Welcome to the Awards Gallery
Images are in reverse chronological order based on the most recent awards.
Most Recent Awards include: PPNC 2023 and IPC 2023
Arsenic & Old Lace
Dancer: Colby Foss & Nadine Barton
Company: Charlotte Ballet
Created: 2022
Having Colby and Nadine in the studio together was pure creative overload. Colby is generally game for anything, and Nadine’s creativity is off the rails. I had a vintage dress and she had a Victorian collar—and the rest is history. We shot so many variations on this—where they were looking, exactly how their legs aligned, and so forth. An absolutely wonderful day in the studio!
Awards
- PPNC 2023: NC Excellence
Atlas
Dancer: Nik Darrough
School: UNCSA BFA
Created: 2022
Nik has extraordinary physicality and body control to form exquisite shapes. This was part of the Pluck 2023 portfolio retreat at the studio. The symmetry that he was able to create is off the rails.
Awards
- PPNC 2023: NC Excellence
Life Dreams
Dancers: Aimee Le & Gabriel Ramierez
School: UNCSA BFA
Created: 2022
Aimee and Gabriel are a couple (still going strong) on and off stage. Perhaps the sweetest thing ever was that Gabriel choreographed his only piece as a duet for them to dance at their final dance at UNCSA. Graduation from college and not having a job in the same city creates a lot of uncertainty, and I love that they made some core memories in the studio and are now happily dancing at the same company again!
Awards
- PPNC 2023: NC Excellence
Taking the High Road
Dancer: Amaya LaShaye
UNCSA BFA
Created: 2022
Amaya came to the studio with the Pluck Project group retreat in 2022 to create a portfolio. This was one of the images that you know is special the moment it happens. This image was accepted into the 2023 NC Artists Exhibition and sold on opening night. The buyer said that she needed this image in her home because she knows precisely how the dancer feels. What more can you want?
Awards
- NC Artists Exhibition 2023: Accepted in Show & Sold
- PPNC 2023: NC Excellence
A Leg Up
Dancer: Shaina Wire
Company: Charlotte Ballet
Created: 2022
Shaina is a gem. Her vibe is a bit goth ballerina, and this tutu from Tutu.com was perfect for her. As we were working on this image and she was balancing on the stool, one of her colleagues was helping to make sure she didn’t fall backwards. I said, “Hey, we have a broken mannequin in the garage, we could use that!” It completed the whole look, and her Barbie toe matches the mannequin’s!
Awards
- PPNC 2023: Merit Image
Breathing Room
Dancer: Peyton Lilly Bond
Company: South Carolina Ballet
Created: 2023
If you started at the latest image, this is the last time you will see Peyton in the gallery. This moment came from our first time together, she embraced the wind we had blowing and brought the whole to life. From a Wendy Heckert poem that Peyton used when posting this image:
Heart space. Breathe. Deep. Listening.
Heart space. Breathe. Release. Listening.
Awards
- PPNC 2023: Merit Image
- Color Pro 2023: Finalist
Caught in the Middle
Dancer: Calista Loftis
School: UNC Charlotte Dance
Created: 2022
This was a bit of dance therapy; Roe v . Wade had just been overturned, and like many Americans, it hit hard. I’ll leave it there.
Awards
- PPNC 2023: Merit Image, First Place HS Seniors
Contemplation
Dancer: Madisyn Montgomery
School: UNCSA BFA
Created: 2022
Madisyn moves beautifully but perhaps one the things I love most about this image is a little back story. One of her classmates wowed everyone by hitting a fabulous passe on the knuckles of his toes. Madisyn was like, “Hold my Celsius.”
Awards
- PPNC 2023: Merit Image
Dancing with the Wind
Dancer: Zac Snyder
School: UNCSA BFA
Created: 2022
It is a privilege to see Zac move. Zac had been into the studio earlier in the year to create a portfolio and came back with his class to add some more. His use of his clothing as a dance partner is incredible. As a bonus, he is just fun to be around.
