Artist Research - Jesus Chapa-Malacara

Jesus Chapa-Malacara

Jesus Chapa-Malacara is a Brooklyn and Boston based artist, photographer and director. He is also a former professional ballet dancer. He combines his multiple skills to create a series of long exposure photographs which present the fluid like movements of dancers. The images which he captures are relevant to my topic of 'the passing of time' as they show the movements of the dancers during set periods of time.

This image shows a dancer jumping across. I like how you are able to see the trails of movement due to the brightly coloured clothing. I also like the black background as this helps to make the colours stand our more. I like how the image shows the passing of time as this therefore shows the movement which has taken place in a set period of time.

This image is very similar to the one above as it shows the trails of movement and shows the passing of time in the movements taken place in a set period of time which the fore relates to the topic. Again, I think that this image looks effective due to the brightly coloured clothes that the figure is wearing as this helps to create the bright trails caused by the long exposure.

I like this image as it is not as complex as the other images but it still shows the movement of the dancer spinning. I like how the dancer is again, wearing brightly coloured clothing which looks effective as it really stands out against the black background. 

This image is interesting as it doesn't show the dancers full figure and instead shows just the legs. I think that this looks effective as it shows the movement in more detail. I like how in the image you are able to see where the legs have gone and also where they have ended up as this helps to create a sense of the movements which have taken place during the set amount of time. 

I like this image due to the shapes that have been created by the use of the long exposure and movement of the dancer. The audience is able to clearly see where the dancer has moved due to the bold movement trails. This image also shows the passing of time well due to the obvious movements which have occured in a set amount of time. I also like how the movement trails give the impression of a fast motion speed.

Influence -

From looking at the work and researching the photographer, I like the idea of using long exposure photography techniques to try to create similar images in my own work. I also like the idea of looking at people dancing or moving in a similar way to that of the artist. In addition, I been influenced by the vibrant colours in the images as this has make the images appear more effective and eye-catching for the viewers.

Summary -

The above images and work by Jesus Chapa-Malacara have influenced and inspired me due to their striking and eye-catching nature. I also think that they show the passing of time in the form of movement very well and also clearly yet in a modern way. In conclusion, I have learnt about the use of long exposure photography from researching this artist, and have also learnt how it could be useful when shooting for this topic.