TITLE: The Spirit of Dance

ARTIST STATEMENT:
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of capturing multiple points in time within a single frame. For me, there is a certain allure when viewing an image knowing that my gaze is moving through time as well as space.

My work presented here, “The Spirit of Dance,” attempts to trace the movement of dancers and hold that movement within a static frame. In this way, the lines and shapes that dancers create with their bodies through motion is captured. Traces of light show movement through space, such as a leap or a run. Moving the camera also allows me to record an entire phrase of movement.

In order to show motion, these images are all long exposures. The dance movement is primary, but sometimes I move the camera as well. There are times when I want to match the dancer’s moves so I’m not using a tripod. Sometimes I get to watch a piece several times and make note of where and when to shoot. Other times this is not possible, such as with improvised pieces, and I instead rely on experience and intuition. The majority of post-production work is only cropping and toning. Removing pixels is rare in my work and is limited to certain circumstances. I never alter a dancers body or positioning in any way. An organic approach to image making, similar to photojournalism, is important to me.

AUTHOR: Marc Santos (United States)

Marc Santos is a photographer whose work tests conventional ideas of clarity and focus. He creates blurred images that evoke a sense of motion, emotion, and mystery. His photographs capture an expanded reality with more than one moment in time.

Santos finds inspiration from various sources, including the music of John Coltrane, and the paintings of Edgar Degas. He combines various techniques to achieve desired effects, such as long exposure, motion blur, lens manipulation, and intentional camera movement. He believes that blurriness can stimulate the imagination and the senses of viewers by revealing more than sharpness alone.

Marc was selected by a jury panel to present his collection “The Spirit of Dance” as part of the 2018 Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City. His images have been recognized by several prestigious awards, including Monochrome Photography Awards, and the Prix De La Photographie Paris. The International Color Awards selected Marc’s work for the Professional Edition of their Winners Book for 2024. His photography has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in the United States and internationally and is held in several private collections.