Step Up

Hannah Pierce leans against a cream-coloured wall at the foot of a tiled staircase, one hand raised in a casual wave, her jet-black hair hanging in a glossy, ruler-straight sheet that reaches the small of her back. She wears a pale blue crop top with thin spaghetti straps and mid-wash skinny jeans ripped at the knee, barefoot on the warm tiles, her caramel skin glowing in the soft, even light. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes and wide, easy smile radiate a natural warmth that needs no embellishment, and the way she cocks one hip against the banister shows off the impressive curve from her tiny waist to her full, rounded hips. She turns on the bottom step, the denim pulled taut across her shapely backside as she glances over her shoulder, the staircase rising behind her in terracotta tones that complement the warmth of her complexion.

As she climbs higher, the crop top slips away, and Hannah sits on a mid-level step, elbows resting on her knees, her bare breasts framed between toned arms as she stares directly into the lens with an intensity that stops you in your tracks. Her dark hair falls forward, bracketing her face, and the terracotta brick behind her turns the whole image into a study of warm earth tones and smooth, golden skin. The jeans stay, rolled down just enough to reveal the dimples at the base of her spine, and every angle highlights a different facet of her figure: the strong shoulders, the narrow waist, the gorgeous sweep of her hips. Step Up captures a woman rising, literally and figuratively, each frame a little bolder, a little more breathtaking than the last.