Awards
- PPNC 2023: Merit Image
Isolation
Dancer: Chloe Webster
School: UNCSA HS
Created: 2022
As I noted earlier, I’ve been blessed to see Zoe mature through high school. She creates intense emotion in her movement and expression. Her position is so straightforward, but her expression and arms just make your heart ache.
Awards
- PPNC 2023: Merit Image
Power Lines
Dancer: Kenzie Landis
School: Pace University Commercial Dance
Created: 2021
Kenzie was a dream to work with. As a commercial dancer with strong ballet training, she was versatile and created unique styles. This piece came together little by little as we saw opportunities to refine the shape. The journey was worth the reward. It has been amazing watching Kenzie’s career unfold after college!
Awards
- IPC 2023: Imaging Excellence and Diamond Award
- Arts North International 29: Accepted in Show
- PPNC 2022: NC Excellence, Best in Show, Judges Choice
- ASP 2022: Merit Image
Boundless
Dancer: Michela Semenza Poynter
Company: Greensboro Ballet
Created: 2021
Michela is a beautiful artist and creative. We spent a day building her portfolio and having a ton of fun. Getting the proper fabric movement and expression to all come together is always a challenge, but she was up for it. The ease with which she is moving forward is gorgeous, and the fans created just a little wisp in her hair.
Awards
- IPC 2023: Imaging Excellence and Diamond Award
- Art of the Arts: Accepted in Show
- PPNC 2022: NC Excellence
- ASP Print Competition 2022: Merit Image
Defying Gravity
Dancer: Sofia Strobl
School: UNCSA HS
Created: 2022
Sofia exudes energy. We built a wide-ranging portfolio of contemporary and acrobatic dance and truly had a fun day of it. It was thrilling to see her get accepted into her first-choice conservatory program and now live her dream. One juror commented that he was convinced we had removed a box that was under her. Ummm. Nope. We don’t do that. I felt vindicated when the image became a Grand Imaging Award finalist at IPC and part of my diamond case.
Awards
- IPC 2023: Imaging Excellence and Diamond Award
- PPNC 2022: NC Excellence
- ASP 2022: Merit Image
And All That Jazz
Dancer: Christa Blades
School: Oklahoma City University Dance
Created: 2021
A great pair of LaDucas and a hat was all it took. Christa wanted to do something that felt very Fosse, and she nailed it. We went through some iterations on the idea and ended up with several keepers out of the series!
Awards
- IPC 2023: Imaging Excellence and Diamond Award
- ASP 2022: Merit Image
Sacred Geometry
Dancer: Jillian Kerr
School: UNCSA HS
Created: 2021
Jillian was a senior in the high school program at UNCSA when we created this. Her ballet dancing is soft and elegant. It belies her strong architectural contemporary side. This image evolved just a little from the original as the hand placement was critical to completing the sculpture. It’s been an honor to continue working with Jillian as her career has continued.
Awards
- Arts North International 29: Accepted in Show
- IPC 2022: Merit Image and Bronze Award
I’ve Got You
Dancers: Eli Motley & Christina Motley
School: UNCG Dance BFA
Created: 2021
In addition to being a gifted dancer, Christina is a therapist. Coming out of the pandemic, she posted some videos of her and Eli moving, exploring the ideas of holding and being held. When I saw it, I called her and said we needed to do some studio work. We have a fantastic series exploring the idea of being held.
She shared some thoughts as part of Stage…Interrupted.
Awards
- PPNC 2022: Merit Image
- ASP 2022: Merit Image
Rising from the Darkness
Dancer: Jayla Winborne
Company: Greensboro Ballet
Created: 2020
Jayla was working toward her nursing degree (mission accomplished) while dancing with the Greensboro ballet when we created this. She wanted to do something in a skin tone palette using tulle. That left plenty of options. We had a blast making this image, using fans to animate the cloth and experimenting with various arm movements. In the end, we were both thrilled with the result.
Awards
- IPC 2022: Merit Image, Bronze Award
Heart of the Sunrise
Dancer: Olivia Renegar
School: UNCSA HS
Created: 2020
First of all, the title is an homage to Yes. We were playing with gels, and she had this great skirt (that I then bought in a bunch of different colors). I love her line and the color harmony of the image. The shape of the cloth (which was just as it was photographed) made the moment perfect.
