Friends in León, Nicaragua, 2020

Earlier this year I was able to travel to Nicaragua prior to the pandemic. Thankfully it was an opportunity to revisit the country of my birth, and to also visit the same communities photographed three years ago. Thanks to my friends in León for their confidence, thanks to Maria for the image and thanks to Douglas for the kindness!

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Dancers + Friends, León, Nicaragua, December of 2017

In a very short time the dearest of friends were made in the city of my father's young adulthood. A simple visit to a ballet school in León resulted in us being embraced like family, in the most beautiful group of dancers most willing to create art.

Antonella and Jose two such beautiful people. Without reservation they offered themselves to the camera on several occasions, with the latter also coming along to help us with the younger dancers one afternoon. We had less than a week together yet were able to create memorable images nonetheless.

For some reason this past December the weather was different. Usually Nicaragua is sunny between December and February, However it was cloudy on so many afternoons, including the afternoon when we made this image. Luckily we had some stretches of sunshine, giving us such an exposure.

This year I will be prepared to honor the school, its students and certainly the professor as well. The trust has been placed in me, and in December the effort will be put forth to make the best images possible. 

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 503 CW/180 mm combination, scanned through the negative sleeve for a preview of the work!

Ballerinas + Countryside, León, Nicaragua, December of 2017

Almost 45 years to the day, and almost 70 years after my father set foot in this city, this collaboration was born with a bit of happenstance. We had finished our work with a local NGO and were on our way out of the city when we saw a street advertisement for a ballet performance. We asked around and made our way to the school.

Inside the school was a handsome man directing a few workers on a project. Without much preparation we approached him and talked about the possibility of a collaboration with his students. He spoke in a most humble manner, and agreed immediately while inviting us to the performance. We changed our plans immediately and made our way to the theatre early in order to get the video camera ready.

So there we were, in the city of my father's young adulthood, watching a ballet performance and hoping for my photography to take hold in that beautiful city. The very next day we visited the school and made arrangements to work with the dancers.

This frame was exposed during our first session with the older students. We had found this beautiful spot just outside of the city, and asked the owners of the land for their permission. They gave it without hesitation and we made our way here with a handful of dancers. The trees all around us produced a beautiful combination of shadows and highlights, and the dancers presented their art within this mix.

My hope is that this year will allow us to dedicate much more time to the school, and these most gentle of people.

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Note: This image was made with a Hasselblad 503CW and 60 mm C lens.

Ballerina + I, León, Nicaragua, 2017

Gracias a mi hermano Ervin Santana en Nicaragua tenemos una foto de la fotografía en León. Mientras Ervin estaba fotografiando a los bailarines en el estudio, les pedí permiso a algunos de los padres para fotografiar a las chicas más jóvenes mientras esperaban. Para mi sorpresa, anoche, Ervin me envió esta imagen que documenta el momento en el que estábamos hablando entre fotografías. Estoy agradecido por su amistad, y espero volver a este estudio para más fotografía en diciembre.