Photographer’s captivating portraits of pole dancers at home show extraordinary feats in the most mundane of settings

A Californian photographer has captured an intriguing subculture of Silicon Valley women who have stripper poles installed in their homes.
Tom Sanders, 29, came across a model in Los Angeles four year ago who told him she had a pole in her kitchen, and fascinated to learn more, he tracked down 20 other women to photograph in San Francisco for his project, Pole Dancing at Home.
'I had to gain their trust and prove that I was not some creep with a camera,' Mr Sanders tells MailOnline, adding that he started with a few pole dancers who subsequently recommended him to others once they knew he was the real deal.

Athletic: Photographer Tom Sanders has produced a series of photos which capture Silicon Valley women who have taken to pole dancing at home, such as Christine, pictured, with her son and dog

The result is a series of photos depicting women throwing some exceptional moves in rather mundane settings, witnessed only by their own walls, sometimes the family pet, and in a few cases, their toddlers.


Mr Sanders, who found most of his subjects through pole dancing classes, as well as through ads on Craigslist, started off shooting them in a 'sexier, more obvious' style but quickly changed his approach once he learned more about what the pole meant for the women.
'I stereotyped them at first because I thought they were strippers,' he admits. 'So I started off photographing them in bathing suits. As I met and spoke to more women, I learned the pole was sacred and a symbol of strength.'

Scantily clad: Mr Sanders started off photographing the pole dancers in swimsuits, such as Susie, pictured, but later avoided this to produce a more 'accurate' portrayal of the women

Intimate: 'I had to gain their trust and prove that I was not just some creep with a camera,' Mr Sanders said of his project

Indeed, some of the poses demonstrated require a great deal of vigor and flexibility. 'It is pretty extreme what they do, hanging upside down,' he says.
'It's a full body work out; their core, upper body and legs have to be incredibly strong. They are true athletes.'
In one photo, a toned woman hangs upside down from her pole wearing hot pants and a white tank top, in a room which is relatively bare but for a vase of flowers, some chairs and a few bags hung on the wall.