Photoshoot

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2020 Museum of Ice Cream Photoshoots

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In 2020, I was in New York. (This was shortly before the covid era began) While there, I found out about the Museum of Ice Cream and was very intrigued. (The museum is one of those immersive experiences where you walk through various environments)

I ended up being able to achieve 3 different photoshoots there. 1 shoot with Ashlee Montague, 1 shoot with Sara Michelle Murawski (Sarafina) and 1 shoot with Anna McEvoy-Melo.

The designs of the rooms and the colors at the museum were just stunning and created very unique environments that we had a blast shooting in. The images are vibrant with lots of colors. Take your time looking through them; there’s a lot to take in.

Something I find interesting about these images is how much the personality of the dancer affects the feeling of the photograph/environment they’re in. You can see through the 3 different models from these shoots, that they all bring a unique energy to the space they occupy.

You can follow Ashlee Montague on Instagram @AshleeRoseMontague

You can follow Anna McEvoy-Mello here: @aemcevoymelo

Till next time,

-Oliver Endahl

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Reverie Dance Company: Jenna Skipworth Interview

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Reverie Dance Company is lead by visionary artistic director Jenna Skipworth, and is based in Denver, Colorado.

They recently had their inaugural performance and are currently in the process of putting their second show together.

I shot with the artistic director, Jenna, as well as the dancers in her company twice in the past few months. Below is photos from our two photoshoots, an and interview with Jenna.

Introduce yourself

Hi! I’m Jenna Skipworth. I am a Colorado native and current Denver resident. I have been a freelance professional dancer for over 10 years. I have a degree in music from Berklee college of music, a comprehensive Pilates certification, and am a certified Franklin Method instructor. I love to perform, create, and teach!! Most recently, I am the Artistic Director and founder of Reverie Dance Company.

What drives you to do reverie? What motivates you?

Reverie has been an idea for many years in my head. After personally experiencing and watching friends experience the depth of toxicity In the dance world, I knew I wanted to do something to change it. Even on a small scale.

I’m so motivated to create a positive and dancer-first space. A place where choreography is designed around the dancers and their strengths, where no one dances for free, individuality is celebrated, and dancers are deeply respected. A place that needs to exist!

What are some ways you feel you’ve changed as a dancer/artist?

Over my career, I’ve become more conscious of the people around me. Everyone has a story and they interact and are shaped by their own stories in their own ways. Any freelance job I’ve been lucky to get has introduced me to the most interesting people. When you hear more stories, you can’t help but become more empathetic.

I’ve also become more aware of how I can change the dance world, and encourage friends around me to do the same. Things like talking about pay rates, encouraging each other to speak up in bad situations, to walk away when you know you deserve better, and things like that.

What are 3 facts about you?

  • I’m married to the most amazing human, Sam, and he has lovingly supported me through my dance career and Reverie!

  • I obsessed with pop culture things from 1950s-90s. Movies, music, clothing. I listen almost exclusively to classic jazz, wear vintage clothing and jewelry.

  • I find family heritage and history fascinating. My mom was adopted and through DNA testing, we’ve discovered new family members and uncovered more family history. For instance, I’m very Sicilian and my great grandfather carved a church door in Catina, Sicily that is still standing to this day!

What’s your favorite way to drink coffee?

Espresso martini please!! But honestly, I’ll take and enjoy coffee in any form. I love trying local coffee shops, buying locally roasted beans, and finding special coffees all over Denver.

For at home coffee, I decided a long time ago that I wanted to make pour over coffee every morning. I have stayed committed to it ever since.

What is the role of art in society?

Art has many important roles. It can range from simply being a creative outlet, a way to massage the brain and take a break from normal life, or to try to find a new way to see the world. It can also be something that carries a ton of weight. It reflects culture and current events, it can break you, heal you, and change you.

As dancers, we feel the impact of art intensely and tend to blend how someone perceives us with our own love of art. This can create deep wounds that are hard to heal. I hope to treat all my dancers with a tenderness that helps them fall in love with their own abilities and the way they can create art as individuals, despite how someone sees/treats them.

What movies have you enjoyed lately?

