Photographs are a dime a dozen these days, with selfie-taking tourists on every corner of Downtown Memphis, and the fact that we all walk around with cameras in our pockets makes it easy to forget that photography is an art. Professional photographers do more than render recognizable likenesses—they capture moments in ways that highlight the emotional and intellectual context involved. After all, there’s a reason the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” is so popular. Louis Ziggy’s photography is a testament to the grace, power, and vulnerability of live performance. Ziggy specializes in aquatic and performing arts photography, two particularly challenging genres of the craft. In the former, the buoyancy of both the subject and the photographer require the adaptation of posing and photo-taking techniques—not to mention the fact that light reflects and refracts differently in water. Ziggy uses these aspects to his advantage as he works to create a portal into a world where the sky sparkles and people fly. Ultimately, Ziggy’s aquatic photography weaves together ancient myth and modern aesthetics in an ode to humanity’s love of the water.
Photo Credit: Brine & Line Photography Website
Capturing the motion of dance is similar to aquatic photography, and Ziggy excels at distilling the energy and sensuality of live performances into single images. His photo essay Candy II is a study in contrasts: the curving bodies of the dancers pose against the hard, jagged lines of rubble, their filmy skirts all the more delicate against a backdrop of concrete and metal. As the dancers arch upward, the eye is drawn to the dilapidated condition of the surroundings in a testament to the impermanence of man-made items.
Photo Credit: Brine & Line Photography Website
Ultimately, Ziggy’s work sings with a love of color and contrast. Muted neutrals yield to a pop of bright color, and dancers’ warm tones and curves are juxtaposed against stark, cold backgrounds. Color always tells a story, and Ziggy ensures that the story is heard.
