My time with Allyson ended up being one of the more interesting creative experiments I’ve done in recent memory. Most of my shoots start with a plan and a shot list, but not this one. This time, she and I opted to just play around with the different ideas and shapes she had in her head, and we collaborated to bring them to life.

The reason for the spontaneity was that Allyson wasn’t interested in copying a trend or replicating what someone else has done. She wanted to be completely authentic to her own energy, and that changed our entire approach to the photoshoot. Our time together became less about hitting a specific pose and more about giving Allyson the room to execute the vision she already had in her head.

We split the session into two distinct parts, and the styling shifted with each one.

The first half leaned into more of a business vibe. Allyson wore a business jacket over a black bra top, paired with black flowy pants. I decided to add some vibrant color, playing with cyans and purples to give the images a bolder, more electric feel.

For the second half, we pulled back and went more classic contemporary. Shin length gray pants, a black belt, a black tank top, and a more neutral color palette. It gave the two sets of images a completely different mood while still matching Allyson’s aesthetic.

The largest identifier for this shoot was how much Improvisation carried each moment, Allyson came in with several concepts and directions we could go. There wasn’t a rigid plan for exactly what we would do. We’d land on a shape or a movement that felt right, then finesse it further from there. She had this particular concept for using a chair as a prop, and we ran with it. I was really impressed with the concepts and shapes Allyson wanted to explore, and as a result the images came out with a really unique energy.

For Allyson, these photos were never about fitting the mold. It was about capturing something that actually felt like her. Not cookie cutter, not replicated from someone else’s Pinterest board. Just her own energy, translated into movement and then into images.

That’s the kind of session I want more of. When a dancer knows exactly what she wants but also wants to collaborate, the results can be fantastic.