Festival Frames # 2, a photo from Harare, East

Photographer's Note

Festival Frames #2 - Black Bazar

Part 2 of a short look at festivals and African preformers.

Black Bazar was taken at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) which tends to take place over one week in late April / early May (in 2017 it will be 25 April to 30 April). Despite political difficulties the festival has run annually since 1999 - although the organisers did take a break in 2016 to review, they seem to be back on track with an open invitation to artists and the start of advertising for this years version. This is one of my personal favourite festivals = there is a commitment to nurturing local talent, but there are also a lot of embassies represented in Harare who seem to have an informal competition going to sponsor quality acts from their home countries. There is no fringe, and with all acts on the main program there is a guarantee of quality (although not everything may be ones cup of tea - it should at least be good, thought-provoking what-the-hell-was-that).

The shot was taken during a performance of Black Bazar, a Congolese dance band playing very hot rhythms which should be familiar to salsa dancers. Performers come from both Congos (DRC and Congo-Brazzaville). The guy on the right is the lead singer of the band, the woman on the left was a member of the audience who got up on stage for some interestingly dirty dancing. Taken from as far forward as I could get in the audience - which is a fun experience in a dancing African crowd.

In terms of visiting the festival - Zimbabwe is very visitable. Like many places: awful government, great people. It is a little bit pricier than most of its neighbours - partly because a local currency does not exist after a period of hyperinflation and the entire visible economy runs on US dollars (no need to pack anything else in terms of money). However, still very affordable by Northern Hemisphere standards. If crossing by land from Southern Africa try to avoid the dreaded Beitbridge border post from South Africa where the queues are from hell - it is a 500km detour from my home in Swaziland to Plumtree on the Botswana / Zimbabwe border, but that is my entrance point of choice by road.

pajaran, ourania, CLODO, jhm, holmertz, delpeoples, danos, ChrisJ has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

GyurMaster (24838) 2017-01-23 12:21

Hello Iain,

It is obvious that she not only sings, but lives in/with the music. Really nice capture.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

ourania (51103) 2017-01-23 14:16

Hello Iain,
amazing scene, you captured the fleeting moment superbly and cropped in a wise way so that the intensity, the passion and the eye-contact can really reach and affect the viewer. I like the full frame and how the light has sculpted the faces and distinguished the characters. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a good night,
Ourania

lousat (139308) 2017-01-23 14:33

Hi Iain,a very interesting post from this african music festival,the pic is a masterwork,you caught the face expressions of performers in a great moment,and the quality too is excellent despite the difficult light,well done! Have a nice day and thanks,LUCIANO

CLODO (45116) 2017-01-23 23:34

Hi Iain

Really "live" and I am amzed by the fact that the 2 faces are sharp though they do not seem to be on the same plan
My best regards
CLODO

jemaflor (147204) 2017-01-23 23:38

Hi Iains,
Excellent double portraits well taken, perfect moment with the open mouth of the lady, nice light capture and perfect sharpness, tfs.

emka (158204) 2017-01-23 23:42

Hello Iain, Woow, what a picture! You made an impressive portrait of these two artists. Fantastic expression, there is passion in the face of the woman. interesting that she was just from audience. Excellent picture. 500 km detour, haha.

Kind regrad s Malgo

Royaldevon (85932) 2017-01-24 2:24

Hello Iain,

This is a real close-up!
With the light in the right direction, we would have been able to see her tonsils!

I just love the contrast between the two faces.
The b/g face holding immediate attention because of the gusto, the passion, the vitality and, of course, the huge circular mouth.
Then the gent's face becomes perused, calm, almost meditative.

You know, I'm sure other people will have quite different interpretations and that is the fun of photography. Whatever, it's a dynamic close-up.

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

jhm (211736) 2017-01-24 3:27

Hello Iain,

The woman has much force for to sing, a very strong woman.
Her eyes speak book parts.
A splendid composition, lovely presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice day,
John.

sacimar (38173) 2017-01-24 8:07

Hello Iain,

another good image of this festival, the composition is interesting with the faces of the two artists, well seen,

Best regards,

Sergio

BennyV (34748) 2017-01-24 10:00

Hello Iain

This is a very joyful picture that celebrates the live performance. Excellent timing and a great capture!

Benny

holmertz (102760) 2017-01-24 10:22

Hello Iain,
I am amazed you could manage a shot of this high quality inside a joyful, jumping swinging, bouncing African crowd. Such sharpness and perfectly managed light and a composition which may, perhaps, have been created through a well considered cropping. And I haven't even mentioned the faces!
It's an incredibly well timed and/or lucky shot. I mean, the kind of luck you could have if you know how to take photos.
Kind regards,
Gert
PS I enjoyed Zimbabwe very much in 1984. Returning in 2000 (for elections) I was rather depressed.

Cricri (176) 2017-01-25 0:45

Hi Iain
Superbe sc鈩e bien capturer ou ambiance africaine est bien rendue, tr鑚 beau portraits, bel effet de lumi鑽e, excellente
belle journ馥
cricri

delpeoples (60342) 2017-01-25 3:01

Ciao Iain

A very dramatic scene here, with two fascinating subjects. The definition and skintones are really impressive and I love the tight framing which allows us to concentrate on their facial expressions and the way they interact with one another.

Excellent work, thanks for sharing
Lisa

danos (110407) 2017-01-26 9:51

Hello Iain,
nice the view of this snapshot from the Festival of frames,with the two singers to be captured in this superb 'pose'.I like the excellent light and colour management as the clarity of the image.

Regards,Danos

abmdsudi (95869) 2017-02-28 18:20

Hi Iain
That's entertainment of great gig, talent and fun, capturing the energy of a live show. The faces & passion indeed speak volumes....
Your brightness control is superb and precisely clicked to make it a strong and appealing composition. Applaud your effort, Congrats
Best wishes

ChrisJ (171878) 2017-03-05 16:08

Hello Iain,

Effective tight framing with good sharpness and density levels that have given punchy light contrasts. Good sharpness and I like the contrast between the woman looking directly at the lens and the man staring off to the left. Tfs!