on a boom, positioned above and just in front of Cosette to shape her upper body and face. Behind her, I placed a second bare AD600 aimed toward her, using it to illuminate the tutu and bring out the detail and texture in the fabric. I chose to finish the image in black and white because I wanted the focus to stay on shape, line, texture and gesture rather than color. The goal was to make the viewer question the perspective for a moment, then realize that the illusion is being created entirely through Cosette’s pose, the camera position and the light.
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