Flying pigeon

This is a studio shot of a yogi and pole fitness instructor friend; the pose is called 'flying pigeon'.

I'm an acrobalance performer and teacher myself and have recently developed a personal interest in yoga. When Chrissie suggested a shoot I jumped at the chance.

As in much of my work with acrobats I seek to make the most strenuous poses look as though they are performed with an effortless ease and sense of quietness.

It's a one light setup - a gridded strip box on a boom arm over the model and pointing slightly forwards, the aim being to highlight the shape and musculature. The white floor bounced enough light onto the underside of the model to define her edges and I used a silver reflector to bounce some extra light into the face.

Unusually for me, I've created the background in photoshop my modifying a free stock texture.