Ella Titus // Miami, FL
Regular readers of this blog will know how much I enjoy long layovers. Contrary to popular opinion, layovers are great for this project as they offer me an opportunity to get out of the airport and photograph with another ballerina. In this case, I was on my way to Cuba (firstly for Support of the Cuban people, secondly to add a bit to this project), and the best looking flight for me happened to be a 30 hour trip with two layovers. My first stop was Charlotte, and then second was Miami.
An ongoing theme (and byproduct of my leaving the airport during layovers) is that I am constantly rushing. In this case, my flight from Miami to Havana was scheduled for 9:45am, so I asked Ella if we could schedule a shoot at sunrise, at a train station right outside the airport, as I knew I would be rushing to catch sunrise & make my flight. I had never been to Havana, and since I didn’t have my visa yet, I wasn’t sure what all that process entailed, nor how long it would take… but nonetheless I knew that this shoot had to start at the crack of dawn.
The last time I had been in Miami (and when I swore I would never visit again, after a $100 three-mile UBER experience), I passed through the area right outside of Terminal D, where the airport tram system connects with the Miami City buses. I made a mental note of how cool all the concrete lines were, and how I should plan a shoot here someday. The contrast of palm trees and concrete jungle - and ballet lines - would make for an interesting combination.
When I reached out to Ella on Instagram to see if she might be interested in shooting, I noticed she had already been following me. Turns out mutual photographer friend Jon Taylor had already put in a good word about me, and she was a fan of my project. I find it most ideal when I don’t have to try to convince the ballerina of the merits of this project, and they’re already interested in participating. Ella was quick to say yes, and I just had to book a hotel close enough to the shoot location to make the morning transition easier.
Come shoot time, it was a nippy 54°F, and with a cloudy sky - no chance of sun, which is the antithesis of what I expected Miami to be. Thanks to a massive overpass and concrete overhang, a soft light enveloped Ella, casting her in beautiful, soft light and quickly throwing the overpass into a deep shadow. As the wind blew to and fro, the palm tree leaves seemed to dance in beautiful synchronization with ballerina and her tutu.
In the end, my flight ended up being delayed 3 hours, and I was able to relax and enjoy a hot coffee and pancake breakfast. If only the flight delay would have been announced a few hours earlier, and then I wouldn’t have been so stressed. Of course, that would have been too easy, and where’s the fun in that? Like most ballerinas, Ella was a total professional, quickly knocking out each image/pose we had in mind without need for much adjustment, helping ensure I was able to rush through TSA airport security, and hurry up and wait for my flight.
Side note: Besides being an amazing ballerina, Ella is also an avid blogger, and you can read all about her Miami adventures over at ballerinababe.com
January 23, 2022
