Softening the Frame

3 years of evolving collaboration between photographer Lidia Mahillon and acrobat artist Winston Reynolds, in which his practice evolved from hard acrobatics to exploring emotions and softness, after becoming a father, under her female lens.

I met Winston Reynolds as a photographer and fellow movement artist, and we ended up becoming long-term collaborators, and friends. 

The images I submit here span over the course of 3 years, and many photoshoots. During these three years, we both saw each other evolve. Winston became a father, and expanded his relationship with softness in his physical practice. From a background of hard acrobatics, he has increasingly explored micro-improvisation, emotions, and acting-through-movement. Through my work, I strive to highlight my models’ sensitivity and change the narrative on male athletes and performers. 

The fashion, dance and movement industries are mainly geared to cater to the male gaze, and as a woman photographer, I particularly appreciate photographing male models. I think there is something rebellious and very soft in directing a guy, and making him look good in ways that are outside the usual codes. 

I mainly work with dancers and movement artists, but when I compose a frame or plan a series, I scout for unusual locations, non-studios and non-clean spaces. I incorporate the colors, shapes and movement that are around the human subject: the whole image becomes an ecosystem that listen and answers to itself. Cooperation and collaboration (dancing together) is a main theme of the series. Or, how to embellish our surroundings by our presence. 

The approach is one of being aware and grounded where we stand, finding play and beauty in odd or familiar places, and it attunes people to initiate that interaction in their daily life too. 

I also shoot a lot of women, and I particularly love doing that because there is a very empowering dimension to creating a safe space for them to feel safe and express themselves, but I decided to submit this work, as a woman directing a man is still a bit of an oddity, and a specific dynamic, with specific results.