Photographer Creates Cinematic Photos of Mexico’s Traditional Folkloric Dance Scene.

Press Release

JP Stones has been photographing Mexico’s culture, both modern and traditional, for close to a decade now. This latest series is his first work with the Folkloric Dance scene. Folklorico, as it’s called locally, is one of Mexico’s most enduring and popular traditions, tracing its heritage all the way back to pre-hispanic ceremonies.

“We’ve been planning this photoshoot since before Covid hit” said JP, “And while the wait was frustrating, it did give me a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do with this concept. I really enjoy mixing visual styles that aren’t typically seen together, and that idea ended up playing heavily into this photoshoot. We took these traditional archetypes – the Charro and the Jalisciense – and placed them into a modern cinematic visual style. Something I hoped would resemble stills from a movie. Luckily, we were fortunate enough to work with two great dancers, Alondra and Javier, who were willing to go along with what was a pretty unusual photoshoot for them. We only spent about 30 mins photographing them dance!”

“The idea of blending the traditional with the modern was inspired by my regular trips to Oaxaca in Mexico. Oaxaca is a special place for many reasons, but I love it most for the way it embraces Western and traditional values. I think that’s very rare to experience. Western culture either bulldozes everything in its path, or communities entrench themselves in their traditional beliefs. Oaxaca is different in that it manages an elegant balance between the two: between the modern and the traditional. I tried to play with that idea in this series of photos. Honoring the rich culture of folkloric dance, while attempting to also capture the drama of modern cinema: the atmosphere, the lighting, the grading….”

“The shoot was in an old palm oil factory on the outskirts of San Pancho, Mexico. It was the largest space we’ve ever tried to light, and it was a bit of a challenge. We ended up doing a lot more planning than normal. I think Dan and I must have spent a dozen hours trying different ways to light the space, making multiple trips to Home Depot to buy more and more of those $5 silver clamp lights. I think we used about 15 of them in the end!”

Photos

Team: JP Stones, Daniel Spencer, Alondra, Javier Hernández.

JP Stones is English, but he’s lived in Mexico for close to a decade now. He takes cinematic portraits of the people and traditions that shaped modern Mexico’s fascinating culture.

He teaches cultural workshops for the photographer who understands that the essence of a country lies within its people & traditions, not just its photogenic landmarks.

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