Fiona Lee // Copenhagen, Denmark

When Fiona reached out to me in 2021 and suggested that I should come to Copenhagen, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Copenhagen had long been on my “to-visit-and-shoot” list, but with the world being in the midst of Covid still, I wasn’t sure if I would ever get a chance to visit. Over the next year, we stayed in touch, and after Covid restrictions started easing up, I started planning a trip to Europe for May of 2022.

As a result of this project being entirely self-funded, I can’t always afford to stay in one place too long, so scheduling sessions can oftentimes be tricky. In the beginning of Covid, it was partially great, because every ballerina had empty calendars and were all for shooting outside at a safe distance. Once Covid restrictions started diminishing and life started returning to some semblance of normal, dancers’ schedules were filling up.

The week I arrived in Denmark, Fiona’s company (The Royal Danish Ballet) had shows every single day of my stay in Copenhagen. Trying to be considerate, I took whatever she was willing to give me, gladly accepting her offer to shoot in the early evening. Despite Copenhagen having many beautiful locations, I was drawn to the courtyard of my Airbnb. I oftentimes choose Airbnbs with the idea that I might need to use it as a location.

Thankfully, as has become a reoccurring theme amongst most ballerinas in this project, Fiona was willing to go along with my crazy idea, not needing to be cajoled much.  Without even finishing my sentence explaining my idea, Fiona was on board. I raced downstairs to setup my camera before she could change her mind, and I left having made one of my favorite images in this project.

May 6, 2022