Les Danseurs by Matthew Brookes

For his very first book, acclaimed photographer Matthew Brookes has chosen to focus his camera lens on the professional male dancers of Paris.

The images featured within the new release, were taken over the course of a year, with dancers being taken out of their regular rehearsal environments and placing them in a raw space, better to capture the raw physicality of the ballet in its purest form. A project developed after an introduction by Parisian prima ballerina Marie-Agnes Gillot, Brookes asked the dancers to interpret themselves as birds falling from the sky, captured in beautiful images over 72 pages.

In his already published works as a photographer, Matthew Brookes looks to find the raw emotion of his subjects and this book does just that, whilst at the same time offering a rare insight into a closed and mysterious world. Born in England, Brookes grew up in South Africa and is currently based between Paris and New York. His fashion photography work has seen him work with clients including Armani, Saint Laurent, Burberry and appear in publications like British Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ.

Available from £20 at Damiani.