Long Exposures Capture Acrobatic Dancers in Motion

Artist Jess Chapa-Malacara is both a former ballet dancer as well as a professional photographer. In his long-term project, Dance Prints, he merges these two passions into a technically stunning series that conveys the elegance and swift movements of dancers set against stark black backgrounds.

In each photograph, Chapa-Malacara captures the many details of a particular dance move within one frame. He uses dramatic lighting to highlight the strong lines and forms, and he relies on long exposures to capture the remnants of motion that streak across the canvas. As a result, the beautiful compositions are alive with gestures and bright colors that pop out towards the viewer

Chapa-Malacara says, “In art my passion lies in storytelling and exploring ‘the how,’ be it physically, conceptually, or politically. I strive for photography that is intentional and thoughtful, that explores technical aspects…as much as it examines the particularities of its subjects.”