Capturing Rhythm

Latin America has a rhythm. Everyone moves as though they were all born dancing. Curiosity has led to immersions in their music scenes.

Cali. A thriving music bubble. The heart of salsa packed with energy. Its rhythms rush the streets.

Learning to capture this dance scene is a joy. Challenging at times. How do I shoot the essence of Cali's dance culture? Photos spotlighting connection and honouring the sacrality of dance floors.

It's a big question I move in. Seeing things at the right time in the chaos of a full room is difficult. Moments of gold flash by. Something always blocks my vision.

Getting lost in the settings. Focus. Reactions.

There's a tendency to hold onto everything. Follow each move rather than zoom out.

Pause.

Step out of the routine.

Witness the patterns.

Notice where they come from.

Predict and prepare for when they might happen again.

Soon the room clears. A realisation that we are swimming in an endless stream of moments. There's no need to seek, but to trust that the next moment will appear soon.

"Trust that the world is offering you something beautiful, and that if you slow down enough you will see it coming." 
Faizal Westcott

In Cali, forcing myself to stop and watch, I begin to see patterns.

Hands

In dance, they're efficient to track. Extensions of the body, they are bookends to movement. It's easier to predict where they'll be.

In partner dancing they are symbols of connection. Contact points communicating the energy exchange.

Leaning into the unknown

Sometimes a crisp action shot doesn't show what I want to express. Instead of dialling the shutter speed up, I go the other way. Blur explores the chaos. Taking away the detail of faces it can isolate the voice of movement.

These are a couple observations from a month shooting in Cali. By no means am I executing it perfectly. I just keep getting it wrong until I get it right.

Check out my Cali favourites here.

Inspiration for this piece comes from one of my favourite photographers, Faizal Westcott.