Yannick Lebrun
I recently had the pleasure of collaborating with Alvin Ailey Principal Dancer Yannick Lebrun. When I initially envisioned this shoot, I wanted to explore a combination of fluidity and power, and I knew that we should bring on the brilliant stylist Jake Sokoloff to help us take all of the looks to the next level.
The day I walked into the studio, I was astounded by the sheer volume of garments Jake supplied us with (not to mention the physical volume of some of the pieces). So although I’d planned to shoot four looks in two locations, I adapted and set a challenge for myself…get through as many looks as we could in the allotted time. (Spoiler…we did EIGHT!)
Fortunately, Yannick is the absolute dream subject. He’s very precise in front of the lens, and is always in control no matter how wild the look. As I was shooting, I reminded myself of some of my favorite advice I received years ago: sometimes the best way a photographer can help on a shoot is to get out of the way. Of course, I’m always involved and directing the subject, but sometimes less is more. Small tweaks go a long way.
For most of these I used one light and a reflector, with the occasional second light added.
Credits:
Styling: Jake Sokoloff
Assistant: Evan Zimmerman
Looks provided by A. Potts, Queera Wang
