ballet photoshoot

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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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Rachel and Ella Bullock in Studio

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Rachel and Ella Bullock are two very talented sisters.

We met up at a photo studio in the Chicago, Illinois area and utilized all the room had to offer.

Some of the outfits they wore on the shoot were created by their talented Mother, Melissa Oakes.

Rachel and Ella Bullock wearing Melissa Oakes

Rachel and Ella Bullock wearing Melissa Oakes

Rachel Bullock wearing Melissa Oakes

Rachel and Ella Bullock in color

Rachel and Ella Bullock in black and white

Rachel and Ella Bullock in color

Rachel and Ella Bullock in black and white

Rachel and Ella Bullock in color

Rachel and Ella Bullock in black and white

Rachel Bullock

Ella and Rachel Bullock

Ella and Rachel Bullock

Ella and Rachel Bullock 

Rachel Bullock

Ella Bullock wearing an outfit by Melissa Oakes

Ella Bullock

Ella Bullock

Rachel Bullock

Rachel Bullock

Ella Bullock

Ella Bullock

You can follow Rachel, Ella and Melissa on IG below.

Rachel

Ella

Melissa

Keep an eye on the zine for more shoots with this talented crew in the future.

Till next time,

-Oliver

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Sydney Tyra in downtown LA + Mini Interview 2024

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Sydney Tyra and I got together for a shoot at a studio in the downtown Los Angeles area.

Below are my favorite shots from the shoot + a mini interview with her.

Favorite Quote?

I love the quote from Little Women: “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.”

Favorite pizza toppings???

Artichoke and cheese!

What’s your favorite movie you’ve seen this year? (It can be old or new, as long as it was new to you)

I’d have to say Challengers! Amazing actors/score/cinematography all around.

What’s your unwinding routine?

My unwinding routine includes a solo walk by the ocean with some relaxing music, a long shower, and a Disney movie in my bed with a nice candle lit. (My all time fav is probably the Lion King)

What’s your favorite part about modeling?

My favorite part of modeling is when I get into the “flow” and everything else sort of melts away. I’m able to fully be in the moment and allow myself to express whatever comes to me. It’s almost similar to the feeling I get when I dance/improv!

If you could travel anywhere, what’s at the top of your list?

The top of my list is either Mykonos or Sweden to see the Northern Lights!

You can follow Sydney on Instagram here @Sydney.Tyra and keep an eye on the Zine for more shoots with her in the future.

Till next time,

-Oliver

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Shirley Winters Ballet Photoshoot

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The dancers of Shirley Winters Ballet and I got together early in the morning in the Fresno area of California.

I was up before dawn driving to the location, and as usual with getting up before the sunrise for a photoshoot, it was well worth it.

The dancers of Shirley Winters Ballet were extremely talented and fun to work with. They took direction well and each had unique strengths and charisma that they harnessed during the shoot.

You can check out Shirley Winters Ballet through their website here:

www.shirleywintersballet.com

And you can follow them on Instagram here: @SWinters_Ballet

-Oliver

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Jaclyn Younger in the studio

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Jaclyn Younger and I have shot many times over the years. She is a frequent collaborator and is always a joy to work with. These photos were created earlier this year at a new photo studio I hadn’t used before.

I gave Jaclyn various interview questions for this post. Here are her answers

What’s been your favorite piece to perform?

Over the years I've performed several traditionally classical roles that I really love (demi-soloist in Paquita, Snow Queen, Dew Drop, and Spanish Lead in The Nutcracker, and variations such as Gamzati's wedding variation from La Bayadere and the La Esmeralda variation), but the pieces that tend to stick to me the most lean more neoclassical and contemporary. Last season I performed in an original piece, Quatro, by Juilliard alumni and current University of New Mexico professor Vladimir conde Reche and it will always be a piece that I remember as a catalyst for growth, challenge, and overall, the love of performance as a whole. I can't wait to see what new roles and pieces continue to inspire me in the near future. 

 What are other forms of art you enjoy outside of ballet? 

Outside of ballet, I'm very drawn to both writing and photography. I graduated with a BA in Multimedia Journalism which I have been able to turn into a side job of professionally curating blogs and social media sites. Additionally, I work as an Assistant Creative Director for a nationally known wedding photography team (shout out to Alicia Lucia Photography), that allows me to continue to expand my skills as a writer, curator, and viewer of real-life love stories. 

Beyond my professional pursuits, I'm a sucker for art galleries both big and small. I'll find any excuse to visit an exhibit or full blown museum in my local community and when I travel. 

 What do you think needs to change about the ballet industry?

There are so many elements of ballet that need to change, but the most prominent to me are the treatment of dancers and the perception of bodies in the dance world. Too many times dancers are asked to essentially work for free or for very little money in high stress situations with sometimes zero medical or emotional support from dance companies. In any other field of work employees are able to demand more, however in the dance world, especially when it comes to ballet, asking for livable wages and appropriate work conditions is taboo and dancers are generally expected to 'tolerate it'. I fully support the notion of more dancers, no matter the size of their companies, unionizing in order to create a better present for themselves and  future for aspiring dancers. 

Additionally, I think that there needs to be a huge adjustment in the way that the ballet world handles the idea of a 'perfect ballet body'. For too long there has been a stigma around weight in ballet companies around the globe and this diminishes the fact that dancers are human beings and therefore should be able to embrace change in their bodies over the years. 

If ballet as a whole can't take on the demands of the 21st century such as treating dancers like people instead of just bodies, there is a real question of if the art form itself can truly be salvaged moving forward. As someone who loves ballet to my core, I hope that ballet, and the dance world at large, can adapt and create a more welcoming, realistic community for all.  

You can follow Jaclyn on IG and keep an eye here for more of our shoots in the future.

-Oliver