Ballet Photographer

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Isabella Hoy in Los Angeles

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This was the first shoot Isabella Hoy and I did together. We hit it off and created some epic stills in a photo studio located in downtown Los Angeles.

Here’s my favorite shots from the shoot + a few questions for Isabella herself!

Give us a short introduction!

Hello! My name is Isabella Hoy. I was born in St.Louis, MO, but CA is my home and has been for the past seventeen years. Although I have been teaching ballet for three years now, I only recently began dancing again. Having stopped dance at the age of fourteen, I feel so grateful to be able to dance again at twenty-three. So, for the past few months my life has been class, class, and more class. When I’m not dancing or teaching, you’ll probably find me reading or spending time with my incredible family and friends for whom I am so fortunate to have in my life. 

What places do you want to travel to the most?

I’m ready to go back to Italy, like… right away! However, at the top of my list right now, I would also include Japan, Amsterdam, Ireland, and Spain.

Who’s your current favorite dance choreographer at the moment?

I’ve been watching a lot of Fredrick Ashton’s work, so I would have to say Mr. Ashton at the moment!

Pizza or burgers?

Pizza (but by that I mean my bisnonna/great grandmother’s handmade Sicilian pizza!). 

Do you need white noise to sleep? Or silence?

Ah yes, the sound of rain and crickets is very soothing to me.

Do you like comedy? (If so, what’re some of your favorite comedy shows or movies?)

Oh, this is such a difficult question, there are too many to name, so I’ll just say the first movie that comes to mind is “The Frisco Kid”  and the first show that comes to mind is “Fleabag”.

What’s a piece of art (movie, painting, play, ballet, broadway, television show, book, song, poem, etc..) That moved you the most this year so far?

I find poetry incredibly inspiring and it truly adds such depth and beauty to my life. I have a notebook where I write down every poem that speaks to me in someway. Out of the hundreds of poems and quotes in there, the one I’m thinking of now is “Ithaka” by C.P. Cavafy 

What do you enjoy about dancing?

I’ve been enchanted by ballet since I was two years old. So I shall say to dance is to live.

What’s something people might not know about you?

Literature, music, and acting has always and continues to be a large part of my life. 

Would you rather cook 20 pies or rollerblade 20 miles?

I love to cook so I’d absolutely bake those twenty pies.

You can follow Isabella on IG here

Till next time,

-Oliver

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Adeline Wylie in Studio

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This is the first time Adeline Wylie and I created in a photo studio together. We shot at a local place and utilized natural light.

Adeline brought a variety of fun outfits that we got to play with. I think the photos have an ethereal/editorial vibe.

As you can see from the photos, Adeline is definitely a pro at modeling.

You can follow Adeline on Instagram @Addy.Wylie and keep an eye on the Zine for more shoots with her in the future.

-Oliver Endahl

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Kate Huntington in studio shoot + Interview

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Kate Huntington

Studio shoot + interview

Kate Huntington and I have been collaborating for years. We’ve shot in New York, Washington, California, Arizona, and more.

The photos featured today are from the latest shoot that we did towards the end of 2023.

After our photoshoot I sent Kate a few questions to be featured here.

Here are her answers.

- Introduction -

Hi! I’m Kate Huntington. I am currently a senior at the University of Arizona’s School of Dance. I will be graduating this spring with a dual degree in Dance and Economics. My early training began at ARC School of Ballet in Seattle, Washington, and continued at New York’s American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, and Houston Ballet. As of today, I hold an apprenticeship with ARC Dance’s professional ballet company.

- What are 3 things you want to see change in the ballet industry? -

There are several things I would love to see change in the ballet industry. From a young age, I was fed the idea that to be a professional dancer, there is a specific path you have to take. When I decided to go the collegiate route, I accepted that my chances of a ballet career were gone. As I near graduation, I realize it is not as black and white as I had imagined. I hope to prove that achieving a fulfilling career post-graduation is achievable. I hope ballet companies shift to accepting dancers of diverse backgrounds and upbringings. In my opinion, being homeschooled and moving away from your family at 15 years old to train should not be the norm. I would love for the industry to celebrate dancers who chose to get their degrees and who prioritize their well-being. These desires may be dismissed as naïve, though they are plausible when there is a communal effort to evolve. Overarchingly, companies need to better support their dancers’ mental and physical health. The two should not have to be sacrificed to be successful in this profession. 