Sam and I have been really into watching old movies from the 60s and 70s. Anything from classic James Bond, to old movie musicals (my absolute favorites), and obscure ones with titles that are too long and are completely unhinged.

What are some of your hobbies/passions outside of dance?

  • I could sew for 24 hours without stopping. I’m super amateur and self-taught but severely obsessed!! Sam calls it my “sewing black hole”

  • Thrifting!! Could thrift all day every day. It feels like treasure hunting.

  • I love hosting and planning parties! Bachelorette, birthday, garden parties… you name it, and I will go crazy.

What’s something people might be surprised to know about you?

Although I am born and raised in Colorado, I can’t ski or snowboard. In fact, I tried once and broke my wrist. If I hit the slopes, they hit me back.

What do you want audiences to take away from a reverie performance?

I want them to see each person on stage as a unique individual. I want them to feel our positive and genuine connection to one another. To witness our collective love for dance and to fall in love with dance themselves.

You can follow Reverie on Instagram here,

Here is the Reverie website

And you can follow the artistic director Jenna Skipworth on IG here

Till next time,

-Oliver Endahl

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Sofia in the Bay Area 2025

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Sofia and I got together for a shoot in San Francisco, California. We photographed at SF City Hall, and then various parts of Golden Gate Park. (We also got extremely lucky and happened across some cherry blossom trees right as they were in bloom)

We had a blast creating and really lucked out this entire shoot with the lighting and environments.

You can follow Sofia on social media here.

Till next time,

-Oliver

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2010 Asteria Photoshoots

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Back in 2010, when I was still starting out, I began experimenting with a concept I called “Asteria”

(In Greek mythology, “Asteria” was the goddess of stars, astrology and dreams.)

“Asteria” was basically me using a tutu that my sister Lilith and I had placed 5 packs of LED lights through, so it would glow in the night.

To achieve these shoots, the plan was usually the same. I would wake up around 3:30 in the morning, drive into San Francisco and meet up with a dancer. We would then shoot from 5-7 AM. (Usually in the extreme cold) There were a few shoots where we shot after sunset, but those were rare.

The dancers were absolute troopers to shoot so early, and in such cold conditions. Reflecting on it now, it was a really pure experience. At that moment in history, influencers weren’t a thing yet. So everyone who collaborated with me, they did so purely because it was fun, new and exciting.

Something I kept an extra eye on for this series was the tone of the shots. I had only recently stopped dancing myself, so my state of mind was much deeper in the industry/much more self conscious of my work. Social media was still brand new then, so no dancers were really posting any content there yet.

Every photo I posted was put under the microscope of the ballet industry. Lots of eyes were watching, and I had to be very careful not to create/post anything that could be viewed as “corny, cheesy, tacky, lowbrow,” etc.. (Today, there is an endless variety of ballet centric photos and videos out there. There really is no more scrutiny of what is and isn’t “acceptable”, but back then, 14 years ago, it would have been a faux pas to post something that wasn’t considered “high brow”)

There was also a technical challenge in creating these shots because the cameras I used back then (I believe I was using a Canon 50D when shooting these) didn’t have the night capabilities that modern cameras do today. Capturing any quick movement was especially difficult since the camera was already hitting its technical ceiling. I enjoyed the challenge though, and learned a lot about photography from these night shoots.

I am very proud of these images, and the execution of the concept.

Till next time,

-Oliver Endahl

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Elseana Skowronski - Early 2025

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Elseana Skowronski and I got together for a photoshoot in the San Francisco bay area earlier this year.

We began our shoot in SF just outside the Exploratorium near the Embarcadero. When we arrived, there was a small bridge that started spraying mist everywhere. We weren’t sure how long the mist was going to last, so we had El jump in and snapped a few photos of her on the misty bridge.

Turns out, the bride mist is an art project from Fujiko Nakaya. I snapped a photo of the information on the project;

After we shot at the fog bridge, we decided to head south outside of the city towards the Pacifica/Montara area. The weather was surprisingly warm for the bay area, and the scenery was absolutely beautiful.

Then we headed towards “The Devils Bunker” which offered massive views and a cool large structure.

Then we drove back into the city and finished our shoot at Bernal Heights.