Brad Walls employs a top-down approach for his fine art photography.

by Elliott Greene / images courtesy of Brad Walls

Brad Walls (b. 1992) is a New York-based visual artist originally from Sydney, Australia. He is known for his unique aerial perspective, transforming movement and everyday environments into minimalist works that emphasize symmetry and negative space. His subjects, including synchronized swimmers and ballet dancers, become studies in geometry and rhythm. The final product of his unique perspective is visually arresting, as the image transforms familiar scenes into something unexpected.

Photographer Brad Walls. / Photo by Rochelle Wallace

Walls gained recognition with his 2022 series, Pools From Above, published as a hardcover book by Smith Street Books and featured in The New York Times, positioning him at the forefront of fine art photography. From the approximately 1,000 pools he photographed around the globe, just 89 made the cut for the book.

“From the moment I started shooting from above, everything just made sense,” says Walls. “That perspective gave me the space to work in a more graphic, minimal way with lots of negative space, clean lines, and structure, which really suits how I like to compose. Beyond that, I’ve always been drawn to doing things differently. I tend to take a contrarian approach, so working from a perspective that’s less common feels natural. It wasn’t just about the visuals, it was about finding a way to express how I see things, which is often from a different angle.”

For his latest series, PASSÉ, Walls collaborated with over 60 ballet dancers from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet School, and Ballet East, and choreographer Ian Schwaner for a single eight-hour session of continuous shooting on a red carpet the size of a football field. Opening in New York City on September 12, Walls' solo exhibition, three years in the making, intends to be an immersive and sensory-rich experience promoting participation and joy, and blurring the lines between photography, performance, and spatial design.

Visitors enter through The Red Room, walking the red carpet used during the shoot. Life-sized photographic prints line the space at eye level, placing viewers face-to-face with the dancers in intimate, arresting detail. Strengthening the visceral connection, all visitors to PASSÉ will receive a postcard with images of the series and a handwritten note from a featured ballerina.

The roots of PASSÉ stretch back to a 2021 shoot with Australian ballerina Montana Rubin, during which five-year-old triplets approached Rubin and were visibly moved. "I took a step back in that moment and realized the profound emotional connection ballet can have on people,” recalled Walls. “That moment sparked a journey for me: to explore and highlight the deep human connection ballet creates. Ever since, I’ve been committed to drawing out that emotional power through my work.”

PASSÉ will be on display from September 12 to 14 at 347 Broome Street in New York City. For more information about Walls, visit bradscanvas.com.

The View from Above

Other Works by Walls