Jackie Bologna // New York City, NY
I keep saying I don’t want to feature touristy locations in my shoots, but I (perhaps mistakingly) think On Top of The Rock is subtle enough without being overly touristy - yet undeniably NYC. It was quite propitious that this perfect, sunny May day of 69°F (20.5°C) barely encouraged many tourists to the Top.
Whenever I take ballerinas out into the streets with pointe shoes and tutus, they almost always become a magnet for pictures - and not just the ones I’m making of them. As was also the case the last time I photographed Jackie, a group of tourists stopped us to ask if she would take a picture with them, handing me their iPhone with a pleading grin.
I’ve photographed a lot of ballerinas out on the streets (read: not in the studio or on stage where they’re normally seen), and most of the time ballerinas will quite politely decline photo requests, which I can respect and wholly appreciate. They are in full work-mode, working with me to make a beautiful photo, and oftentimes we have a small window of time (aka window of ideal light). To be respectful to our photoshoot, and for no other reason than that alone, do most ballerinas decline.
Not Jackie. Again, as it happened that first time I photographed Jackie, when a little star-struck girl asked Jackie for a photograph, this time when a group of husbands from Mexico City (encouraged by their wives) asked for a photo, Jackie responded without missing a step with a sincere smile and yes. “You can’t take yourself too seriously; and if you can make their day, why not?” she later tells me. I mean, who can blame them, look at her; wouldn’t you beg for a photo for posterity’s sake, too? After four guys lined up for their own photo, it was I who lost patience and had to wave to Jackie to carry on, otherwise there’d be no end to the line of admirers.
Jackie sure did look like an elegant superstar having her photo made; to her credit, twice I was asked what for magazine I was taking her photos for. “Is it Vogue, or Vanity Fair?” Maybe one day I won’t downplay my future book project and not respond with “oh, we’re just taking pictures for fun; wouldn’t you, too?”
May 1, 2021
