05 Nov Balloons, Black Backdrops, and Creative Curiosity 🎈
Behind the Scenes with Trinetra and Celeste
Every once in a while, I like to push myself out of my usual workflow and do something purely for the sake of creative growth. This shoot started as one of those experiments — a simple idea with a lot of potential: black balloons.
The inspiration actually came from a completely different concept I’m planning for an upcoming art project — a puppet-themed series. In that project, strings will play a central role, and I knew I’d need to light thin white rope or string against a dark background. Instead of waiting until the day of the actual shoot — when hair, makeup, and everything else will already be in place — I wanted to test that lighting challenge in advance.
Rather than setting up a second puppet shoot just for testing, I came up with a creative workaround: black balloons tied with white string. That way, I could experiment with how the strings interacted with the light while still building a concept around it.
Once I had the idea, I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and quickly gathered a variety of black balloon concepts. I built a mood board to give the shoot some direction — and, as often happens with creative work, we ended up going in our own direction anyway. The mood board helped set the tone and vibe, but the final shoot had a style and energy all its own.
To bring the concept to life, I reached out on Instagram and connected with two new faces I hadn’t worked with before: Trinetra and Celeste.
Trinetra is an actor stepping into the world of modeling, and they were such a joy to work with. They followed direction beautifully, brought a lot of authenticity to their expressions, and had such a positive, open energy on set. It made capturing their personality feel effortless.
Celeste, who has been building her modeling experience over the past year, brought a wonderful sense of curiosity and willingness to try new things. It was exciting to collaborate with someone who’s in the midst of honing their craft — that eagerness always brings a fresh energy to a creative shoot.
All in all, the setup was incredibly simple and affordable — about $25 for everything, including helium and a bag of balloons. It’s amazing how something so small can spark so much creative exploration. Using a three-light setup and color gels, I experimented with different moods and ways to highlight the white strings against the dark scene.
Some of my favorite frames ended up being the spontaneous ones — including a few silly shots I left in the gallery just for fun.
This balloon shoot reminded me why I love photography: it’s an endless invitation to experiment, to play, and to keep growing. Even the smallest creative exercises can teach you something new — and often, they’re where the magic happens.
To see more of my team’s work, click the links below:
Celeste – Model – https://www.instagram.com/annedestinyt/
Trinetra – Actor/Model – https://www.instagram.com/therealtrinetra/
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