Oliver Endahl

Oliver Endahl is a photographer and artist based in the American southwest. He is best known for his critically acclaimed “Ballet Zaida” art project, which helped launch the dance photography movement on social media, transforming how dance is seen and shared. 

A former professional ballet dancer himself, his knowledge of dance technique combined with being the first dance photographer on Instagram, propelled his early photographs and reputation for striking imagery. His work has been featured in major publications including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, People, Elle, and Dance Magazine, among others. Oliver has also created commercial campaigns for companies such as Etsy, Free People, Jamba Juice and more. 

Oliver’s photograph work extends beyond dance, encompassing portrait, fashion, editorial, and celebrity photography. Additionally, he creates digital media art pieces that blend elements of his photographs with digital brushwork. 

“When it comes to my digital media pieces, those are like a fun puzzle of ideas in my own mind that I get to solve. I begin with extracting a piece of a photo I’ve taken, either a person, scene, or object and then placing them into an empty layer on the drawing application on my tablet. Once there, I use my tablet pen and begin to paint digitally. I add layers of colors and play with the transparency and placement of every aspect in the work. After I’ve pieced together components of the concept for a few hours, I will let it sit there untouched for days so my brain can subconsciously marinate on it. Once I reexamine the work, I decide what I like and what I don’t like. This is where I potentially destroy and redo 90% of the piece. Sometimes only a small portion of the first draft survives the second round. I love this part of the process the most because when I’m not satisfied, it still feels scary to paint over or change a large portion of the work. There’s a fear of losing something that’s potentially already there, but I remind myself that the practice of letting go and trusting yourself, is one of the core aspects of life itself. This continues until my instinct tells me the piece is done, and I know when it’s done because it feels as though the mystery of my own idea has been solved.

Creating for me is a process that materializes a desire or longing for something that I bring to life by synthesizing light, materials and feelings.”