Carla and an Old Chapel

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For a while now I've been wanting to do fewer shoots, but put more into each one — shoots that take a bit more effort, where I have to find the location, book someone I haven't worked with before, and bring in help with the lighting. This was the first of those.

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After spending some time thinking about locations, I decided to book the Asylum Chapel in Peckham — that was the first box ticked. Next up was finding the right subject. I wanted this shoot to focus on ballet and dance, so I needed a ballet dancer, and somewhere along the way online I came across Carla, a professional dancer based here in London. The final piece was lighting. More time digging around online led me to Will, a professional gaffer with a huge amount of pro kit at his disposal. We managed to find a date that worked for all of us, got everything booked, and all that was left was the shoot itself.

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And the shoot was great. Carla is just super talented — she moves with an incredible grace, and I felt lucky to have booked her. Will was equally brilliant; his knowledge of lighting is second to none, and the kit he brought along was a level above anything I'd worked with before. Having him there completely changed what was possible on the day.

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The Chapel itself was a beautiful space to shoot in — stripped back but full of detail and texture, the kind of location that gives you something interesting in almost every corner. It is a fairly dark space though, so I was especially glad to have Will's help with the lighting. Between his setup and the natural character of the building, we had exactly the mood I was after.

I'm really happy with the resulting pictures, and hugely grateful to Carla and Will for everything they brought to the day. If this first one is anything to go by, the slower, more considered approach is definitely the direction I want to keep heading in.