The latest entry for the Photography Annual 2020 competition comes from Karnes Coffey, a multidisciplinary design studio based in Richmond, Virginia. Photographer Tom Maher was tasked by the agency to shoot underwater portraits of company dancers for Richmond Ballet’s 2019-2020 season brochure. Maher’s approach to the project involved using dramatic light to showcase the dancers in the water, as if they were performing on stage. He utilized a continuous two point lighting setup above a dark indoor pool, in order to simulate the look of stage spotlights. Entitled “Ballet In The River City” (above), the photographs demand the viewer’s attention. With the support of Lena Pigareva from Alice Blue Studios, the five-part series is both ethereal and magical.
