This was my second trip to Seattle — the first time was with family, so no shoot happened, but this time I made sure to build in time for one. I love planning a photoshoot in whatever city I happen to be visiting, and Seattle gave me the chance to work with LeeAnaca Moore, an apprentice with Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, LeeAnaca trained at The Florida Ballet and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and has attended scholarship summer programs with Joffrey Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Philadelphia Ballet before joining PNB as an apprentice in 2025.
I reached out to her on Instagram, but this ended up being one of the more last-minute sessions I've done — she didn't respond until I was already on the plane. That meant I hadn't packed my usual professional camera setup, so I shot the entire session on my everyday walk-around camera with a manual lens — my first time using manual focus for a dance shoot. It came with a real learning curve: focusing manually while trying to track movement is much harder than it sounds, so the poses in this set lean more stationary than my usual work, where I'm often chasing motion mid-air.
The weather added its own twist. Seattle is known for overcast skies, but we had bright, direct sun with no cloud cover at all — a result of working around LeeAnaca's schedule rather than waiting for ideal conditions. I typically prefer early morning or late afternoon for softer, more forgiving light, so this session pushed me to adapt in more ways than one.
I'd scouted the location the morning before, during my usual run — an area near the Seattle Aquarium with a mix of textured walls: weathered wood slats, teal-painted metal, pale stone. Working with the same dancer across such different backdrops in one session gave the set a surprising amount of visual variety despite staying in one general area.
LeeAnaca was lovely to work with. She understood that not every shot works out and that moving on is just part of the process, and she brought her own ideas into the mix rather than waiting entirely on direction.
She also showed up with a friend for the shoot — something I always encourage when dancers meet a photographer, for safety and support. It's a small thing, but it matters.
As is often the case shooting outdoors, we drew some attention — people passing by would comment on how beautiful she looked, and a couple of little girls seemed completely mesmerized watching her move. It's one of my favorite side effects of shooting in public spaces: dancers doing what they do best tends to stop people in their tracks, even strangers who have no context for what's happening.
If you're a dancer visiting or based in Seattle — or anywhere I happen to be traveling — and want to plan a session, even a last-minute one, reach out through my contact page. You can also see more of my work on my portfolio, and my photoshoot in Austin Tx.