- Do you think it’s important for dancers to have passions & hobbies outside of dance? -

Absolutely. I think it is important to be a human first and a dancer second. I feel I would have burned out and lost my passion for dancing had I given up everything else. I would go as far as to say that personal development and fulfillment are beneficial to one’s dancing. It affects the energy that you bring into the studio and onto the stage. Finding balance is a daily challenge, however, I know that making the effort is worth it. 

-Top 5 favorite movies (just a general 5 in no particular order)

You can never go wrong with The Intern, Gifted, We’re the Millers, Surfs Up and The Blind Side. 

- Any upcoming performances you’re excited about? -

I am currently preparing to perform a student choreographed work, “Tuyo” by Michelle Fricker in a School of Dance scholarship benefit. We will perform alongside Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ballet Tucson, and guest speaker, Misty Copeland. I am looking forward to our Dance Springs Eternal performance as well. It’s filled with Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s “Somberismo”, Alvin Ailey’s “Streams”, and other exciting works!

-3 of your favorite dance pieces? (In no particular order) 

William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude. Crystal Pite’s Emergence and The Seasons’ Canon. I grew up watching both choreographers’ works at Pacific Northwest Ballet and developed a great respect for their artistry and creative style. In the classical realm, I would say my dream role lies in Romeo & Juliet. 

You can keep up with Kate through her Instagram and keep an eye on this Zine for more of our photoshoots.

-Oliver Endahl

@K8Huntington

Instagram

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Peyton Szuberla Summer 2023

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Peyton Szuberla

At the Noguchi Gardens and in studio

Peyton Szuberla and I shot at a public sculpture display called “Noguchi Gardens” located in California.

The garden sits between some business buildings and a parking garage. It’s less of a traditional garden and more like walking through an outdoor museum filled with huge pieces of art. It’s kept insanely clean and is often used for various photoshoots. (I had never shot there, but the location had been on my radar for years) While we were there, there was two wedding parties and some locals snapping photos and enjoying the sights.

There’s several very large pieces of art that each individually stand on their own, and together they all combine to form one grand piece which is the garden itself.

It wasn’t until after our shoot that I researched to find out more about the location. It turns out it was designed by renowned artist Isamu Noguchi.

Here is the Wikipedia headline info about Isamu Noguchi;

“Noguchi Isamu (November 17, 1904 – December 30, 1988) was an American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and several mass-produced lamps and furniture pieces, some of which are still manufactured and sold.”

( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isamu_Noguchi )

How wild that he designed sets for Martha Graham? You can see in his work that it absolutely lends itself to dance with all the curves and aesthetically pleasing shapes.

Here is more information on the garden’s from the official website;

“Commissioned by the Segerstrom family in 1979 and completed in 1982, Isamu Noguchi’s California Scenario is recognized as one of the country’s preeminent sculpture gardens and the most vital publicly accessible outdoor sculpture oasis in Southern California. One of the artist’s most important public sculpture gardens, its design symbolizes various geographical characteristics of California, incorporating indigenous plants and materials.”

( https://www.southcoastplaza.com/stories/2016/12/noguchi-garden/ )

Everything looks so beautiful and intentional at this place that at one point I thought an outdoor garbage can was an art piece. (Which I thought was especially funny since in the movie “Wonder Woman 1984” they make this exact joke as they stroll thru an outdoor sculpture garden.)


After we finished at Noguchi, we headed to a photo studio that we had reserved for 2 hours. The studio had skylights above a cyc-wall, so we used all natural light for the set up.

Peyton’s Mother, Jessica, was the stylist for the shoot. I told Jessica for colors and outfit inspiration that we wanted anything neutral for the gardens, and for the studio we wanted anything “Barbie” centric. (That movie has amazing fashion and both Jessica and myself were inspired by it)

Jessica knocked it out of the park on both themes.

Love these gloves and the lines they created with Peyton’s port de bras

This converse look was especially fun to shoot. Peyton’s movements maximized the flow of the blue top and really brought an electric energy to the look.

Towards the end of our time we started losing light, (we shot at the studio from 6-8 PM) So Peyton wore this unique white fluffy top that we paired with a maroon leotard. The white top picked up the remaining soft light and Peyton’s body was nearly silhouetted.

This was a phenomenal shoot. I was feeling extremely inspired by the Noguchi Gardens, Peyton’s movements and Jessica’s passion/great taste for styling.

Keep an eye on the Zine fore more shoots with Peyton and Jessica Szuberla.

-Oliver Endahl