Ink, Lipstick & Main Character Energy:
A Newspaper Valentine’s Dance Story
So I am a liiiiittle addicted to TikTok. And when I see an idea, my brain doesn’t just save it for later… it wants to do it instantly.
I came across a DIY newspaper photoshoot that had a Valentine’s twist — red heart balloons, lipstick kisses, anything remotely ‘love’ related stuck onto a wall of black and white print.
I’d actually done a self-portrait session with newspaper back during Covid (throwback to when we were all losing the plot creatively), but I had never done it with a Valentine’s theme.
And then the question hit me:
How do I make this different from every other TikTok version?
The answer was obvious.
Dance.
There was no newspaper + Valentine’s + dancer crossover anywhere. No movement. No red lips mid-pose. No heart balloons floating behind an arabesque.
So naturally… this had to be the next ambassador shoot.
So I managed to book the same place that trusted me with the powder shoot (honestly… thank GOODNESS they let me back 😅), but this time we used one of their smaller rooms.
I went slightly overboard in preparation.
I bought LOADS of newspapers from Lidl — and I was very strategic about it. I tried to pick the ones with more writing and fewer big photos so the finished backdrop wouldn’t feel too busy or distracting once the dancers were in front of it.
Then came the props.
Red sunglasses. Artificial flowers. Roses. Red ribbons. Fans. Poms from our own dance kit. Basically anything remotely Valentine’s coded that I could throw into a dance pose.
If it was red or dramatic, it was coming with me.
So myself, my mum (ride or die assistant at this point), and a couple of the dancers got to work on the backdrop.
We laid all the newspapers out, separated the pages, and started taping them together into one looooong sheet.
But here’s the thing no one tells you about newspaper backdrops…
You have to be VERY careful what headlines are showing.
A few had to be flipped because I don’t think
“SEWAGE SYSTEM BLOCKED”
really screams romantic Valentine’s energy.
Once we finally had it up on the wall, it was time for balloons.
And let me tell you — sticking balloons to newspaper is a battle.
We tried glue dots.
We tried double-sided tape.
We tried blu-tack.
Nothing.
The only thing that actually worked was rolling up parcel tape and sticking it to the back of the balloons. We went through SO much of it, but at that point we were committed.
Finally, the magic touch.
A couple of the dancers grabbed lipstick and started drawing hearts, “xoxo”, little love notes — and suddenly it all came together. The red against the black and white newspaper just made it feel intentional instead of DIY chaos.
And that’s when I knew…
This was going to be a good one.
With this being my third time properly working with off-camera flash, I finally felt like I was starting to get the hang of things.
I set up two side flashes with red gels, angled slightly from behind each dancer to create that glow around their outline — and then a key light from the front to lift their faces without overpowering the mood.
I didn’t want it to look flat.
But I also didn’t want it to look like a crime scene interrogation.
The balance ended up being perfect.
The red rim light added that dramatic Valentine’s edge, and the front light kept their faces soft, clean and glowing. Honestly… I was so proud of how the lighting turned out.
Then I had an idea.
I wanted every ambassador in the red heart sunglasses.
And I wanted to attempt a full “head stacking” photo of them all.
You can imagine the looks I got when I suggested this.
But it was just too cute not to try.
One by one, I directed them into place.
As the tower of heads got taller, it got trickier to position everyone without wobbling the entire structure. I knew once we had it, we would need to be FAST.
And somehow…
It was a one-shot wonder.
No retakes. No “wait I blinked.”
The only frame I took was the final frame.
And honestly?
It’s my absolute favourite photo from the entire shoot.
Once everyone had a few single shots in each of their outfits, we moved on to duos and small group shots.
The only slight issue?
The backdrop was a little smaller than I’d imagined in my head (classic). So for some of the group shots, the dancers slightly extended past the newspaper edges.
But I wasn’t stressed.
I knew I could fix it in post — and if there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s to plan confidently and edit smarter later.
Overall, this shoot was amazing from start to finish.
It felt so different from the powder session.
Still creative. Still high impact. But so much calmer.
There was constant hyping each other up. Laughter. Lipstick touch-ups. Someone always adjusting someone else’s sunglasses.
It felt wholesome.
There was so much love in that room — and not just because it was Valentine’s themed.
I genuinely could not be more proud of them as my ambassadors.
Absolute angels, the lot of them.
When I first started my ambassador programme, it wasn’t about perfectly curated Instagram feeds or aesthetic backdrops.
It was about confidence.
It was about giving dancers — especially young girls — a space where they could feel seen, hyped up, and celebrated for who they are.
A space where they don’t need to shrink themselves.
Where being “too much” is actually encouraged.
Where red lipstick, dramatic poses and heart sunglasses are completely normal on a random evening.
Watching them hype each other up during this shoot, adjusting each other’s outfits, fixing hair, shouting “YASSSS” behind the camera — that’s the part that matters most to me.
The photos are beautiful.
The lighting worked.
The backdrop came together.
But the real magic?
It’s the confidence growing in front of me every single shoot.
And that’s exactly why I started this.
To create something I wish I had growing up.
To give them moments where they feel like the main character.
To show them how powerful they look when they step fully into who they are.
And if that comes with a little lipstick on newspaper and parcel tape chaos along the way…
Even better.
