Senior Story: Teagan Tillman

OOOO, Y’all! I don’t even know where to begin with this shoot!! 

The lines. The grace. This dancer. That landscape. 

CAN YOU EVEN??

Teagan and I had so much fun dreaming together about this artist venture. I photographed Teagan years ago with his family and through Facebook saw that he had become quite the accomplished dancer. He is heading off soon to college for dance, and I just had this feeling that we needed to collaborate.

I love photographing dancers. It's incredible to me the shapes they can create with their bodies, and the way they are so in tune with all their bodies are capable of.

Teagan and I talked ahead of time about what kind of location they were both thinking, what kind of outfits might work, and if there were any important props he wanted to incorporate. We ended up keeping it simple in the end to not distract from his art on top of that beautiful nature backdrop. And the props - including the book that was a gift from one of his dance teachers - were just the perfect touch.

Working together was like a dance of its own! I would point out what I liked about a spot - showing Teagan the backdrop, where the light was coming from, what kind of space he could take up - and then he would move in whatever way inspired him in that space. It was magical!

You can see behind the scenes on this shoot in this video.

Teagan had so many amazing things to say about this experience:

“As an aspiring artist, I always strive to create with passion and originality. I felt so lucky to have this opportunity to bring my love of dance to life through photography. In this shoot, I was able to pair my knowledge of dance with Ashley’s keen artistic eye, and the results are beautiful.”

“I was so grateful for Ashley’s patience and trust as I was able to fully immerse myself in my art. The excitement and motivation on both ends created a comfortable environment that really allowed me to let loose. I left this shoot feeling so appreciated and confident in what we created. Working with Ashley was such a rewarding experience. Having someone that not only believes in your vision, but works with you to make it happen is incredible.”

“I look forward to the day I get to work with Story Photographers again. There is a passion here that is just not found anywhere else.”