When the Ribbons Began to Climb

Some photoshoots begin with a carefully planned image and end with exactly what you imagined.

Others become something completely different.

My recent ribbon series with Jayban was very much the latter.

The Original Idea

The concept began with ribbons suspended throughout the space—long strands hanging from above and interacting with the architecture, creating lines of colour that the model could move through.

I wanted the ribbons to feel almost architectural themselves: something occupying the room rather than simply being worn or held by the model.

But once we were in the studio, it became clear that attaching anything to the walls or ceiling wasn't going to be practical. We needed another approach.

Instead of abandoning the idea, we changed where the ribbons came from.

They started on the floor.

And unexpectedly, that gave the series its story.

Letting the Ribbons Take Over

We began simply.

Jayban was surrounded by loose ribbons scattered and gathered across the floor. At first, they existed almost independently from her—pools and lines of colour sharing the frame with the human figure.

Then they began to climb.

As the shoot progressed, we introduced more ribbons onto the body. They crossed legs, wrapped around the torso and moved higher until the distinction between model and material began to disappear.

Eventually, Jayban was almost consumed by them.

What had originally been conceived as an installation around the model became something much more intimate: an installation happening to the model.

That progression became one of my favourite aspects of the shoot.

Finding the Meaning Afterward

I don't always want to dictate what someone is supposed to see in a photograph.

Looking at these images, the ribbons can mean very different things.

They can feel playful and beautiful—colour, movement and texture interacting with the human form.

But as they accumulate, they can also become restrictive.

Something that begins as decoration gradually becomes something that binds, conceals or overwhelms.

There are ideas of identity in there. Expectations. Relationships. Responsibilities. The small things we collect around ourselves until we suddenly realize how much of us they occupy.

Or perhaps they're something completely different.

That's one of the things I enjoy about creating fine art photography: the photograph doesn't necessarily have to provide the answer.

Sometimes it just needs to leave you with the question.

Collaboration

None of this progression would have worked without Jayban.

A concept like this requires a model who is willing to experiment rather than simply move through a predetermined shot list. As the ribbons accumulated and the original idea evolved, we were able to respond to what was happening in front of the camera and keep pushing it a little further.

Those moments of collaboration are often where my favourite photographs come from.

The original plan may have been ribbons descending from above.

Instead, we created something that began quietly on the ground, slowly climbed the human figure, and eventually threatened to consume it.

I think the photographs are stronger because of it.

Images from the Ribbon Series featuring Jayban.

What do the ribbons represent to you?