Clara Mora // Barcelona, Spain

When I travel for photography projects, I tend to make the mistake of not scheduling rest into my agenda. I assume that I will be resting the entire time since I am traveling to beautiful places for work. What could be more relaxing than that?

This was the case with my shoot with the ballerina in Barcelona. Instead of being intentional and scheduling Clara for the day after I arrived to give myself some time to relax and unwind, I thought it would be a great idea to photograph her only two hours after landing in the city. This usually leaves me running around like a rooster at 4:30am, ready to announce the coming morning. However, this time, I asked Clara for an hour postponement, and I was able to enjoy some Spanish tapas before the shoot.

Sometimes, shoots don't require much more than a willing participant and an idea. When I first started in photography many years ago, I had a wedding photo internship that instilled in me a candid, journalistic, "hands-off" sort of photography. One of my favorite images to capture was when a group of wedding participants would pose and ask a friend to take their picture. I'd sneak behind the person taking the picture and photograph the entire ordeal, including the back of the phone/camera. Of course, I would follow up by asking the entire group to pose for a photo with me, capturing both options. Without fail, the photo with the person photographing the group would become my favorite set of images.

For this shoot, I invited my trusty travel companion and cousin to assist, knowing all along that I intended to have her be a prop of sorts. I directed Clara to stand in 4th Position and handed my cousin Tianah my Rollei 35 & Hat, instructing her to play the role of tourist stealing a photograph.

Like my wedding photography days (circa 2008), this image quickly became one of my favorite images from Clara's session. Although it "appears" candid, this time it was purposeful, harking back to a simpler time.

May 11, 2022