Thought I would take a moment to write about Alia Kache this week. She came to me a few weeks ago with a really great project in mind as she was re-branding herself, moving from being a dancer to a choreographer. She’s currently rehearsal director for Ailey II, and as she is on tour with the Company regularly it made sense for her to start making contacts and networking in her new field of expertise.
Alia and I started with a conversation about her choreography, what her developing style is like, what her inspirations are, what music she likes to use. Then she sent me a picture of a model made up as a marionette and my creative juices fired on all cylinders. With adjectives floating between us, we arrived at a sort of macabre feel- dark and moody, but with the playful undertones of a puppet theme.
Not finding a background I wanted that would suit our style profile, I used two roles of lighting filters, and, mixing black children’s washable paint with water (I was sure Oriane wouldn’t mind Mommy borrowing some of her Crayola!) I spray bottled it until we got the texture I wanted.
Shooting with Alia is always a great experience. We seem to click and mesh with our ideas quickly to produce great work in short time frames. Once our makeup artist Kennisha got Alia’s eyes into the doll-like state, we shot for only about an hour and ended up with too many good shots to choose from. From a business card to a new website in progress, with a few extra Facebook shots as well, we got what she needed and then spent a little more time just playing and exploring.
As the days leading up to the holiday season send me into the depths of product photography (my business’s seasonal version of the Nutcracker), I am finding myself yearning for a few more shoots like this one!!
Learn more about Alia or contact her here.
Tagged: Ailey II, Alia Kache, marketing, photo shoot, photography tips, projects