Awards
- IPC 2022: Merit Image, Bronze Award
Conflicted
Dancer: Calista Loftis
School: Centre Stage on Main
Created: 2020
Last (or first) of the images of Calista. This was from her mane of hair era when we first met. Fun fact: her mom is creating the tension on the left side. On the first take, she tensioned the fabric a bit overzealously, and Calista ended up on the floor. Things went much better after that. As of this writing, this image is still a 30×40″ metal print in the studio.
Awards
- IPC 2022: Merit Image, Bronze Award
Stretching the Limits
Dancer: Ashlynn Sheffield
School: Greensboro Ballet School
Created: 2020
Ashlynn is a fabulous dancer, a quiet and kind soul, and fun (and funny) to be around. This was an early piece using stretch fabric, so there were many experiments and failures along the way. There is a lot of tension in that fabric, and sometimes she lost the battle. In the end, we worked a fantastic shape, the fabric didn’t pull her off the leg, and she got that fabulous smirky expression just right. This was my first Loan Collection (now called Imaging Excellence) along with the following image.
Awards
- IPC 2021: Loan Collection
- PPNC 2020: Merit Image
Lost in the Moment
Dancer: Zoe Ross Parker
Company: Charlotte Ballet Second Company
Created: 2020
I’m pretty sure Zoe was my first professional dancer, as she was on her way to Charlotte when we worked together. We had a couple of fun and funky retreats over the spring and summer (penches in Docs). This particular image was from a white on white series. The “skirt” is just some chunks of tulle with a Zoe-sized hole in the middle stacked up.
Awards
- IPC 2021: Loan Collection
Interlude
Dancer: Ava Freyaldenhoven
School: Greensboro Ballet
Created: 2019
Ava came in as a Greensboro Ballet alumna to create some marketing shots. Her arm lines were sublime. She and her BFF were both in the studio, and there was so much fun along the way to creating stunning art.
Awards
- IPC 2021: Merit Image
- PPNC 2020: Merit Image
The Final Act
Dancer: Kevin Arredondo
Company: Greensboro Ballet
Created: 2018
This was my first one-and-done photo. We had been working with Greensboro Ballet for two day and at the end of the second day, it noted that we didn’ get any jumps with Kevin, and did he want to do something. He asked me what I had in mind, and I suggested simple legs and upward focus. He popped this. I was stunned. He said he can’t do it any better. I had no notes. We ended the day on a high note.
Awards
- IPC 2020: Merit Image, Bronze Award
Precarious
Dancer: Quinn Silverman
School: Greensboro Ballet School
Created: 2018
Part of Quinn’s senior photo shoot was ballet photos. I love the defensive look she has going and how she’s holding her legs tightly, but not too tightly. These last four images were my first merits with dance photography, and my first bronze case (4 images) award.
Awards
- IPC 2020: Merit Image, Bronze Award
Connected Since Birth
Dancer: Kira & Elisa Arauz
Company: Greensboro Ballet
Created: 2019
Kira and Elisa, aka “the twins”, were a hoot to work with. By the end of the day, I was calling them by their proper names! This image was a bit of a journey to set the moods and lines for them. It was the first pas de deux in my studio space, where it was just the dancers and me. It’s a treat to see them dance with Triad Ballet now!
Awards
- IPC 2020: Merit Image, Bronze Award
Spiraling into Control
Dancer: Ashlynn Sheffield
School: Greensboro Ballet School
Created: 2019
Ashtynn would say that I saved the best for last. There is a story that goes with this image. We were working on this, and her one arm kept stopping too soon. After a few more tries with only slight improvement, I asked if we needed to find a different arm line. She said, “No, I just need to make my arm do it.” This was the next shot.
Awards
- IPC 2020: Merit Image, Bronze Award
Explore Past Inspiration Galleries
Each gallery celebrates the dancers and images that earned awards in juried competitions that year—offering a glimpse into the artistry, individuality, and creative collaboration behind every frame.