Last month I put together a shoot that would capture the beauty and elegance of two different health and fitness lifestyles: Yoga and Contemporary Dance. I had seen Delaney Hogan in action once during a dance performance and worked along side her on a previous shoot over the summer. I knew she would be the perfect fit for this and contacted her immediately. Delaney is an instructor at Peace Love Hip Hop, and a member of the Dance Lab Performance Company and Movement Union Modern Company. Cortney Ostrosky, a yoga instructor, was someone I had never worked with before and things came together last minute but after trading a few messages with her and looking through her portfolio, I was confident she would be the contrast I was looking for. Her work can be viewed on her website at: http://www.cortneyostrosky.com.

Once I had the perfect models I needed the perfect location. I reached out to The Cedar Room at the Cigar Factory in Charleston, SC, where I began trading messages with Graham Ervin. I had only see a photo of the room once, back in February, but I knew it would be a strong point in pulling together the images in my head. We spoke and it wasn't long before we had a date and time set. I cannot thank this woman enough for giving me such a wonderful opportunity.

I imagined bringing together two different fitness styles would either be very challenging or very easy to shoot. I hadn't put a lot of thought in it until the day of, when I realized I didn't have any set poses in mind. I would be relying on the girls to set their strong points in front of the lens. It wasn't about if their styles would clash and I think that's why I trusted them so much. It was about the power and beauty that come in different forms and how badly I wanted to share that.

Cortney was dressed in white with her gold hair for a lighter contrast as she demonstrated the slow, still, and graceful movement of yoga. Delany matched her dark hair with a black dress, kicking and leaping to show the quick and elegant power of dance. 

This was truly a beautiful experience and I hope you all can enjoy the photos as much as I have. 

​Special thanks to The Cedar Room of Charleston for accommodating us. 

http://thecedarroom.com